One of two Chicanes added to the Mulsanne straight, in order to slow the cars down for safety reasons, on the Le Mans 24 hr Circuit, France
The circuit on which the 24 Hours of Le Mans is run is named the Circuit de la Sarthe, after the department that Le Mans is within. It consists of both permanent track and public roads temporarily closed for the race. Since 1923, the track has been extensively modified, mostly for safety reasons, and now is km ( mi) in length. Although it initially entered the town of Le Mans, the track was cut short to better protect spectators. This led to the creation of the Dunlop Curve and Tertre Rouge corners before rejoining the old circuit on the Mulsanne Straight. Another major change was on the Mulsanne itself in 1990 when the FIA decreed that it would no longer sanction any circuit that had a straight longer than 2 km ( mi). To comply with this, two chicanes were added to the 6-kilometre-long ( mi) straight, dividing it into three pieces about 2 km each. The addition of the chicanes was further influenced by the fact that the speed of WM P88-Peugeot, driven by French driver Roger Dorchy, had been timed at 407 km/h (253 mph) during the 1988 race. This was the record speed before the addition of the chicanes.[41] Due to the shorter length of the straights, the speed record at Le Mans now, after the introduction of the chicanes, is 366 km/h (227 mph). Typically race cars achieve top speed of just under 320 km/h (200 mph) at the current track (with chicanes).[41] The public sections of the track differ from the permanent circuit, especially in comparison with the Bugatti Circuit which is inside the Circuit de la Sarthe. Due to heavy traffic, the public roads are not as smooth or well kept. They also offer less grip because of the lack of soft-tyre rubber laid down from racing cars, though this only affects the first few laps of the race. The roads are closed only within a few hours of the practice sessions and the race before being opened again almost as soon as the race is finished. Workers have to assemble and dismantle safety barriers every year
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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