24 Hours of Le Mans: these editions were cancelled, postponed or organized differently

This weekend sees the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 103 years after the event's inception in 1923. This gap of nine editions is explained by some dark chapters in history — wars, social crises, pandemics — which forced the ACO to cancel or postpone the world's most legendary race.

103 years of history, but only 94 editions. The gap between these two figures alone tells us something essential about what the 24 Hours of Le Mans Since their creation in 1923: a race that has withstood almost everything, but not everything. World wars, general strikes, human catastrophes, pandemics—each time, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest has had to adapt, postpone, or even cancel. A look back at these missed or disrupted editions.

1936: Strikes bring the race to a halt

The first cancellation in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was not due to war or disaster, but to a series of administrative and political obstacles that made any organization impossible. In May 1936, the Popular Front won the legislative elections, and massive strikes paralyzed French industries, including the oil and metallurgy sectors—essential for the smooth running of a motor race.

The ACO initially tried to postpone the event to June 20th, but the British objected: a motor race was scheduled for that day in Northern Ireland. A new proposal was made for July 18th and 19th. The problem was that the Deauville Grand Prix already occupied those dates. August 1st and 2nd? The British again blocked this, this time due to a race at the Brooklands circuit. Faced with this impasse, the ACO reluctantly made the decision to cancel the 1936 edition altogether. The 62 registered crews never started the race.

1940-1948: Ten years of forced silence

World War II imposed the longest interruption in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From 1940 to 1948, the race disappeared from the calendar. The circuit itself was damaged: Allied bombings targeting the Le Mans marshalling yard were diverted from their trajectory and struck the track, creating craters and destroying several grandstands.

After the liberation, priorities lay elsewhere — the reconstruction of the country, the rationing of gasoline, and logistical and financial constraints made any immediate organization impossible. It was finally in 1949 that the 24 Hours race resumed, after a decade's absence.

1956: Mourning and work postpone the ordeal

On June 11, 1955, the Mercedes Benz Pierre Levegh's car disintegrated in the crowd at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The toll was horrific: more than 80 dead, hundreds injured, in what remains to this day the greatest disaster in the history of motorsport. In the wake of the tragedy, the ACO undertook massive works to completely redesign the circuit and its safety systems.

The 1956 edition was maintained, but postponed: out of respect for the victims' families, the ACO refused to hold the race exactly one year after the tragedy. The 24 Hours of Le Mans was finally contested on July 28 and 29, 1956, six weeks later than the usual date—to allow time for mourning and for the necessary repairs to be completed.

1968: May '68 pushes the race into autumn

The major social protest movement of May 1968 once again forced the ACO to revise its plans. The strikes and political upheavals shaking France made it impossible to organize the event on its usual June date. Two options were considered: July 13th and 14th, or the end of September.

The first date posed a problem — it coincided with the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen in the United States, a round of the World Constructors' Championship. The ACO opted for the autumn. The 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans was thus held on September 28 and 29 — with nights considerably longer than in June, which led the organizers to move the start time forward by one hour, to 15 p.m.

2020-2021: The pandemic, but not the cancellation

Faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, the ACO chose never to cancel—but to adapt. In 2020, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was postponed by three months and held on September 19 and 20, entirely behind closed doors. No spectators in the stands, no crowds on the embankments—a surreal image for a race that usually welcomes more than 250,000 people over the weekend.

In 2021, there was another postponement: the event was rescheduled from June to August 21 and 22, with a limited capacity of 50,000 spectators. Two editions stripped of their unique atmosphere, but two editions nonetheless contested — a deliberate choice by the ACO, keen to preserve the continuity of a century-old event.

In total, nine missing editions explain the gap between the race's 103-year history and the 94 editions held. Ten years erased by war, strikes, mourning, or illness—and as many reminders that the 24 Hours of Le Mans, however legendary, has never been immune to the world around it.

ALSO READ > 24 Hours of Le Mans – Test Day, Afternoon: The Aston Martin Valkyrie Surprise