Le Mans records 325k attendance for centenary edition

The 24 Hours of Le Mans saw 325,000 fans attend last weekend’s centenary edition of the historic endurance race.

Confirmed:

• Sellout crowd falls below overall record of 400,000 for legendary 1969 race
• Streaming platform MotorTrend sees 59 per cent increase in viewers in US and Canada, says SBJ

Context: Ferrari may have drawn the headlines with a winning return to the most famous race of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), it was Nascar’s Garage 56 entry that dominated the buildup. This attention was reflected in the numbers of streaming platform MotorTrend, with SBJ reporting an average of 161,000 tuned in, a 59 per cent increase from 101,000 in 2022.

Comment:

Coming next: The next challenge for WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans is engaging with this new-found audience. Endurance racing is in rude health after some considerably fallow years and, with the likes of Lamborghini, BMW and Alpine all set to join the top class from 2024, there has never been a better time for organisers to maximise this opportunity.

Go deeper:

• ‘It’s a special opportunity for the brand’: How Garage 56 is leading Nascar’s international drive

• WEC unveils four new venues on 2024 calendar