The original 24 Hours of Le Mans has been running ever since 1923. Based in the French city that lends the competition its name, it is the ultimate test of fortitude for car racers, with the winner determined not by who crosses the finish line first, but by the number of laps that are completed over the course of a continuous, 24-hour period.
Grueling on both man and machine, seizing first place depends not purely on speed but also on stamina, which has led to it becoming colloquially known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency. Several celebrities have been driven to take the wheel on the prestigious circuit, including movie stars Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.
Under the auspices of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, 24 Hours of Le Mans has since spawned several offshoots around the world, with series taking place in America, Europe and, most recently, Asia.
Inaugurated in 2009, the Asian Le Mans Series is being held for the second time this year. Not quite as intense as its progenitor, it consists of four races, each three hours in length, spread across a quartet of different countries. Four classes of competition are available: Le Mans Prototype 2 (LM P2), Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LM PC), Grand Touring Challenge (GTC) and the Grand Touring Challenge Amateur (GTC AM).
In line with the aim to encourage and foster motorsport aficionados on the continent, every crew is required to have at least one Asian driver. Those taking first place in the LM P2 and the GTC categories will score themselves a chance to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.
Now halfway through, the South Korean and Japanese legs have already been completed. Next stop: Guangdong Province, China.
On October 13, a mixture of Asian and European drivers will take to the Zhuhai International Circuit (ZIC) – China’s first permanent motor track when it opened in 1996 – to test their mettle in top machines to make any petrolhead’s mouth water, from Ferraris and Porsches, to Lamborghinis, McLarens and Aston Martins. After that, competitors will head to Malaysia, where the final race will take place in December.
“Based on what I saw last year at Super GT races, whether in Japan and in Malaysia, as well as the ever-growing racing scene in China, there is definitely a place for a professional endurance series in Asia,” said Motorsport.com founder Eric Gilbert, speaking prior to the start of the Asian Le Mans Series. Tempering his enthusiasm with realities, Gilbert also voiced concerns over car counts, noting the difficulty of attracting teams to young events.
“The number of entrants will of course be a major challenge – it is a challenge for mature series, so it is an even bigger one for a new series,” he said. “And to make things worse, we’re back to the chicken-and-egg scenario: fans will come to the races if they see a lot of cars, and teams/sponsors tend to enter races when they see a lot of fans. At any rate, everything has to be done to have large starting grids.”
After the initial races in Inje, South Korea, Director of the Asian Le Mans Series Mark Thomas admitted that the turnout had been disappointing. “Of course we would have liked more, but the most important thing is that we are here and the race is on," he told Autosport.com. "Now we have proved that the series is real, other entrants can start contemplating us as a viable option. I am not going to flash out big numbers and say we are going to have lots more cars at subsequent rounds, but we are going to grow steadily and organically.”
As with any nascent sporting occasion, drumming up fans is a major hurdle, but considering the growing success of golfing and tennis events in the region, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Asian Le Mans Series zooming into pole position in the near future. Besides, where else are you going to quench that need for speed outside the go-kart track?
// The Asian Le Mans Series' China race will be taking place on Oct 13 at the Zhuhai International Circuit, Chuangxin Yi Lu, Jinding Town, Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai 珠海市香洲区金鼎镇创新一路
For tickets, contact 5132 5158 or shirley.wu@s2mgroup.com.cn (www.asianlemansseries.com)
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