A CELEBRATION OF ENDURANCE
At this year’s record-breaking staging of the Le Mans Classic, official event partner Richard Mille unveiled the petrolhead’s perfect timepiece
for the ninth Le Mans Classic, the biggest historic car race in the world, some 135,000 motorsport fans crowded the stands at the legendary French circuit on July 6-8. Richard Mille has been the official partner of the biennial event since it began in 2002, and this year the Swiss luxury watchmaker unveiled a very special timepiece, the sporty RM 11-03 Le Mans Classic in white ceramic, available in a limited edition of just 150 pieces.
This year’s attendance – up 10 percent from the previous event – marked a new record for the race. During the three days the circuit also welcomed 8,500 cars from 60 marques, including more than 700 classic machines in competition, 200 automobile clubs and 1,000 drivers from 30 countries, including 10 former winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, motorsport’s most prestigious endurance race, which is held annually on the same 13km circuit.
The racing cars at the Le Mans Classic have all competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and race there in categories decided by age, with the oldest having taken part between 1923 and 1939. As well as official race categories stretching up to 1993, this year also saw the introduction of a demonstration grid for cars from the recent past, up to 2016.
As the event’s official partner, Richard Mille invited a number of guests from among its network of friends, partners and ambassadors. They included Mike Flewitt, CEO of British supercar company McLaren
Automotive, which provided its 570S Sports Series and 720S Super Series vehicles for the event; former Formula 1 star Felipe Massa; World Rally champion and WRX rallycross driver Sébastien Loeb; and legendary football player Didier Drogba. Some of them were given the honour of being made official race starters: Drogba for Little Big Mans, for junior drivers, and Massa and Loeb for Grid 1, featuring vehicles from 1923 to 1939, which marked the official start of this year’s Le Mans Classic.
Visitors to the Le Mans Classic were also entertained by celebrations for the 70th anniversary
THE RM 11-03 LE MANS CLASSIC IS POWERED BY THE SKELETONISED CALIBRE RMAC3
of Porsche and the 40th anniversary of the victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the French manufacturer Alpine. The Le Mans Heritage Concours, meanwhile, allowed them to get up-close with 24 cars that have competed in the race, while an auction by Parisian auctioneers Artcurial Motorcars included a record €3.1 million sale of a Mercedes 300 SL Roadster.
There was further cause for excitement away from the track with the unveiling of Richard Mille’s new RM 11-03 Le Mans Classic. A watch dedicated to the race and available in a numbered limited edition of just 150 pieces, the RM 11-03 Le Mans Classic builds on the much-loved RM 11-03. Whereas the original comes with a three-part tonneau case in white gold, red gold and titanium, the new
Le Mans Classic edition showcases the same three-part tonneau case in ATZ white ceramic and TPT carbon, and is also distinguished by an LMC logo on the dial at 12 o’clock.
The RM 11-03 is powered by
Calibre RMAC3, a skeletonised,
automatic-winding movement with a variable-geometry rotor; a flyback chronograph that can flatten the on-track lap timers; a 60-minute countdown timer at 9 o’clock; a 12-hour totaliser; and an oversize date and month indicator. The movement’s baseplate and bridges are made from grade 5 titanium, ensuring optimal rigidity and geartrain performance. They also contrast with the satinbrushed grade 5 titanium used on an upper bridge, while the visual connection is continued with the satin-brushed PVD-treated lower bridge that highlights the doublebarrel mechanism and variablegeometry rotor, which takes its design cues from motorsport aerodynamics. So do several other features of the RM 11-03, from a grade 5 titanium crown reminiscent of wheel rims and tyre treads to grooved pushers like the pedals covered with the NTPT carbon commonly used in the motor racing world. It’s a fitting tribute to a unique weekend of classic motorsport action.