In just two weeks time the Circuit de la Sarthe, just south of Le Mans, France, will once again be overtaken by motorsport teams, media and fans in anticipation of the 24 Heures du Mans 2009. Considered to be the oldest endurance race in the world, this prestigious 24-hour non-stop automobile spectacle is set to begin this year on Saturday, 13 June at 15:00 CEST, regardless of weather conditions.

Les 24 Heures du Mans is organized by the Société Sportive Professionnelle de l'Automobile Club de l'Ouest (SSP-ACO) and the race has attracted some of the best car brands and drivers to Le Mans every June since its creation in 1923. Located 200 kilometres southwest of Paris, the city of Le Mans is as proud as ever to welcome the 50 teams that will be participating in the 77th edition of this spectacular race. Entries have been drawn from near and far, with fourteen different nationalities represented on the current entry list. The allure of Les 24 Heures du Mans continues to attract competitors from across Europe, the USA, Japan and China.

As per the official event rules, each team has three drivers that take turns behind the wheel during a non-stop 24-hour racing period. While any high-speed racing is incredibly demanding of the drivers, Les 24 Heures du Mans pushes the men and women in the driver's seat to their physical and mental limits while also revealing the true reliability of their machines. The winning team is the one that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours, often more than 5,000 kilometres.

The Circuit de la Sarthe, home of Les 24 Heures du Mans, is a 13.629-kilometre long track that is composed of both public roads and stretches of the Bugatti Circuit that was constructed in 1965. This all-or-nothing endurance race sees all cars compete simultaneously even though they are divided into two separate categories: Le Mans Prototypes (LMP1 and LMP2), cars individually custom-built to race according to the rules of Le Mans, and Grand Touring cars (LMGT1 and LMGT2), derived from production cars and manufactured in very limited numbers. Typically the Le Mans Prototypes are capable of higher performance and are about 200 kg lighter than the Grand Touring cars but the competition has a history of being incredibly fierce regardless of category.

More than 250,000 spectators are expected onsite for what is now a week-long tribute to automobile reliability and development. Free Practice is provisionally set for the evening of Wednesday, 10 June, followed by Qualifying Practice on the evening of Thursday, 11 June. Lucky fans also have a chance to see drivers and their cars up close during Friday's Drivers' Parade, a much anticipated event that takes place in the Le Mans city centre the day before the official race start. The race begins on Saturday at 15:00 and finishes precisely 24 hours later before the thousands of spectators who turn out to watch the finish live.

If you have never seen the race in person there is no better time than now- so don't miss all the action!


Rolex is the "Official Timekeeper" for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Le Mans Series. The new Asian Le Mans Series is set to launch this winter with events in Japan and China, and, in North America, Rolex has been the title sponsor for the Rolex 24 At Daytona since 1992.

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