Le Mans 2024 | 75 years into the 22nd century

Sérgio de Almeida Correia

1. Special note in the 2024 Le Mans edition for the presence of children. There were more children than ever, and they were happy. Motorsport, especially the ACO, has been particularly sensitive to children’s causes, whether training future drivers, attracting potential fans, or supporting the disadvantaged. The Hypercoeur Challenge pavilion raised funds to operate on 24 children with heart problems. Notable was a group of children in Il Covo, at the Iron Dames team hospitality center, during a press conference by Rhael Frey, Sarah Bovin, and Michelle Gatting, as part of the “Every Dream Matters” project.

This project “combines education and technology, involving children in the creative process of the car’s livery to create a unique design that captures the essence of childhood imagination.” To fulfill this project, drivers engaged with children from an elementary school, answering their questions, visiting the school, sharing “Women Driven by Dreams,” and encouraging students “to envision and draw their own dreams for the future.”

2. Hydrogen, previously prioritized by the FIA, is clearly the technology of the future, given its development and safety advancements, making it the clean fuel of tomorrow.

The Hydrogen Village was a success. The ACO authorized the Solution F Project to hold a press conference featuring Éric Boudot, president of GCK, and Steve Saleen, who won Le Mans in 2010. Saleen announced that, as a result of the partnership with GCK, the hydrogen combustion engine vehicle will be unveiled before the end of the season and, once homologated, will take to the tracks and roads.

The French manufacturer, a pioneer in the transition to electric and hydrogen vehicles, will supply the twin-turbo V6 engine for Saleen’s future supercars. Solution F found ways to “drastically reduce the air intake temperature, necessary for good hydrogen combustion. The engine has water injectors to prevent abnormal hydrogen combustion in the cylinders.”

These solutions were validated on the Solution F test bench and tested on various circuits.

The Foenix H2, developed from a 6.2-liter V8 petrol engine, fully hydrogen-powered, with water injection and a six-speed gearbox, delivers 450 kW, around 612 HP. It maintains the sound of a gasoline engine but emits no carbon dioxide, only a negligible amount of nitrogen. Foenix 2 is revolutionary but not alone. Other manufacturers are committed to hydrogen and eliminating fossil fuels.

Toyota, after 30 years of research, aims for carbon neutrality in Europe by 2024. Bosch showcased its Ligier JS2 RH2, a twin-turbo V6 engine, dual clutch, with a top speed of 290 km/h. Alpine presented the Alpenglow Hy4, developing 340 HP with a 2L 4-cylinder hydrogen engine. The collaboration between ACO and ProjectH24 revealed the MissionH24EVO, designed for pure performance: 1300 kg, top speed of 320 km/h, emitting zero CO2, with a Symbio hydrogen fuel cell, two tanks, an 872 HP electric motor, and a 400 kW lithium battery.

Saleen emphasized that it’s only a matter of time before homologation. Components like airbags must be included for series production. Hydrogen technology is new, safe, clean, and even the French firemen were present. The commitment is unavoidable. The millions invested are beginning to bear fruit. Hydrogen will soon make electric vehicles obsolete.

3. The dreams of Desiré Wilson, Lella Lombardi, and Michèle Mouton are being realized in motorsport. Each year, more women are involved in various areas of motorsport.

Women are driving at the top level, in charge of competitive scuderia like in the Hypercars, working as mechanics, doing what was once reserved for men, as specialized journalists, in key ACO organization posts, driving the navettes, or the little trains transporting thousands around the circuit. Women were everywhere.

And this was good. Always with a smile, things went smoothly.