There is now just a week before the sixty competitors set off for the 86th edition of the Le Mans 24-Hour Race. There will be plenty to do and see, so don’t miss anything this week with IDEC SPORT.
“Racing is my life. Everything that happens before or after is waiting,” explained Steve McQueen in the film Le Mans (1971). With just a week to go to the 2018 race, his words certainly ring true. It will be the 86th edition of the 24-hour race and the second for IDEC SPORT. While Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Juan-Pablo Montoya will be the star attractions, the LMP2 category which includes Patrice Lafargue’s team, will be one to watch. Twenty cars will be racing in this category which makes it with the Pro LM GTE category, the largest in the line-up. After the amazing feat pulled off by the Oreca 07 last year, when they made it to the overall podium, we can look forward to some exciting performances. Number 48 IDEC SPORT will be the one we will keep an eye on of course.
Before the flag signals the start on 16th June, the fans, teams and drivers will be able to enjoy all the magic of Le Mans. As for racing, more than ten hours of trials are scheduled starting with free trials for four hours on Wednesday 13th June from 4 to 8 p.m. At 10 in the evening, the green light will indicate the first qualifying session for two hours. The second and third qualifying sessions are planned for the following day from 7 to 9 and from 10 to midnight. There will then be total silence around the track until the morning of Saturday 16th June, when the engines will warm up for 45 minutes. The big race starts at 3 p.m. as has happened since 1970.
Before that as is the tradition, the Le Mans 24-Hour event will bring together fans and competitors with the technical checks at the weigh-in, place de la République. The officials will inspect the 60 cars on Sunday 11th June and then on Monday 12th from 10 to 6. The Oreca IDEC SPORT will be the thirteenth car to drive around the streets in Le Mans on Sunday at 4.
Paul Lafargue, Paul-Loup Chatin and Memo Rojas will be present for the official photo with the 177 other drivers on Tuesday morning. Don’t miss the meeting with the IDEC SPORT drivers with the autograph session on Tuesday from 5 to 6.30.. On Wednesday, the pit lane will once again be open to the public for the pitwalk, an opportunity to admire the prototypes and GTs, while the mechanics and engineers continue to work on them. There will be one final chance for spectators to visit the stands and track on Friday 10-8 p.m. The final gathering will be in the town centre with the drivers’ parade on Friday from 5 to 6.30.
Don’t miss anything
Because of the importance of the event, IDEC SPORT will be setting ups some special arrangements to follow the race on its social networks: Twitter : @IDECSportRacing and Instagram: idecsport_racing_officiel17. Live coverage on Facebook: IDEC SPORT Racing.
