The 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans is this weekend, with sports cars contesting the streets outside this French city for 24 hours of grueling competition. Held near the Summer Solstice, Le Mans features mostly daylight running that makes it a bit safer than the midwinter classic, the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
This year the accent is on the new Hypercar prototypes that made their debut at the season starter in Sebring. At this point, they’re not quite as quick as the LMP2 cars that have far more development to contend with, before the Hypercar prototypes are ready for prime time. But here they are and Hypercars will be the premier class for the FIA’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) for the foreseeable future.
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) held a pre-race test session last weekend before the cars went through scrutineering and their annual team photos. But the real practice before qualifying begins tomorrow, Wednesday, for the teams and their drivers.
There’s more to Le Mans than the race, although that is the event’s prime calling card. As the ACO joins with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in promoting and using hybridization and citing alternative methods of propelling vehicles – other than gasoline – it’s discovered the best way to promote alternative fuels and methods of movement is to show them in the areas behind the paddocks and pits so that race-goers can examine and learn.
To that effect, hydrogen power is taking center stage at The Sarthe circuit, both on the track and in the fan areas, known as the Race Village. There is a hydrogen-powered race car, MissionH24 that’s scheduled to compete this weekend. Hydrogen power is being debated at the Le Mans H2 Symposium and at the special ACO H2 Zero-Emissions venue in the paddock. One can listen to the European Commission representation in France talk about energy and hear all about Victories Erussaard’s experience with a boat that’s operated using hydrogen power.
Of course H stands for Hypercar, which is the top class at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the letter H also means hydrogen. The ACO is heavily involved in the roll-out of this technology and will be promoting hydrogen power throughout the race meeting. Tuesday saw the opening of the ACO H2 Zero-Emissions venue, which is focused on both racing and towards mass hydrogen mobility. Located at the center of the Race Village, the complex is easy to spot with its two giant bubbles.
Inside those bubbles, one find informative content, presentations on partners and their areas of hydrogen expertise, and the LMPGH2G, the first hydrogen-electric test car developed by MissionH24. A group of schools is scheduled to visit this exhibition and explore hydrogen technology. The ACO’s H2 Zero-Emissions venue is open Tuesday through Sunday for visits.
The H2 Symposium takes place on Wednesday, together with the Le Mans city council in attendance. The ACO is working with the city on a grouping of hydrogen projects, such as the refueling station installed at the aerodrome, which supplies one of the city’s bus lines. At this symposium, there will be several round-table sessions, including one devoted to motorsport and the progress that can be achieved through racing.
For the first time – and in this 90th iteration – a hydrogen-electric prototype is entered to showcase this technology. H24, which made its initial race start at Imola as March became April, makes its Le Mans debut during free practice sessions on Wednesday before qualifying for the Road to Le Mans race. There is a mobile hydrogen station, designed by TotalEnergies, that has been constructed in the pit lane to service this car. In Thursday’s “Road to Le Mans” race, H24 is entered as an “Innovative car”, which allows it to garner exceptional data as it runs alongside its internal combustion engine competition.
On Wednesday, Mission H24’s electric-hydrogen prototype set a speed record of 290.8 km/h on the Les Hunaudieres straightaway located just beyond Tertre Rouge, just before braking for the first chicane. That’s just under 181 mph for this prototype – in the rain. There had been only one chance to attempt a big number and this was about 3.7 km from the start line. Driver Stephane Richelmi knew it was one and done and had to be set without a warmup lap. Running on slick tires that hadn’t yet attained their optimal working temps on a circuit that was starting to be covered in a thin film of rain, he achieved his mission.
Richelmi noted that his achievement was “a really stunning performance. All the more so as I set out on tiers that were starting to cool down, accentuated by the track that was covered by a film of water as it was starting to rain. An extra lap with warmer tires that would be quicker and we’d have broken the 300km/h barrier. We’ll do that next time at Le Mans!”
On Saturday, H24 gets a special privilege prior to the start of the 24-hour race, as it assumes the front position of the grid for a lap of honor before the race’s start.
By Anne Proffit
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