The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a test of endurance. The hallmark event of the FIA World Endurance Championship, Le Mans is a motorsport event like no other. Man and machinery get tested to the hilt and finishing the race remains an achievement in itself.

My friend and I had decided to soldier on and stay awake for the entire duration of the race and as we headed into Sunday and the critical hours of the morning, our eyes began to feel heavy & we began to get drowsy.

The only way to beat this lethargy was to do some activity and we decided to head to Casa Ferrari from the Paddock and watch the racers and their rides navigate through the circuit at night!

Driving through the night, relentless endurance displayed by the drivers and the teams :

The AF Corse Ferrari Hypercars operating in tandem :

After an hour, we decided to head back to the Paddock again and this time, we took a different route.

The Ferris Wheel was fully illuminated as we walked back to the Paddock :

Once we made our way back to the Paddock, we took a short stop outside the Porsche Hospitality. The Hospitality had a large screen outside with the race feed being relayed live.

Incidentally, the broadcaster was showing onboard footage from Car Number 51, a lap around Circuit de la Sarthe!

Onboard with Ferrari Hypercar 51, for almost a lap ( Video Link ) :

As we headed back to the Ferrari hospitality, we got invited to spend some time in the garage. As the only guests present with the team overnight, we had the liberty and the luxury to spend as much time as we wanted, to see the team perform up close!

Spending a couple of hours in the garage was a special experience. The views from the box were amazing. The Pit crew tried to get some rest, as and when the opportunity arose.

After we exited the garage, we went up the stairs to the highest level of the Pits building. The views rivalled that of the Pit Grandstand, and we could see the cars go full throttle down the start-finish straight!

Some Stills from the highest viewing gallery above the Pits Hospitality :

The drivers continue driving as the dawn breaks :

The Ferrari Hypercars racing in the early hours of Sunday morning :

Video Link of the drivers racing with dawn arriving :

The light kept improving as dawn approached and we were slowly feeling hungry again!

Dawn breaks over the circuit :

Breakfast in the Hospitality, always been a fan of Lotus Biscoff! Healthy grub is always available in the Ferrari Hospitality, after all they are catering to the drivers and the team personnel!

As the morning hours crept in on us, people started returning to the paddock from their overnight slumbers.

The light improves as the Paddock begins to become a busy place again :

We decided to head to Casa Ferrari and enjoy the early morning views of the track from the penultimate corner, along with some more indulgent breakfast treats!

Some breakfast treats at Casa Ferrari :

The cars navigating through the penultimate chicane, on a glorious Sunday morning :

The AF Corse Ferraris soldiering on. Car number 51 was in contention for victory :

The guests of Casa Ferrari had the opportunity to watch the action from other parts of the circuit at appointed times. We too enrolled for one such tour and this tour took us to Hunaudieres, a high-speed section followed by an S-chicane that opened up to the legendary Mulsanne Straight!

Shots of the cars through the high-speed Hunaudieres-Mulsanne section :

After we returned from Hunaudieres, we decided to head to Casa Ferrari for the final time. Car Number 51 was leading the race and we hoped to be in the garage for the celebrations.

Walking from the Paddock to Casa Ferrari for the final time on the weekend :

En route, I met an ex-F1 Driver!

Will Stevens, Hertz Team Jota, Hypercar :

Grabbing some stills for the final time from Casa Ferrari!

Back in the hospitality, and lunch was ready!

A quick lunch but a tense one too!

Car Number 51 had been leading from the Toyota Car Number 8 comfortably. The final pit-stop was completed but an electrical shutdown ( due to a malfunctioning steering ) caused number 51 to stall in the pits. With Alessandro Pier Guidi frantically trying to re-activate all systems, all of us in the hospitality were reciting our prayers and gasping with fear. Finally, the car roared back to life and the Italian emerged from the pits, still in the lead, but the gap truncated considerably. Thankfully, that was the last stop and we hoped for no more hiccups in the final hours of racing.

As the clock ran down, we headed to the garage to get ready for the celebrations ( once car number 51 took the chequered flag of course ).

The agonizing wait!

Finally, Victory!! There were jubilant celebrations, tears of joy, hugs and ecstasy as we celebrated this victory for Ferrari AF Corse, on Debut!!

It was time for the drive of honour through the pit lane for the winners of the Centenary Edition of Le Mans.

We lined up on both sides of the pit lane to get a good view of the winners :

Getting a glimpse of the Le Mans winners as they drive through the pit lane!

Drive of Honour through the Pits ( Video Link ) :

Like in F1, we then ran towards the Podium for the celebrations!

As we waited for the podium finishers to come onto the stage, Charles Leclerc got invited for a quick interview.

Charles Leclerc talks about attending the race and his experience as a spectator. The Monegasque expressed his desire to race in the future :

Video Link of the Interview :

The podium finishers from the Hypercar Category make it to the podium :

2nd and 3rd Place Finishers ( Video Link ) :

Winners of the Centenary Edition of Le Mans ( Video Link ) :

The trophy and wreath presentations begin :

Ferrari AF Corse car number 51 finished ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing car number 8 and Cadillac Racing car number 2.

Well done to James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi ( Ferrari AF Corse ), Sebastien Buemi, Brendan Hartley, Ryu Hirakawa ( Toyota Gazoo ) & Earl Bamber, Richard Westbrook, Alex Lynn ( Cadillac Racing ) for finishing on the podium!

The winners of the Centenary Edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, AF Corse Car Number 51 :

Trophy Presentation & Podium Celebrations ( Video Link ) :

Walking back to the Hospitality after the Podium celebrations :

Time to add 2023 to the list of victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ferrari AF Corse :

The team personnel brought the constructor trophy to the hospitality.

The Winning Constructor Trophy :

This got shortly followed by the drivers of Car Number 51 - James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi, who took the Chequered Flag at the end.

The drivers of Car Number 51, returning to the Hospitality amidst some applause!

Video Link :

Signatures of all 6 Ferrari Hypercar drivers, mission accomplished!

My friends bid adieu as they had a train and plane to catch! I decided to loiter around the Paddock for one last time!

As I made one final round of the Paddock, I had the opportunity of meeting two more drivers!

Neel Jani, former Le Mans Winner & P3 in LMP2 this year with Oreca-07 Gibson :

Sebastien Buemi, Great P2 for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the Hypercar Category :

Having said my farewells to Ferrari, I headed back to the tram station, via the same entrance that I had come through the previous day.

The circuit and the fan zones bear a deserted look a few hours after the race finished. It was a long walk back to the tram station, but also a memorable one, as I bid goodbye to this iconic circuit.

The sun sets over the town of Le Mans. What an end to a beautiful weekend!

I have also compiled a Vlog on my YouTube Channel about my Sunday Experience.

Video Link :

This was a special special weekend for me, personally. As an ardent motorsports fan, attending the 24 Hours of Le Mans was on my bucket list for quite some time, and what better way than to attend the Centenary Edition and see the Ferrari AF Corse Hypercar win on debut!

A big thank you to the team for the amazing hospitality over the weekend, and for an all-access experience that allowed me to enjoy all that this event had to offer! 

It was great to have my friend Raul and his son for company the entire weekend and as guests of Antonio Giovinazzi, we got treated like Royalty.

Always thankful to God, truly blessed! Motorsport Weekends will return, from another event in 2023 that I had the privilege of attending, so watch this space!

Friday at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was quite a memorable one as we enjoyed meeting a host of drivers at the city parade, but what made it even more special was to meet F1 team personnel from past & present who had congregated to the town of Le Mans to enjoy their bit of endurance racing!

We met personnel from Cosworth, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1, Ford and so many others in the trams, in the cafes and even in the bars! To rub shoulders with these heroes & hear their stories, no holds barred, made the trip worth it.

Eventually, we headed to bed to prepare ourselves for the marathon that beckoned us on Saturday.

Saturday morning arrived sooner than we expected and our day began at 7 am. After some coffee and croissants for breakfast, we headed out to the circuit, prepped and ready for the 24 hours of endurance!

Leaving for the circuit and taking the tram, which turned out to be a convenient conveyance :

Welcome to Circuit de la Sarthe! It was a 30-minute walk to the paddock from this entrance but it was well worth it!

Walking towards the paddock, also getting a chance to walk on the track tarmac ( which wasn't being used for the weekend of course) :

En route, we got to explore various fan experiences and stations erected by the organizers for the weekend!

The Manufacturers Village, an area consisting of makeshift pavilions created by the manufacturers competing in the WEC Championship :

NASCAR, Garage 56 featuring the winning team Hendrick Motorsports had a special entry at the Centenary Race of Le Mans, and was the star attraction in the Village :

The list of winners and our walk to the Paddock continued :

Finally, we reached where we needed to be!

The Ferrari Hospitality in the Paddock is quite a big area!

Lunch was almost ready and famished as we were, we went full send!

Post-lunch, I couldn't stop myself from running over and meeting some Ferrari superstars!

A moment with Pole Sitter Antonio Fuoco, Ferrari AF-Corse, Hypercar :

Exploring the vicinity of the Ferrari Hospitality and taking selfies too!

As the race start time neared, we had the opportunity to get onto the Grid! It would be my first grid walk ever and I wanted to enjoy every minute of it. We made our way to the grid through the garage and then the pit lane.

Helmets and gear are ready for the big race ahead!

Ferrari had a special guest for the weekend, Charles Leclerc! It was such an amazing feeling to see him up close and in a relaxed mood, not having to race but enjoying one as a spectator instead!

Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Walking through the pit lane as we make our way to the grid!

Moments on the actual tarmac, oh what a feeling!

Selfies on the Grid!

The grid walk is a busy place to be, and navigating through the crowd was an issue :

Cars from the grid walk, shot with the Sony RX10 IV :

Shots of the cars from the grid walk, taken with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra :

Some stills of the Ferrari Hypercars on the grid! The Ferraris secured a front-row lockout!

We made our way back to the Paddock and then decided to rush over to Casa Ferrari, the team hospitality at the penultimate turn to witness the race start.

The stands and balconies of various hospitality buildings were full as the fans waited for the Centenary Race to begin!

The Centenary Race is a go & we already got a Safety Car on the Opening Lap!

Video Link to the Race Start :

Video Link to the Safety Car Deployed :

Race Restart ( Shot with the Sony RX10 IV ) ( Video Link ) :

Video with the Samsung S23 Ultra :

Shots of the cars navigating the Ford Chicane while a Cadillac Hypercar has front body damage and enters the pits :

The Ferraris navigating the last corner of the circuit :

Video Link of the cars battling it out!

Some of the Shots of Casa Ferrari :

Pizza and Ice cream anyone?

A couple of hours into the race, we decided to walk back to the Paddock and relax in the Hospitality building.

We entered the building and I met a close friend of Kimi Raikkonen!

Le Mans winner and a close ally of Ferrari, Toni Vilander :

Enjoying some evening snacks on offer inside the Ferrari Paddock Hospitality :

Nice to see the signatures of all the personnel on some of the bodywork of the Ferrari Hypercar!

The hospitality was abuzz with activity as the drivers of the cars were either returning from their stint or getting ready for one. I had the privilege of meeting Nicklas after his opening stint in Car No. 50

WEC Champion and Driver for Car No. 50 for Ferrari - AF Corse, Nicklas Nielsen!

The sun hadn't set yet ( European Summers ) but it was time for dinner already!

Time for some dinner, healthy again!

Post dinner, we decided to head back to Casa Ferrari to enjoy the racing at night and also capture some memories of these beautiful racing cars.

Shots of the Paddock at night, as we make our way to Casa Ferrari :

A fireworks display to celebrate the Centenary Race of the 24 Hours of Le Mans :

The Fireworks Display ( Video Link ) :

Shots from Casa Ferrari, the cars and the drivers epitomizing endurance racing, as they battle all odds to race to supremacy, through the night!

The Ferrari 499P Hypercar relentlessly competing in the darkness :

The Safety Cars being put through their paces throughout the night :

Racing through the night ( Video Link ) :

Enjoying some Pasta, a midnight binge indeed!

We then walked back to the Paddock to spend some time and relax in the Ferrari Hospitality. 

More than half the distance and still going strong!

It had been a hectic Saturday which began early morning and tested the endurance and resolve of both our body and mind. Despite the inclement weather and the walking from the Paddock to Casa Ferrari and back, we were still feeling fresh and soldiered on into Sunday.

I also did a two-part Vlog Series about our Saturday Experience at the Circuit!

Part 1 :

Part 2 :

The Sunday Experience follows soon, but first, a big thank you to Ferrari for their Hospitality on Saturday and for giving us all-access to experience the Centenary Edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A truly special weekend was going to become even more special!

More to follow, so watch this space!

In the world of Motorsport, there is a term called "The Triple Crown". The title gets awarded to the racer that wins the Indy 500, Monaco Grand Prix ( F1 ) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The three events pan three different racing classes. Many a racer has striven, but only Graham Hill accomplished this feat.

Although I have been an avid follower of Formula 1, there was always something appealing about the World Endurance Championship. Over the years, I slowly understood different aspects of this series and began following its hallmark event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans with enthusiasm. A true test of grit and endurance, watching a race non-stop for 24 hours was impossible, let alone seeing it live.

However, during the 2022 edition, I discovered that Le Mans would be having its Centenary Grand Prix in 2023! I decided to leave no stone unturned to be present for this special edition! 2023 was also the debut season for Ferrari in the Hypercar category and the Italian marquee roped in the services of Antonio Giovinazzi as one of its six drivers lineup for the season.  

With the pieces falling into place, I finally had an invite to be Giovinazzi's guest at the 24 Hours of Le Mans! After a lot of meticulous planning, which would see me attend the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, I finally had my itinerary ready for this Motorsport-filled trip to Europe!

My friends Raul Martinez & his son Raul Jr were the partners in crime as we embarked on a mission to stay awake for the full 24 hours! 

So how did the weekend pan out? Was the schedule similar to that of F1? Motorsport Weekends, a new series on my blog, begins right here, right now!

The WEC Championship has practice sessions and qualifying sessions on Thursdays. Friday is reserved for support races and the Driver Parade through the city of Le Mans. Unlike F1, WEC has the parade through the city centre of the host city and the town gets decked up as if it's for a carnival!

We were yet to receive our race passes for the weekend and had a late start to the Friday. Nevertheless, we decided on a reconnaissance trip to the circuit to work out our commute options for the rest of the weekend! The easiest way, to and fro, was the tram!

Enroute to the Circuit :

Circuit de la Sarthe is the home to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

We got to the circuit and walked around the periphery.

The entrance to the circuit and seeing some safety cars driving around the outskirts :

Soon enough, it was time to head back to the city to make it in time for the Drivers' Parade.

Walking to the starting point of the Drivers' Parade :

After a little wait, we finally got our passes!

The Race Passes for the weekend :

The square from where the Drivers' Parade commences :

There was a band that was playing some melodious tunes as they walked around the Parade Square.

Video Link :

As we made our way to the Parade Square entrance, I got a chance to bump into some of the contenders from the weekend!

Alex Lynn, Cadillac Racing, Hypercar :

Daniil Kvyat, Prema Racing, LMP2 :

Robin Frijns & Sean Gelael, Team WRT, LMP2 :

Alessandro Pier Guidi & Antonio Giovinazzi, Ferrari-AF Corse, Hypercar!

James Calado, Ferrari-AF Corse, Hypercar :

Jean-Eric Vergne, Peugeot, 9X8, Hypercar :

The drivers start heading out for the parade :

Some beauties, from the yesteryears and now!

Antonio Felix da Costa, Hertz Team JOTA, Hypercar :

Jack Aitken, Cadillac Action Express Racing, Hypercar :

Kamui Kobayashi & Mike Conway, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hypercar :

Jose Maria Lopez, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hypercar :

Jimmie Johnson, 7-time NASCAR Champion racing with a Camaro ZL1, Innovative Car Category :

Alexander Sims, Cadillac Action Express Racing, Hypercar :

Olli Caldwell, Memo Rojas & Andre Negrao, Alpine Elf Team, LMP2 :

Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting, Iron Dames, 911 RSR, LMGTE AM :

Loic Duval, Peugeot 9X8, Hypercar :

Nico Muller & Gustavo Menezes, Peugeot 9X8, Hypercar :

Malthe Jakobsen, Cool Racing, LMP2 :

Nicolas Lapierre, Cool Racing, LMP2 :

Alexandre Coigny, Cool Racing, LMP2 :

Pietro Fittipaldi, JOTA Oreca-07, LMP2 :

Andre Lotterer, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Hypercar & A WEC Legend!

Giedo van der Garde, Graff Racing, LMP2 :

Juan Manuel Correa & Filip Ugran, Prema Racing, LMP2 :

Ferdinand Habsburg, Austrian Royalty racing for Team WRT in LMP2 :

Mathieu Jaminet, Porshce Penske Motorsport, Hypercar :

Felipe Nasr, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Hypercar :

Dane Cameron & Michael Christensen, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Hypercar :

Laurens Vanthoor & Kevin Estre, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Hypercar :

With almost all the drivers leaving the square, I followed the Parade Path till the end of the Parade route!

Walking along the Parade path until the end of the parade itself :

Meeting the drivers wasn't the only special part of the weekend. We had the privilege of hanging out with some iconic mechanics who were associated with the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Cosworth! The experience was simply elevated to another level! 

I also created a Friday Experience Vlog on my YouTube channel that does a much better job of showcasing this weekend!

Video Link :

Although we didn't get to witness any on-track action, it had been a memorable opening day at the Centenary Edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans! A Big Thank you to Ferrari for giving us an indescribable experience!

More to follow from the WEC Weekend, so watch this space!

2023 has been an eventful year with motorsport events outside the world of F1 getting checked on my wishlist.

While the 2023 Spanish GP was my first F1 race of the season, I also had the opportunity to attend the Centenary Edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans!

Ever since I realized that Circuit de la Sarthe would complete 100 years of hosting the biggest event of the World Endurance Championship, I drew up plans to attend the event and it was a dream fulfilled!

Like any other weekend experience, the first post features meeting drivers and personnel from the racing series. Interestingly this is the 24th post in the Gallery of Memories series!

I met most of the drivers during the driver parade through the city on Friday and the rest over the race weekend.

Welcome to the latest edition of "A Gallery of Memories"!

Alex Lynn, Cadillac Racing, Hypercar :

Daniil Kvyat, Prema Racing, LMP2 :

Robin Frijns & Sean Gelael, Team WRT, LMP2 :

Alessandro Pier Guidi & Antonio Giovinazzi, Ferrari-AF Corse, Hypercar!

James Calado, Ferrari-AF Corse, Hypercar :

Jean-Eric Vergne, Peugeot, 9X8, Hypercar :

Antonio Felix da Costa, Hertz Team JOTA, Hypercar :

Jack Aitken, Cadillac Action Express Racing, Hypercar :

Kamui Kobayashi & Mike Conway, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hypercar :

Jose Maria Lopez, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Hypercar :

Jimmie Johnson, 7-time NASCAR Champion racing with a Camaro ZL1, Innovative Car Category :

Scott Dixon & Sebastien Bourdais, Cadillac Racing, Hypercar :

Alexander Sims, Cadillac Action Express Racing, Hypercar :

Olli Caldwell, Memo Rojas & Andre Negrao, Alpine Elf Team, LMP2 :

Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting, Iron Dames, 911 RSR, LMGTE AM :

Loic Duval, Peugeot 9X8, Hypercar :

Nico Muller & Gustavo Menezes, Peugeot 9X8, Hypercar :

Malthe Jakobsen, Cool Racing, LMP2 :

Nicolas Lapierre, Cool Racing, LMP2 :

Alexandre Coigny, Cool Racing, LMP2 :

Pietro Fittipaldi, JOTA Oreca-07, LMP2 :

Andre Lotterer, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Hypercar & A WEC Legend!

Giedo van der Garde, Graff Racing, LMP2 :

Juan Manuel Correa & Filip Ugran, Prema Racing, LMP2 :

Ferdinand Habsburg, Austrian Royalty racing for Team WRT in LMP2 :

Mathieu Jaminet, Porshce Penske Motorsport, Hypercar :

Felipe Nasr, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Hypercar :

Dane Cameron & Michael Christensen, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Hypercar :

Laurens Vanthoor & Kevin Estre, Porsche Penske Motorsport, Hypercar :

Pole Sitter Antonio Fuoco, Ferrari AF-Corse, Hypercar :

Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

WEC Champion and Driver for Car No. 50 for Ferrari - AF Corse, Nicklas Nielsen!

Will Stevens, Hertz Team Jota, Hypercar :

Neel Jani, former Le Mans Winner & P3 in LMP2 this year with Oreca-07 Gibson :

Sebastien Buemi, Great P2 for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the Hypercar Category :

It was truly a special weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and, I am looking forward to documenting my experiences....

So watch this space!