The 24 Heures Motos (often called in English the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle race) is a motorcycle endurance race held annually since 1978 on the

Bugatti Circuit The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport Race track, race course, chiefly known as the venue fo ...

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

, Sarthe, France. The race is organized by the

Automobile Club de l'Ouest The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (English: Automobile Club of the West), sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organ ...

(ACO) and is part of the

Endurance FIM World Championship The Endurance World Championship ( FIM EWC) is the premier worldwide endurance championship in motorcycle road racing. The championship season consists of a series of endurance races (with a duration of six, eight, twelve or twenty-four hours) ...

History

When the Bol d'Or moved from Bugatti Circuit to

Circuit Paul Ricard The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has ...

at the end of 1977, the ACO created the 24 Heures Moto. The race became one of "the classics" of endurance racing along with the

24 Hours of Liège The 24 Heures de Spa-Francorchamps Motos (previously called 24 Heures de Liège moto) is a motorcycle Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually since 1971 on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, ...

, the 8 Hours Of Suzuka, and the Bol d'Or. At the end of 2001, the three 24 Hour classic races (Le Mans,

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

and the Bol d'Or) withdrew from the

Endurance World Championship The Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) is the premier worldwide endurance championship in motorcycle road racing. The championship season consists of a series of endurance races (with a duration of six, eight, twelve or twenty-four hours) h ...

to create the Master of Endurance. Le Mans returned to the

in 2006.

Race weekend format

;Thursday Free practice sessions, 1st qualifying practice sessions (in groups) and night practice sessions ;Friday 2nd qualifying practice sessions (in groups), superpole ;Saturday Warm-up session. 3.00 pm Le Mans start. ''NOTE: The traditional Le Mans start, abolished in 1970 for automobiles, is still used for motorcycles.'' ;Sunday 3.00 pm, finish of the race followed by the prize-giving ceremony

Winners

By manufacturer

By rider

References

External links

Official website

Suzuki GSX-R Endurance Model Range

Kawasaki ZXR-7 Model Range explanation
{{DEFAULTSORT:24 Hours Of Le Mans (Motorcycle Race) Motorcycle races Motorsport competitions in France Endurance motor racing Sport in Le Mans