French dressing

For 200k spectators,le Mans Classic was the place to be

After so many postponements, this year’s Le Mans Classic was a massively cathartic festival of the history of endurance racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe – the first time the event had been able to go ahead since 2018.

More than 200,000 people showed up to watch dozens of fire-breathers spanning almost the whole history of the Le

Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans race, competing day and night in six grids defined by the eras in which they originally raced (from 1923 to 1981).

Four support races were added this year, making 22 altogether. Endurance

Racing Legends saw GTS and prototypes from the Nineties and Noughties (the youngest cars that the event has ever included) go head to head, with highlights including the Mclaren F1GTR and race-winning Bentley Speed 8 from 2003.

Group C celebrated its 40th anniversary with a starting grid led for one lap by the 700bhp rotary-engined Mazda 787B that won Mazda its first 24 Hours of Le Mans victory in

1991, but Jaguars took the top 787B was driven by Brit, Johnny Herbert in ’91.

three positions this year. Over 70 historic Porsches competed in the Porsche Classic Race, won by a 935K, and the Jaguar Classic Challenge saw around 60 Jags take to the track (C-, D- and E-types, as well as XK120, 140 and 150s), with a low-drag E-type finishing first.

As always, UK petrolheads made the journey in droves, behind the wheels of everything from Series I Land Rovers to Ford GT4OS.

If you missed out, search Youtube for race replays by event organisers Peter Auto – and turn the volume up…