Special correspondent at Le Mans
Like last June, the 2024 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 15-16) will be sold out. The century-old race won by Ferrari on June 11 established a new spectator record (325,000) but this could be beaten in a few months. A few days after the opening of the ticket office on November 15, there was not a single place left for sale, with the exception of those giving access to free practice and qualifying before the weekend. The enthusiasm for the most prestigious car race which will welcome three new manufacturers (Lamborghini, BMW and Alpine) next year cannot be denied.
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest unveiled this Wednesday near the circuit a detailed study on the origins and profiles of visitors throughout the Le Mans week. Painstaking work which made it possible to establish that 431,967 people went to the circuit between June 4 and 11 (adding to the 325,000 spectators, accredited individuals, people working on the event but also spectators under 16 years old for whom entry is free). Among them, 302,751 spectators were French, including 129,216 from Sarthois, proof that this event first finds local roots, then spreads throughout the West even if after the Pays de la Loire (44.7% of French spectators), Île-de-France is the second region which contributes the most to the popular success of the race with 15.7% of spectators.
The insolent growth in the number of foreign spectators also testifies to the intact prestige of the race internationally. 129,216 people from 66 different countries crossed the borders of France to come and watch the show and among them, a very large majority come from the United Kingdom (15% increase compared to 2022), a territory historically attached to this event since Bentley’s victory in 1924. Since then, the passion between the British and the Sarthe event has never waned. The curve of variations in the number of foreign visitors, however, remains strongly linked to the participation or not of foreign manufacturers. We come to Le Mans first of all to defend a national brand. Thus, the return of Porsche attracted 18,069 Germans (an increase of 169%), second country most represented in the stands.
Another spectacular jump, that of American tourists (13,228 spectators, an increase of 112%), fourth country in this ranking, behind Denmark on the podium (13,859 spectators). “The 24 Hours of Le Mans allows the entire territory of the city and Sarthe to shine and that is important. Le Mans is known all over the world. When a Brad Pitt comes to give the start or a LeBron James does it last year, it testifies to the great appeal of this race for them,” testifies Pierre Fillon, the president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest who organizes the meeting. The Netherlands follow (7,457 spectators) then Spain (5,753 spectators with a growth of more than 300%). Surprising statistic, the Italians were only 5093 while Ferrari, which won, made its comeback at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 58 years after its last coronation. A modest attendance which can be explained: Italy hosted the next round of the World Endurance Championship, on July 19.
An event which has long had the reputation of only attracting men, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is also increasingly opening up to women who represent 31% of the total public. Among the Sarthois public, four out of ten spectators are women (40.1%). “It’s not yet enough but we’re making progress. We were at 16% five or six years ago. The policy we are pursuing to encourage the number of women pilots is undoubtedly not unrelated to this increase,” rejoiced Pierre Fillon.
The distribution of age groups matches that of the French population to the nearest tenth, with good news for the organizers since 21% of visitors were minors. “This confirms that Le Mans is a great popular festival and we are extremely attached to this point. The fact that we have the same age groups as the general population is very reassuring. We often say that the population that follows motor sports is aging, we see that this is not the case,” confided Pierre Fillon who is not the only one to rub his hands since the success of the 24 Hours of Le Mans affects the entire Le Mans territory.
503,252 overnight stays were recorded in the Sarthe department alone during the race period, between May 30 and June 16, Sarthe Tourisme officials said. The 2023 edition generated 8% of all tourist nights in the department from January 1 to November 12, 2023, they specified. And among these visitors, some have very high purchasing power: Americans, for example, spend on average 500 euros per day per individual.