A high cycle
Endurance racing is very much cyclical in nature. Thanks to the introduction of the joint Hypercar and LMDh regulations and the introduction of the new LMGT3 category, we are definitely experiencing a high cycle in 2024. After the historic victory for Ferrari during the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of LeMans in 2023, additional manufacturers like Lamborghini, BMW and McLaren have joined the prototype and GT ranks. As a result, an unprecedented number of nine major manufacturers were vying for outright victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe with the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, Lamborghini and Cadillac all in the running. In addition to the Hypercar and LMGT3 category, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was also the only FIA World Endurance Championship round that welcomed LMP2 cars and no fewer than 16 were entered to create a capacity grid of 62 cars.
Our friend Bob van der Wolf was on hand to capture this 80-shot gallery from qualifying, the parade in downtown Le Mans and of course the race.

Qualifying
Following the official technical checks and team photographs in town, the on-track action started on the Sunday before the race with the official test. This allowed the teams to get a first feel for the track ahead of the timed sessions and also allowed the rookies to complete their mandatory laps to qualify for the race. Among these rookies was MotoGP ace Valentino Rossi, who was behind the wheel of a Team WRT BMW M4 GT3, fittingly adorned with #46.
After two days off, free practice and qualifying was scheduled for Wednesday. The qualifying session determined which cars qualified for the hyperpole session the following day, which would be used to set the sharp end of the grid. The biggest surprise in qualifying was that both Toyotas missed out due to a variety of reasons. The #12 Jota Porsche 963 had a big accident, which required the re-construction of the car around a new chassis. A process that would normally take three weeks was completed by the British privateer team in less than 24 hours after the new tub had arrived in the paddock.
In the hyperpole session, it was another Porsche that grabbed the headlines thanks to a stellar lap from Kevin Estre. With a 3:24.634, the Frenchman snatched pole position with the Team Penske Porsche 963, a mere 0.148 seconds ahead of Alex Lynn in a Cadillac. Louis Delatraz was fastest in LMP2 for AO by TF, while the first ever LMGT3 pole was for Bredan Iribe in the Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.

Tempestuous weather
At 4 pm on Saturday afternoon, French football legend Zinedine Zidane waved the flag to start the race. During the opening laps, the AF Corse Ferraris and Team Penske Porsches were vying for the lead, while the two Toyotas gradually moved up the order. All three Ferraris lead the race at some point with the privateer AF Corse car holding on to the top spot for a remarkably long time. Sadly the 499P, driven by Robert Kubica among others, was involved in an incident with a BMW and then gradually dropped down the order. A large portion of the hypercar grid also remained in contention and eventually a record breaking nine cars finished on the lead lap.
Soon after night fell over the Circuit de la Sarthe, the heavens opened in earnest. The situation worsened and eventually the safety car was brought out for a long time due to the poor visibility and very slippery conditions. At 8 am, after a four-hour plus safety car period, racing finally resumed.
In the tightly fought LMP2 category, which featured Gibson-engined Oreca 07s only, the #22 United Autosports entered example came out on top. While both the McLarens that were also fielded by the Anglo-American team had featured at the sharp end of the LMGT3 grid, they retired in close succession over night. Instead, it was the #91 Manthey Porsche that dominated the new category. With veteran Richard Lietz leading the way, the 911 GT3 R scored the maiden LMGT3 win ahead of the Team WRT BWM M4 GT3.
Although there were nine cars on the lead lap, the battle for victory was a duel in the end between #7 Toyota and the #50 Ferrari. While the Toyota seemed to hold the advantage, the Niklas Nielsen managed to squeeze enough fuel out of the 499P's tank to reach the finish with one less stop and grab the second consecutive victory for Ferrari. After the dismal qualifying, the second-place finish for Toyota was quite an achievement even though missing out on victory must have also stung. The final podium position was for the other works Ferrari, while the best of the factory Porsches was a somewhat disappointing fourth.

Final thoughts
Hotly disputed, it was another classic edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ferrari made history by clinching victory in the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans during the same year for the first time since Alfa Romeo achieved that feat in 1934. While the 2024 edition had a bumper grid, even more is expected for next year with Aston Martin also joining the Hypercar class. For now, we would like to refer to the 80-shot gallery from this year's race.