24 Hours of Le Mans (motorcycle race)

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Moto (24 Heures Moto) is a motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 endurance race held annually since 1978 on the Bugatti Circuit Le Mans

Le Mans

Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...

, Sarthe

Sarthe

Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. The race is organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest

Automobile Club de l'Ouest

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest , sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organising entity behind the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race...

 (ACO) and is part of the Endurance FIM World Championship.

History

When the Bol d'Or

Bol d'or

The Bol d'or is a motorcycle endurance race, held annually in France. Originally, it was an automobile as well as motorcycle race. The automobiles were limited to 1100cc engine capacity until the 1950s when the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc...

 moved from Bugatti Circuit to Circuit Paul Ricard

Circuit Paul Ricard

The Paul Ricard Circuit is a motorsport race track built at Le Castellet, near Marseille, France, in 1969 with finance from the eccentric drinks magnate Paul Ricard, who created what essentially became Pernod Ricard...

 at the end of 1977, the ACO

Automobile Club de l'Ouest

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest , sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organising entity behind the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race...

 created the 24 Heures Moto. The race became one of "the classics" of endurance racing along with the 24 Hours of Liège the 8 Hours Of Suzuka

Suzuka 8 Hours

The is a motorcycle endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan each year. As the name implies, the race runs for eight hours consecutively and teams are composed of two riders and one alternate.-History:...

, and the Bol d'Or

Bol d'or

The Bol d'or is a motorcycle endurance race, held annually in France. Originally, it was an automobile as well as motorcycle race. The automobiles were limited to 1100cc engine capacity until the 1950s when the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc...

.

At the end of 2001, the three 24 Hour classic races (Le Mans, Liège and the Bol d'Or

Bol d'or

The Bol d'or is a motorcycle endurance race, held annually in France. Originally, it was an automobile as well as motorcycle race. The automobiles were limited to 1100cc engine capacity until the 1950s when the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc...

) withdrew from the Endurance World Championship

Endurance World Championship

Endurance World Championship is the premier worldwide endurance motorcycle racing championship. The championship season consists of a series of races held on permanent racing facilities. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for teams and one for...

 to create the Master of Endurance. Le Mans returned to the Endurance FIM World Championship in 2006.

Race weekend format

Thursday
Free practice sessions, 1st qualifying practice sessions (in groups) and night practice sessions
Friday
2nd qualifying practice sessions (in groups), superpole
Saturday
Warm-up session. 3.00 PM Le Mans start
Sunday
3.00 pm, finish of the race followed by the prize-giving ceremony

Winners

Year	Riders			Manufacturer
	Rider 1	Rider 2	Rider 3
1978	Early Modern France Jean-Claude Chemarin	Early Modern France Christian Leon		Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1979	Early Modern France Jean-Claude Chemarin	Early Modern France Christian Leon		Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1980	Early Modern France Marc Fontan Marc Fontan Marc Fontan is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from France. His best year was in 1983 when he finished in sixth place in the 500cc world championship. In 1980, Fontan teamed up with Herve Moineau to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans...	Early Modern France Hervé Moineau		Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1981	Early Modern France Jean-Claude Chemarin	Early Modern France Christian Huguet		Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
1982	Early Modern France Pierre-Etienne Samin	Early Modern France Dominique Pernet		Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
1983	Early Modern France Gérard Coudray	Switzerland Jacques Cornu Jacques Cornu Jacques Cornu was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Switzerland. His best year was in 1988 when he won two races and finished in third place in the 250cc world championship. Cornu won three Grand Prix races during his career...	Switzerland Sergio Pellandini	Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
1984	Dirk Brand	Henk Van der Mark		Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
1985	Bernard Millet	Guy Bertin Guy Bertin Guy Bertin is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from France. His best year was in 1980 when he raced for the Motobécane factory racing team, winning three Grand Prix races and finishing in second place in the 125cc world championship behind Pier Paolo Bianchi. Bertin won six Grand Prix...	Philippe Guichon	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
1986	Alex Vieira	Gérard Coudray	Patrick Igoa	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1987	Alex Vieira	Jean-Michel Mattioli	Jean-Louis Battistini	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1984	Dirk Brand	Henk Van der Mark		Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
1985	Bernard Millet	Guy Bertin Guy Bertin Guy Bertin is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from France. His best year was in 1980 when he raced for the Motobécane factory racing team, winning three Grand Prix races and finishing in second place in the 125cc world championship behind Pier Paolo Bianchi. Bertin won six Grand Prix...	Philippe Guichon	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
1986	Alex Vieira	Gérard Coudray	Patrick Igoa	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1987	Alex Vieira	Jean-Michel Mattioli	Jean-Louis Battistini	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1988	Alex Vieira	Jean-Michel Mattioli	Christophe Bouheben	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1989	Alex Vieira	Jean-Michel Mattioli	Roger Burnett	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1990	Alex Vieira	Jean-Michel Mattioli	Stéphane Mertens Stéphane Mertens Stéphane Mertens is a Belgian motorcycle road racer.He made his Grand Prix debut in 1984, racing in the 250cc class. He also won the 1984 250cc Belgian Road Racing National Championship. He continued racing in the 250cc Grands Prix in 1985, 1986 and 1987...	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1991	Philippe Monneret	Bruno Bonhuil	Rachel Nicotte	Yamaha Yamaha Motor Company , is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
1992	Terry Rymer Terry Rymer Originally born Terance William Rymer Jr, Terry Rymer is a retired motorcycle road racer turned car and truck racer....	Carl Fogarty Carl Fogarty Carl 'Foggy' Fogarty is the most successful World Superbike racer of all time in terms of the number of championships and number of race wins...	Michel Simul	Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
1993	Adrien Morillas Adrien Morillas Adrien Morillas is a former Superbike and Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from France. He competed in the inaugural Superbike World Championship season in 1988, winning one race. His best year in Grand Prix competition was in 1991 when he finished in eleventh place in the 500cc world championship...	Brian Morrison	Wilfried Veille	Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
1994	Adrien Morillas Adrien Morillas Adrien Morillas is a former Superbike and Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from France. He competed in the inaugural Superbike World Championship season in 1988, winning one race. His best year in Grand Prix competition was in 1991 when he finished in eleventh place in the 500cc world championship...	Jean-Louis Battistini	Terry Rymer Terry Rymer Originally born Terance William Rymer Jr, Terry Rymer is a retired motorcycle road racer turned car and truck racer....	Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
1995	Alex Vieira	Rachel Nicotte	Brian Morrison	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
1996	Jehan D'Orgeix	Pier-Giorgio Bontempi	Brian Morrison	Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
1997	Doug Polen Doug Polen Doug Polen is a former world champion motorcycle road racer. He raced successfully in AMA Superbike, Japanese Superbikes, Superbike World Championship and Endurance racing....	Juan-Eric Gomez	Peter Goddard Peter Goddard (motorcycle racer) Peter Goddard was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He resides in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Riding motorcycles since the age of 5, Goddard started his racing career on dirt tracks before making his debut on road circuits at Oran Park Raceway in 1984.- Dirt Track Racing Career...	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
1998	Bertrand Sébileau	Thierry Paillot	Igor Jerman	Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
1999	Bertrand Sébileau	Steve Hislop Steve Hislop Steven 'Hizzy' Hislop was a Scottish motorcycle racer. Hislop won the Isle of Man TT eleven times and also the British 250cc Championship and British Superbike championship ....	Chris Walker Chris Walker (motorcycle racer) Chris Walker is a British motorcycle road racer. His nickname is The Stalker. He is a four-time runner-up in the British Superbike Championship, and a former race winner in the Superbike World Championship....	Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
2000	Sébastien Charpentier Sébastien Charpentier (motorcycle racer) Sébastien Charpentier is a French motorcycle road racer. He is the only man to have won the Supersport World Championship in successive years, and ....	William Costes	Sébastien Gimbert Sébastien Gimbert Sébastien Gimbert is a professional motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the Superbike World Championship...	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
2001	Christophe Guyot	Sébastien Scarnato	Nicolas Dussauge	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
2002	Jean-Michel Bayle Jean-Michel Bayle Jean-Michel Bayle is a semi-retired French professional motorcycle racer. He was one of the most successful riders of his era, achieving success at the highest levels in both motocross and road racing....	Sébastien Gimbert Sébastien Gimbert Sébastien Gimbert is a professional motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the Superbike World Championship...	Nicolas Dussauge	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
2003	Brian Morrison	Philippe Dobé	Vincent Philippe	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
2004	Stéphane Chambon	Keiichi Kitagawa Keiichi Kitagawa is a retired Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Japan. He was runner-up in the 1993 F1 All-Japan Road Racing Championship. He won the Superbike World Championship round at Sugo as a wild card rider for Suzuki. Kitagawa coming 16th in the season's overall standings. He was a semi-regular in the...	Warwick Nowland	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
2005	David Checa David Checa David Checa born on April 20, 1980 in Sant Fruitós de Bages, Barcelona, Spain is the 2004 Endurance World Champion. He then competed for two years in the Superbike World Championship.-Early years:...	William Costes	Sébastien Gimbert Sébastien Gimbert Sébastien Gimbert is a professional motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the Superbike World Championship...	Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
2006	Olivier Four	Frederic Protat Frederic Protat Frédéric Protat is a retired French motorcycle racing driver, born in Bron, Rhône-Alpes, France on 17 July 1966.In 1991, he was the French superbike Champion in the 250 cc category....	Daniel Ribalta-Bosch	Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
2007	William Costes	Guillaume Dietrich	Max Neukirchner Max Neukirchner Max Neukirchner is a professional motorcycle racer currently competing in the Moto2 World Championship.-World Supersport and Superbike:...	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
2008	William Costes	Guillaume Dietrich	Barry Veneman	Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
2009	Gwen Giabbani	Steve Martin Steve Martin (motorcycle racer) Steve Martin is a motorcycle road racer from Australia. He currently resides in Switzerland. He is the 2009 World Endurance Champion for YART , but is a veteran of the World Superbike Championship, and former champion of the Australian series.After success in trials, he started racing in his home...	Igor Jerman	Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
2010	Julien Da Costa	Olivier Four	Grégory Leblanc	Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
2011	Julien Da Costa	Olivier Four	Grégory Leblanc	Kawasaki Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....

External links

• Official website