The 82nd running of legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France is this weekend June 14 and 15 – and we encourage you to watch this outstanding race! The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the worlds oldest active sports car endurance races and has been held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France, and is considered to be one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. Milka competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000 in the second highest category (LMP675) and in 2002 in the highest category (LMP900.) The 24 Hours of Le Mans is also known as a leg of the informal Triple Crown of Motorsport which links Formula One, IndyCar and sports car racing to represent a career achievement for drivers. Additionally, it is seen as a leg of the Triple Crown of Endurance Racing, which links the three largest sports car races together, with the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona forming the other legs. Milka has competed several times in all three of the Triple Crown of Endurance Racing events – the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona. In the 24 Hours of Daytona Milka holds the record for the highest finish by a female driver (2nd place) in the now 51-year history of the race. The race is organized by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) and runs on the Circuit de La Sarthe, a circuit containing a mix of closed public roads and specialist motor racing circuit that are meant to test two aspects of cars and drivers: their ability to be quick and their ability to last over a 24-hour period. The race is held near the height of the European summer in June and begins in the mid-afternoon on Saturday, racing through the night and following morning before finishing at the same time the race started, the following day – Sunday. Over the 24-hour period competitors will complete race distances well over 5,000 km (3,110 mi). The present record is 5,410 km (3,360 mi), recorded in the 2010 race. It is a distance over six times longer than the Indianapolis 500, or approximately 18 times longer than a Formula One Grand Prix. Interesting Fun Fact - Le Mans was the venue for the first known instance of a winning driver celebrating by spraying champagne instead of drinking it. When Dan Gurney won the 1967 race with co-driver A.J. Foyt, the two drivers mounted the victory podium and Gurney was handed a magnum of champagne. Looking down, he saw Ford CEO Henry Ford II, team owner Carroll Shelby Carroll and their wives, as well as several journalists who had predicted disaster for the high-profile duo. Gurney shook the bottle and sprayed everyone nearby! The 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans will be broadcast in the USA on FOX Sports. The full schedule is below: below: 24 Hours of Le Mans Broadcast Schedule (all times ET): Saturday, June 14 – 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (FOX Sports 1, LIVE) Saturday, June 14 – 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. (FOX Sports 2, LIVE) Saturday, June 14 – 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. (FOX Sports 2, LIVE) Sunday, June 15 – 2 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. (FOX Sports 1, LIVE) Sunday, June 15 – 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (FOX Sports 2, LIVE) Entire race streamed LIVE on FOX Sports GO
Posted on: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 22:29:20 +0000