The Greatest Race on Earth

The 24 Heures du Mans is touted as the greatest race on earth by many even though it's not really well known by man here. The holy grail of all endurance and sports car races is held at the Circuit de la Sarthe near the historic town of Le Mans in Central France. But what is it that makes Le Mans so special that it makes motor racing fans like myself want to at least make one pilgrimage there in our life time?

They say that if you're a motor racing fan, the only place where you should be in mid-June each year is in France - more accurately Le Mans. And so I finally made my pilgrimage to Le Mans two years ago.

It might have been two years since my visit but I'll never forget the place, the cars, the noise, the people and the experience as a whole. Here's my recount om my visit to Le Mans in 2008:

For the teams and race officials, the Le Mans weekend starts on the Monday before the race with the traditional scrutineering session for both cars and drivers at the old Le Mans town. Wednesday and Thursday will see the first time the cars go on track for practice and qualifying.

It is on Friday that the thousands of spectators will start to trickle in to the Circuit de la Sarthe. Spectators come from all over the world but the ones that stand out most are the Brits. Everywhere around the track you will see British registered cars driving by or parked by the road side - no surprise as Britain is just a ferry ride and some hours away. As there are limited hotel rooms in the area, most will inevitably pitch a tent at the many camp sites around the track. Camping is part of the full Le Mans experience and we saw Bentleys and Lamborghini owners pitching tents next to their cars!

The pit lane is also open on Friday for the spectators to see the cars in the garages (usually in pieces). For the mechanics, the eve of the race presents a last opportunity for them to work on the cars. The drivers on the other hand, will face the world's media at press conferences.

The buzz starts to build up on Saturday morning as the cars go out for a final warm up session. As an additional treat for the fans, Saturday morning will also see the traditional support race for old Le Mans cars. When I was there, it was cars from the Group C era. These Porsches, Jaguars and Mazdas will reach almost 400km/h along the track's Mulsanne straight during their heyday.

The whole Le Mans and its 258,000 spectators finally reach euphoria as the track side Rolex clock strikes 3pm and the race gets underway. All 55 cars make the start cleanly and the noise from them is really something. It's just an amazing sight to see the cars zoom by at full racing speed relentlessly lap after lap. Ah, and the noise - there is the surprising silence of the diesel machines, the heart pounding V8 of the Corvettes, the shriek of the Pescarolo Judd's V10 and the blare from the Aston Martin DBR9's V12 and Ferrari F430 GT's high revving V8. It's an aural experience like no other.

Well, you might think that watching a race over 24 hours could be boring as the racing thins out as the race progresses. Not so at Le Mans. You can watch the race at many places here - there's the pit straight spectator enclosure and there are designated spectating points at the Porsche Curves, Hunaudieres, Indianapolis and along the Mulsanne.

There is much to do here other than watching the cars whizzing by as well. There's an amusement park by the circuit for rides on a roller coaster or ferris wheel. The Le Mans village is an area where you can shp for merchandise and souvenirs as well as visit booths like Playstation and Michelin for a round of entertainment. There are also bars and eateries to satisfy hungry tummies and those who need a beer fix. Last but not least, there's the museum where you can view some of the priceless cars that has seen glory at la Sarthe.

The race ended 24 hours later after it started and as the Rolex clock touch 3pm on the Sunday, the first car to reach the finish line was the number 3 Audi R10 TDI. It was an epic win for Audi, overcoming the quicker Peugeots as well as the changeable weather conditions. Will the Audis overcome the lightning Peugeots this year or will the Lion overcome the Four Rings once again? We'll find out when the weekend's over!

Credits: Story by Raymond Lai Photos by Manufacturer