Ihe party will be beautiful, this weekend, in the Sarthe. For the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a famous endurance car race, all the elements are in place to make the 2023 edition exceptional: many festivities have already begun in the streets of Le Mans, while the event ticket office displays sold out since December 2022. The result of new attractive and less costly technical regulations, big names in motorsport are making their return to the top of the competition, offering an unprecedented and devilishly sexy starting grid. See you on Saturday June 10 at 4 p.m. for the start of hostilities!
For an exceptional event, exceptional interest: it is no surprise that many books have come out to commemorate one hundred years of history. Here is a small selection:
24 Hours of Le Mans 1923-2023 – 100 years of legends
This is the official Bible of the event, endorsed by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). In this large block of more than 300 pages, published by Gründ editions, the double clock tower is approached in many ways, with many historical references and very nice infographics to browse, both for neophytes and great connoisseurs.
Special mention for the way in which the great cars that have marked the competition are mentioned, during comparative double pages, such as Ford vs. Ferrari. An inexhaustible mine of information, coupled with a feast for the eyes.
READ ALSOWhen “Le Point” won the 24 Hours of Le Mans “24 hours Le Mans 1923-2023 – 100 years of legends”, by Denis Bernard, Basile Davoine, Julien and Gérard Holtz. (336 pages, Editions Gründ; 49.95 euros)
24 Hours and Misfortunes of Le Mans
Three great motorsport enthusiasts, two journalists and an author, have set themselves the goal of recounting the 24 Hours of Le Mans through 24 chapters, for as many stories, characters. From the foundations of the race to its darkest hours, passing through its greatest champions, several aspects of the legendary race are explored here.
Interesting exercise, although a bit confusing, it is in the form of a novel that is told 24 Hours and Misfortunes of Le Mans. Some exchanges transcribed inside are therefore not to be taken as cash. This does not detract from the flavor of the transcribed anecdotes.
“24 Hours and Misfortunes of Le Mans”, by Stéphane Bois, Guillaume Nédélec and Bob Garcia. (280 pages, Editions du Rocher; 19.90 euros)
24 Hours of Le Mans 1923-2023 a century of passion!
Alpine, Steve McQueen, Mazda, Peugeot, McLaren… For the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this book promises to reveal 100 anecdotes, divided into around thirty different chapters, devoted both to the brands that have written the history of the test only to its biggest names.
What seduces here is the pleasure of delving into the archives, the book being richly embellished with press clippings from all periods, and numerous photos.
“24 Hours of Le Mans 1923-2023 a century of passion! », by Dominique and Antoine Pascal, Jean-François Krause (124 pages, Éditions Ouest-France; 19.90 euros)
24 Hours of Le Mans – 1923-2023
Expected for the end of June, this premium book is intended for an audience of connoisseurs. With a magnificent case and particularly neat finishes, it was designed as a photographic album evoking the history of Le Mans in a chronological way. With a promise: unpublished shots on the 360 pages.
At the controls of this luxurious book, two references of the famous race: Jean-Marc Teisseidre and Thibaut Villemant. After covering the event for years for specialized magazines, each year they are responsible for writing the Annual Book of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A competition that has no secrets for them.
READ ALSOThese exploits that built the legend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans “24 Hours of Le Mans – 1923-2023”, Jean-Marc Teisseidre and Thibaut Villemant (360 pages, Éditions Cercle d’Art; 195 euros)
Dossier Michel Vaillant, 100 years of Le Mans
Anyone who has ever traveled a Michel Vaillant knows that the history of the famous comic strip driver is intimately linked to that of motorsport, in all its forms. With the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the link is even crazier: not only has our hero taken part in it many times in fiction, but his colors and his name have also been entered in real life, with “Vaillantes” lined up on the starting line!
While Jean Graton, father of the series who died in 2021, would also have been 100 years old this year, it is only natural that a “Michel Vaillant File” is devoted to the centenary of the famous race. Combining comic strips, archive photos and enriching texts, it’s a very original way of approaching the myth.
“File Michel Vaillant, 100 years of Le Mans”, by Laurent Beauvallet, Christophe Bourgeois, Jean-Philippe Doret and Guillaume Nédélec. (130 pages, Dupuis Editions; 26 euros)