M24 Motorsport Museum Inauguration – Interview with Fabrice Bourrigaud, Director of Heritage and Culture / M24

I imagine there's emotion involved in the idea of ​​reopening this museum of 24 hours of Le Mans which is now called the M24.

There's emotion, fatigue, and pride. Emotion because all we hear are lovely words, we hear that it's beautiful, magnificent, and stunning. Perhaps that last word is the one I like best: stunning.
There's a sense of pride because it was a monumental undertaking in such a short period—just eleven months. We completely stepped out of our comfort zones because we know how to put on exhibitions. We also know how to find works of art, since they are mechanical pieces, but managing a construction site, even with an architect and a project manager on board, required being there every single day because we were operating the project. So I learned, we all learned, how to work with painters, drywallers, and electricians. We had to coordinate different trades, but we always felt a real sense of motivation. I think that even for companies like ours, creating this museum, with the ambition of this museum, was a real source of pride. It's not just any construction project.
And then there's the ambition. When you look at what we've acquired with the pieces, the works of art. There are 35 world championship titles, 8 genuine winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and 10 victories. With that, we tell ourselves that we must be able to connect with the public, tell compelling stories, engage the younger generations in particular, and inspire all those tourists and cultural visitors to appreciate motorsport even more.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans and the circuit are constantly growing, do you feel that with this museum, it's really a step into another dimension?

The museum is a great complement to the races, which primarily attract die-hard fans and passionate enthusiasts. The museum also caters to them, as it's open during the races, but we also have the unique characteristic of welcoming a more culturally minded, tourist-oriented clientele, often families, who, upon entering the museum, want to understand, to ask themselves: what is motorsport? What are the 24 Hours of Le Mans? What are all these stories about endurance racing we hear about? So, this aspect of sharing knowledge is truly fundamental for us. And we actually have these discussions in what we call the educational rooms, which are equipped to host school groups and conduct workshops designed to spark the curiosity of younger audiences.

We're preparing the next generation…

We are also preparing the next generation of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

There is a desire, I imagine, to inspire, as you said, all the world champions, cars that have won, we celebrate success in a certain way?

I believe that in today's society, where we sometimes go through difficult times, including the Covid pandemic, the public—and we feel it here in this museum—needs points of reference. The cult of heroes isn't just an empty phrase. People need to connect with heroic human stories, and motorsport has inspired dozens and dozens of them throughout history and across generations. And I think that's important today. This ability to connect with extraordinary lives, with people who have done incredible things. It's reassuring, it's appealing, it makes the general public dream.

And we have some of those heroes here today for this inauguration…

Tonight (Wednesday, May 27th - Ed.), we don't have all the people we wanted because the schedule is complicated; we had to inaugurate the event before the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 10-14, 2026 - Ed.), but we still have some wonderful people. I was very moved to see Rene Arnoux who was a legend at Classic Ferrari for sale, duty simon pagenaudA Frenchman who won the Indianapolis 500, our four-time winner Yannick Dalmas, and even a champion of Rafael Nadal's caliber who came specifically to visit the museum because he caught the racing bug the day he came to start the 24 Hours of Le Mans. These are important moments. We also have actresses and film actors…

What is your favorite part of this museum?

It's hard to say, as they say: to choose is to renounce. Ultimately, I really love the miniature scene at the end because, for me, it remains a Proustian madeleine. It's what connects the world of childhood with that of adulthood. From miniature toy cars to real cars, the ones we dreamed of. The grandfather who comes to this museum with his grandson and tells him stories. So, this space is truly about what we call transmission, and the museum is there first and foremost to transmit.

This space, which was also one of the stars of the previous museum…

It has been revisited, expanded, and now includes 4,600 miniatures. Everything is better scripted and designed.

Comments collected by Michaël Duforest