The 24 Hours of Le Mans will run as two separate 12 hour races after locals complained about disruption and noise, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest has announced.
The two races will run in daytime hours only, to allow roads to be opened up in between so the considerable disruption caused by the races is kept to a minimum.
The track the French endurance classic uses, the Circuit de la Sarthe, is made up of mostly public roads, including the Hunaudières road, a major road connecting the towns of Le Mans and Mulsanne together.
The ACO has been slowly converting many of the roads used by the race to dedicated race circuit in recent years, to lessen the disruption caused. The latest included a new section of road built near the Indianapolis and Arnage corners, enabling the former public road to be converted to race track.
The Hunaudières also has chicanes, which were added in 1990 and have always been dedicated race track. The road is known as the Mulsanne Straight to English-speaking fans during the race.
Sources say if the locals continue to complain the race could even be run in the future on the Bugatti Circuit, the ACO’s own separate race track which uses the straight finish straight and Dunlop Chicane area of the regular 24 hour track.
In a statement the ACO said: “It is a shame that we have to cut the race in two, but we have to take the locals’ concerns and complaints into consideration as we continue to hold the race well into the 21st century.”
Disclaimer: Fear not sportscar fans! This is merely an article written to fool you. An April Fool, one might say…
Discussion about this post