Guide to the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans

This year’s ultimate endurance race is happening this weekend and promises to showcase the very best in world class racing.It is the 83rd time the race has been organised by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and will also be the third round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship.

There have been some changes made to this year’s event following the introduction of slow zones in 2014. The ACO has increased some of the limits from 37 mph to 50 mph, although there has been a rise in the number of zones and additional lighting to help ensure safety for drivers and spectators.

Many teams earn automatic entry into the prestigious event, especially if they have recorded past successes at Le Mans 24 or other events such as the United SportsCar Championship, the European Le Mans Series, and the Asian Le Mans Series.

In total, 56 cars will take to the track with seven reserves in place just in case something happens in the run up to race day.

Traditionally, many of the big names take the opportunity to unveil new products or design eye-catching livery for their racing cars – knowing that all of the world’s motor fans will be watching.

This year, Aston Martin has confirmed its number 97 Vantage GTE will be sporting a new exterior look created by German artist Tobias Rahberger. The aim of the very vivid design is to make the car appear that it is moving even when it is stationary.

“My design for the Aston Martin art car is rooted in my interest in distorted perception and related phenomena like auto moving patterns, optical effects, camouflage and visual confusion, which I have addressed in many works before,” explained Mr Rahberger.

He added: “In this case, the design is based on a geometric optical effect pattern. Comparable to a fast object, a steady fixation on a point of the pattern is impossible.”

Aston Martin will have a total of five Vantage GTEs taking part in the race in the production class fields – where they will go head-to-head against Porsche 911s, Ferrari 458 Italias and Chevrolet Corvettes.

Nissan has confirmed it will return to the LM P1 class with three GT-R LM NISMOs. The front-wheel drive and front-engined cars will be driven by former F1 star Max Chilton, GT Academy winner and GP3 racer Jann Mardenborough and French sportscar expert Olivier Pla.

“I’ve raced for Nissan NISMO for 16 years now and I was part of the team in the top class at Le Mans in 1998 and 1999 and they were very enjoyable early years with Nissan,” said Micheal Krumm.”To now have the opportunity to come back to complete our unfinished business (we retired in 1999) means a lot. To help develop a new car and be part of the race squad is a big honour for me.”

All in all, the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans is shaping up to be a formidable weekend, with numerous celebrities and motor racing legends already heading to France to soak up the atmosphere.

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