The Circuit de La Sarthe is the center of attention this weekend, as the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 mark the 92nd running of the iconic race. Here's our preview including live stream links!
The weekend endurance racing fans around the world have been waiting for is here: The 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans will see the green flag - or rather the French Tricolore - fly at 14:00 UTC on June 15. 62 cars will be on the grid, including an impressive 23 Hypercar class entries.
With the renewed interest in endurance racing, it should come as no surprise that Le Mans is the center of attention in the world of racing this weekend. Following a spectacular 2023 race on the 100th anniversary of the first contest, including Ferrari's victorious return to top-level competition in sportscar racing, the 2024 edition has a steep hill to climb if it aims to one-up this.
25 years after taking the overall victory, BMW makes its prototype comeback at Le Mans with the M Hybrid V8. Image: BMW M Motorsport
Last year's fan-favorite Garage 56 entry - a modified Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 NASCAR racer - may not be part of the 2024 running, but another exciting car makes its debut at Le Mans. For the first time ever, Lamborghini will race in the top class at Le Mans, fielding two SC63 Hypercars - the bright green racers will certainly attract a good amount of attention. Additionally, the BMW M Hybrid V8 marks the return of the Bavarian marque to the top class at Le Mans after 25 years, following their 1999 victory.
Porsche Looks Strong, Toyota Struggles
In the build-up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024, many named Porsche as their favorite for the overall victory, as the manufacturer leads the standings both in WEC and IMSA. Going by the number of entries, the 963 does indeed have the best odds at winning, with three privateer entries (two by JOTA, one by Proton Competition) complimenting the three-car effor of the Porsche Penske Motorsport works effort.
The latter also made sure to have the best grid spot heading into the race, with Kévin Estre completing a spectacular run in Thursday's Hyperpole session to put the #6 Porsche 963 on pole position. The #3 Cadillac V-Series.R was hot on the heels of the Frenchman, though, keeping the gap at less than 0.2 seconds.
The works entries of defending champions Ferrari start in third and fourth, while Toyota - arguably the team to beat in recent years - struggled in qualifying. The black-liveried GR010 Hybrid cars will start the race from 11th and 23rd.
BMW, on the other hand, surprised the grid. After struggling in the WEC season prior to Le Mans, the #15 entry lines up in a respectable sixth on the grid, directly next to the #35 Alpine A424 - the French manufacturer also did not have a great season thus far. Of course, Le Mans would be the perfect location to kickstart their 2024 campaign.
LMP2 Fan Favorite Leads Class
Unlike in 2023, Le Mans is the only round of the 2024 that allows LMP2 machinery to compete. The 16-car class is essentially a spec class in 2024, with all teams entering an Oreca 07 chassis on Goodyear tires and powered by a Gibson engine.
A fan favorite conquered the LMP2 pole, as the AO by TF entry dubbed 'Spike' leads the way for the smaller prototype class. The dragon-inspired livery follows the beloved 'Rexy' (a green T-Rex) and 'Roxy' designs of the team previously used on Porsche GT3 and GTE cars.
AO Racing's Spike (shown here at the 2024 Sebring 12 Hours) follows fan favorites Rexy and Roxy. Image: AO Racing
The final class to compete at Le Mans is not GTE in 2024 - instead, the ever-popular GT3 cars make their debut at the track. Its car count matches that of the Hypercar class, with the entries proving to be closely-matched for themost part.
In qualifiyng, the lone McLaren 720S GT3 Evo of Inception racing proved to be fastest, while the two-car effort of United Autosports using the same model only managed to qualify 11th and 19th among the GT3 runners. Meanwhile, GT3 points leaders Manthey EMA/PureRxcing line up their Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)s in second and 16th - just like in LMP2, an unpredictable 24 Hours should lie ahead.
You can find the full starting grid here.
Aston Martin To Field Two Hypercars In 2025
On the day before the 2024 race, Aston Martin made headlines regarding the 2025 season already. Present in GT3 with the Vantage AMR GT3 Evo already, the British manufacturer confirmed that it will field two Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH Hypercars in WEC. Previously, it had announced that they would develop the car for competition in October 2023 already.
Additionally, the car is also set to run in IMSA, where the GTP class allows Hypercars built to either LMH or LMDh spec to compete, just like the Hypercar class in WEC. As of the 2024 season, no LMH car has ever been entered in IMSA, which would make Aston Martin a pioneer in this regard. The Valkyerie AMR-LMH could easily become a fan favorite due to its aggressive looks and screaming V12 engine.
24 Hours Of Le Mans 2024 Live Streams
As always, plenty of live streams for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 will be available in addition to the official broadcasts via local TV stations or WEC.tv. We have assembled all pre-planned streams we could find, but the list might not be exhaustive - still, it should give anyone a good opportunity to watch the race from numerous teams' POVs.
Alpine Endurance Team
#35
#36
Cadillac Racing
Ferrari
#50
#51
#83
Ford
#77
Lamborghini
#19
Peugeot Sport
#93
#94
Toyota
#7
#8
Who are you rooting for in the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans? Let us know your favorites on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
