Motorsport
Le Mans 24 Hours
Le Mans, France
Le Mans · June · Subject to availability
Mid June — dates to be confirmed
Twenty-four hours on public roads in the Sarthe, and the only motor race whose central subject is endurance rather than speed.
Le Mans is run on a circuit that is largely public highway for the rest of the year, over a distance no other race attempts, and it retains a seriousness that the rest of the sport has partly traded away. The Mulsanne straight still runs for several kilometres between hedgerows. Manufacturers return here because a result at Le Mans has meant something continuously since 1923, and the recent return of the major marques to the top class has restored a competitive field that had thinned for a decade. The weekend itself is long and deliberately unglamorous in parts: the race begins mid-afternoon and the decisive hours are between two and six in the morning. The most rewarding way to attend is to accept that structure rather than resist it, which means arranging accommodation and movement that function through the night.
- Month
- June
- Recommended stay
- 3–4 nights
- Nearest airports
- LME · TUF
- Typical clientele
- Collectors and marque clients, automotive industry principals and engineers, endurance racing followers of long standing, and European families combining the race with a week in the Loire.
Why it matters
Le Mans is the automotive industry's most significant annual gathering outside the motor shows, and the manufacturer presence gives the paddock a technical and commercial density that a Grand Prix does not have. Collectors, marque clients and engineering principals attend in numbers, and the surrounding programme of private manufacturer events runs from the Wednesday. It is also the calendar's most demanding weekend logistically, because the region has limited high-quality accommodation.
How access is arranged
Hospitality and manufacturer programmes around the race are arranged with authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist, by introduction and subject to availability. Scott & Vale coordinates aviation, accommodation and movement across the region for the duration.
Scott & Vale coordinates travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design around this occasion, and makes introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist. The firm does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission.
Hospitality and travel
Where to stay
- Les Sources de Cheverny
- Domaine des Hauts de Loire
- Château de Noirieux
- Fontevraud L'Hôtel
- Le Choiseul Amboise
Properties are listed as editorial guidance. Scott & Vale holds no inventory and no claimed relationship with any property named here.
Arrival by air
- LME — Le Mans Arnage Immediately adjacent to the circuit; capacity is limited and allocated early.
- TUF — Tours Val de Loire An hour by road, with the Loire châteaux between the two.
Helicopter. Rotations from Paris and the Loire operate through the weekend and are the standard solution to the region's constrained accommodation, allowing a base well away from Le Mans itself.
Dining
- Le Grand Hôtel de la Loire
- Auberge du Bon Laboureur
- L'Évidence
- Le Saint-Hilaire
Reservations are requested on a member's behalf, subject to availability.
Suggested itinerary
- 01 Day One Arrival into the Loire, with the afternoon at the scrutineering in the centre of Le Mans, which remains one of the weekend's better traditions.
- 02 Day Two The start in mid-afternoon, then the evening hours, which are the most atmospheric of the race. A return to base overnight or a rotation back for the small hours.
- 03 Day Three The finish in mid-afternoon, followed by a night in the Loire before departure; the road exit from the Sarthe is protracted.
Scott & Vale support
- Private Jet
- Helicopter
- Private Villas
- Luxury Hotels
- Luxury Chauffeur
- Corporate Hospitality
- Personal Concierge
- Travel Planning
Enquiry
Plan this properly, and plan it early.
An enquiry reaches the team directly with the context of this entry attached. A member of the team will respond within the hour, wherever you are.
Frequently asked
Is it necessary to stay awake for the whole race?
No, and few do. Most principals attend the start, the evening, a portion of the night, and the finish, returning to a base in the Loire in between.
Why base in the Loire rather than Le Mans?
The Sarthe has very little accommodation of a suitable standard, and what exists is committed years ahead. The Loire is thirty minutes by air and materially better.
How early should the weekend be arranged?
Nine to twelve months. Manufacturer programmes and the better regional properties are settled a long way out.
What does Scott & Vale arrange?
Aviation, accommodation, ground and air movement across the region, dining and the itinerary, with introductions to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Related events
Direct: info@scottnvale.com
Event names, marks and logos referenced on this page are the property of their respective owners. Scott & Vale is not an official partner, supplier or licensee of any event, organiser or rights holder named here, and no affiliation is implied. Scott & Vale does not sell, allocate, resell or guarantee admission to any event. Travel, accommodation, ground and air movement, security, dining and itinerary design are arranged around these events, and introductions are made to authorised hospitality providers where such programmes exist.
Enquiry