The 24 hours of le mans
The ultimate endurance race for men, machines, and tyres
The Le Mans 24 Hours is the world's most famous and prestigious automobile race. Organised for the first time in 1923, it is celebrating its centenary in 2023. Michelin won the inaugural event in association with the French vehicle manufacturer Chenard & Walcker. The beginning of a long success story for MICHELIN tyres. Organised by the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest), it is a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. It is the longest race of the series and takes place around the calendar's longest and fastest circuit (length: 13.626km / average speed: 240kph).
To win, 1 single rule: the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours wins.
In 2023, more than 325,000 spectators witnessed the victory of the Ferrari 499P #51, which covered more than 4659 km, or 342 laps, at an average speed of 194.1 km/h. As in 1923, the race was marked by rain which fell in the form of two torrential showers that caused havoc amongst the 62 starters. They also led to several interruptions and, although intense, the race had difficulty settling into any sort of rhythm up until around midnight Saturday. In the end, there were practically 40 leader changes over the 24 hours!
Join Allan McNISH to discover the secrets behind MICHELIN's Le Mans-winning tyres
Allan McNish, 3 times Le Mans 24 hours winner (1998, 2008 and 2013), is giving you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how our racing tyres are made! How are they created, designed, manufactured, and tested before being fitted to the cars in the world's greatest endurance race? How do engineers, technicians and drivers work together to achieve the best performance, which will ultimately lead to victory? Find out more in this five-episode series.
MICHELIN Pilot Sport range for hypercars & LMGTE Am cars
All of the Hypercar and LMGTE Am entries are contesting the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours on tyres from the MICHELIN Pilot Sport range.
Unlike the other Word Endurance Championship rounds, where teams are limited to two types of slicks, the regulations for Le Mans 24 Hours allow the use of all the three types of slick compounds.
The Hypercar teams can chose between three types of slicks (Soft, Medium, Hard).
Soft: temperatures below 15°C, or night-time racing.
Medium: temperatures above 15°C.
Hard: temperatures above 30°C.
A versatile WET option is also available for conditions ranging from damp to very wet.
Hypercars are the headlining class for the sport's most powerful prototypes (around 1,000hp). The category includes the LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) cars run by Toyota, Peugeot, Ferrari, Glickenhaus and Vanwall), plus the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) prototypes fielded by Porsche and Cadillac.
The LMGTE AM cars can choose between three different types of slick and two wet-weather tyres.
Soft: temperatures below 20°C, or night-time racing, for example.
Medium: temperatures between 15°C and 35°C.
Hard: temperatures above 30°C.
Rain tyres: Michelin's Drying Wets (for drying conditions) and Full Wets (heavier rain) have identical tread patterns.
For the centenary Le Mans 24 Hours, Michelin's tyres will have a coloured marking on their sidewalls to facilitate the identification of which car is running which type of tyre at any given moment.
Michelin has been nominated by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) and ACO as the sole tyre supplier to the Hypercar prototypes. The LMGTE Am regulations permit open competition between tyre brands, but all the competitors have chosen to race on Michelin tyres since 2018.
Further information about the Le Mans 24 Hours and Michelin's tyres for the race are available in our 2023 Race Guide.
Major car manufacturers place their trust in Michelin at Le Mans
With a score of 32 outright wins to its name, including an ongoing spell of 26 consecutive victories since 1998, Michelin has exceptional experience of the Le Mans 24 Hours and unique expertise. All of the 16 Hypercar prototypes contesting the 2023 race are equipped with MICHELIN Pilot Sport tyres. It is the first time that Michelin has worked with this many cars in the headlining class. Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac and Peugeot have joined the fray this year, alongside Toyota which was the first global carmaker to commit to the category. The challenge for Michelin is to provide these cars with the most competitive tyres possible as they endeavour to win the centenary Le Mans 24 Hours.
The Hypercar drivers are all seasoned professionals and represent the cream of endurance racing. The list features several former Le Mans winners, as well as ex-Formula 1 drivers like Sébastien Bourdais, Sébastien Buemi and the 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.
The LMGTE Am teams, which represent four prestigious makes (Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Corvette), have all elected to race on Michelin tyres. The driver crews are a mix of professionals and amateurs.
Porsche is the brand that is fielding the highest number of cars at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours, with four Hypercars and eight Porsche 911 RSR entries in LMGTE Am. Porsche and Michelin have been partners in motorsport for some 50 years.
24 Hours of Le Mans results: Michelin's 26 consecutive victories since 1998
2023 | Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi | Ferrari 499P |
2022 | Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa | Toyota GR010 Hybrid |
2021 | Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez | Toyota GR010 Hybrid |
2020 | Nakajima/Buemi/Hartley | Toyota TS050 Hybrid |
2019 | Nakajima/Buemi/Alonso | Toyota TS050 Hybrid |
2018 | Buemi/Nakajima/Alonso | Toyota TS050 Hybrid |
2017 | Bernhard/Hartley/Bamber | Porsche 919 Hybrid |
2016 | Jani/Lieb/Dumas | Porsche 919 Hybrid |
2015 | Hulkenberg/Bamber/Tandy | Porsche 919 Hybrid |
2014 | Tréluyer/Fässler/Lotterer | Audi R18 e-tron quattro |
2013 | Kristensen/McNish/Duval | Audi R18 e-tron quattro |
2012 | Tréluyer/Fässler/Lotterer | Audi R18 e-tron quattro |
2011 | Tréluyer/Fässler/Lotterer | Audi R18 TDi |
2010 | Dumas/Bernhard/Rockenfeller | Audi R15 TDi |
2009 | Brabham/Gené/Wurz | Peugeot 908 HDi FAP |
2008 | Capello/Kristensen/McNish | Audi R10 TDi |
2007 | Biela/Pirro/Werner | Audi R10 TDi |
2006 | Biela/Pirro/Werner | Audi R10 TDi |
2005 | Kristensen/Lehto/Werner | Audi R8 |
2004 | Kristensen/Ara/Capello | Audi R8 |
2003 | Kristensen/Capello/Smith | Bentley Speed 8 |
2002 | Biela/Kristensen/Pirro | Audi R8 |
2001 | Biela/Kristensen/Pirro | Audi R8 |
2000 | Biela/Kristensen/Pirro | Audi R8 |
1999 | Winkelhock/Martini/Dalmas | BMW V12 LMR |
1998 | McNish/Aïello/Ortelli | Porsche 911 GT1 |