Le Mans
13.626 km of racetrack and country roads, raced flat out for 24 hours every June. The Circuit de la Sarthe is the home of endurance racing, with a six-kilometre straight through the countryside and a fast, committing run back through the Porsche Curves. Learn how the lap works, then open it in the designer and make your own version.
The track at a glance
The Circuit de la Sarthe is a semi-permanent circuit on the southern edge of Le Mans in north-west France. It is 13.626 km long with 38 turns, runs clockwise, and its one race is measured in time, not laps: 24 hours. The first 24 Hours of Le Mans was held in May 1923.
Only part of the lap is permanent track. The rest, including the long Mulsanne Straight (the Ligne Droite des Hunaudières), is public road that is closed for the race and open to traffic for most of the year. The pit straight and the Dunlop Curve are shared with the shorter, permanent Bugatti Circuit.
Because the race runs through the night, cars and drivers spend hours at speed in the dark, and the lap has to work just as well at 3 a.m. as at the start on Saturday afternoon.
A lap of Le Mans, corner by corner
Le Mans has many corners but most are known by name rather than number. This guide follows eight key places around the lap. Their numbers match the map.
- Dunlop Curve and chicane
A long right-hand curve out of the pit straight leads into a tight chicane, then the track climbs under the famous Dunlop bridge.
- Tertre Rouge
After the Esses, a fast right-hander takes the cars off the permanent circuit and onto the public road. A good exit here pays off all the way down the straight.
- The Mulsanne Straight
About 6 km of public road, broken up by two chicanes since 1990. The chicanes are the best overtaking spots on the lap.
- Mulsanne Corner
A slow right-hand corner at the end of the straight, at a road junction. It is one of the heaviest braking zones of the lap.
- Indianapolis
A fast approach through the trees into a tight, banked left-hander.
- Arnage
The slowest corner on the circuit, a tight right that starts the run back towards the pits.
- Porsche Curves
A fast sequence of sweeping bends on permanent track, built in 1972. Mistakes here are punished, especially in traffic.
- Ford Chicanes
Two tight chicanes just before the pit straight. They slow the cars down before they reach the pits and the grandstands.
A century of racing at Le Mans
The lap has changed many times since 1923, but its basic shape, a long run out to Mulsanne and back, has stayed the same.
- 1923The first 24 Hours of Le Mans is held on a loop of public roads that is more than 17 km long.
- 1968The Ford Chicanes are added before the pits to slow the cars down.
- 1972The Porsche Curves open, bypassing the old, very fast Maison Blanche section.
- 1988A car is timed at 407 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight, a record that still stands.
- 1990Two chicanes are added to the Mulsanne Straight. Without them, the straight was about 6 km long.
- 2019The race lap record is set at 3:17.297.
Designed for speed and stamina
Le Mans is a lap of extremes. Long straights mean high top speeds and big braking zones, while the Porsche Curves and the Esses reward a car that is stable at speed. Teams set their cars up with low drag for the straights, then have to live with less grip in the corners.
Because many classes race together, overtaking slower cars happens all the time, and the long straights and chicanes are where most of it is done. For more on how chicanes shape a lap, read what a chicane is for or see how long tracks compare in how long is a race track.
Ideas for your remaster
The Remaster button opens the traced layout in the designer. You can move any point and the lap time, speed trace and corner analysis update as you go. A few places to start:
Rethink the straight. Take out the two chicanes, or move them. How much faster is the lap, and where would you overtake?
Build a shorter loop. The Bugatti Circuit shares the pit straight and Dunlop. Try your own short circuit that cuts across to the Porsche Curves.
Name the corners. The designer lets you group and name turns, and the names show on your exports and share link.
Finish it properly. Add track width, kerbs, run-off and a pit lane so it reads like a real venue.
When you’re happy with it, share your version with its own link. The original stays here for the next person to remaster.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Circuit de la Sarthe?
It is 13.626 km (8.467 miles) long with 38 turns. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is run over time, not a set number of laps.
How long is the Mulsanne Straight?
The Mulsanne Straight (Ligne Droite des Hunaudières) is about 6 km (3.7 miles) long. Since 1990 it has been split by two chicanes.
Which way does the Le Mans circuit run?
Clockwise. The lap heads through the Dunlop Curve and Tertre Rouge, down the Mulsanne Straight, through Mulsanne, Indianapolis and Arnage, then back through the Porsche Curves and the Ford Chicanes.
Is Le Mans a public road?
Partly. The Mulsanne Straight and the run through Mulsanne, Indianapolis and Arnage are public roads that are closed for racing. The rest is permanent circuit.
Is the remastered Le Mans an exact copy?
It is a close trace of the centreline using 102 editable points, within a few metres of the mapped circuit. Track width, kerbs, run-off and the pit lane are left for you to design.
Layout traced from OpenStreetMap data, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via open-racetrack-db. Circuit facts: Wikipedia. RaceTrackDesigner is not affiliated with the circuit, its owners or any racing series.