Price, access, opening hours… Practical information for the 24 Hours of Le Mans test day

With the freeze on mechanical testing between scrutineering and post-race checks, Test Day could now be renamed Calibration Day. On Sunday, June 7, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and then from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM, the 62 cars and 186 drivers entered will be able to get a feel for the track on the large, non-permanent 13,626 km circuit. This is an opportunity for the teams to check the cars' handling, collect technical data that will be immediately processed by the computers, correlate the data with simulators for the top teams, and of course, acclimate the rookie drivers to a very demanding track. For the rookies, this day is crucial. Indeed, the newcomers will get their bearings by completing the ten mandatory laps, five of which must be timed, as required by the regulations, in order to validate their participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It's worth remembering that the lap times recorded during this Test Day are historically not very representative, barring a major surprise. The pursuit of performance is not the purpose of this studious Sunday dedicated to demystifying the technical environment. Furthermore, the full Le Mans circuit does not offer the best driving conditions, as traffic has left deposits of oil and gravel between the Mulsanne Straight and the straight following the Arnage corner. Race control is also taking this opportunity to review the various procedures specific to Le Mans, such as Safety Cars at various points on the track, and neutralizations (Full Course Yellow(yellow flag, red flag), and good coordination with the more than 1,000 marshals positioned along the circuit. In addition to these tests, a Ligier European Series meeting is planned, with two practice sessions in the morning (8:00-8:45, 9:15-9:35), and a one-hour race between 2:00 and 3:00 PM.

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