Le Mans is a city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.
Sarthe is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the Grand-Ouest of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It had a population of 566,412 in 2019.
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organising entity behind the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race. The ACO also lobbies on behalf of French drivers on such issues as road building and maintenance, the availability of driving schools and road safety classes, and the incorporation of technical innovations into new vehicles. It also runs a roadside assistance service for its members.
Sablé-sur-Sarthe, commonly referred to as Sablé, is a commune in the Sarthe department, in the Pays de la Loire region, western France. It is about 40 km southwest of Le Mans and about 50 km northeast of Angers.
Mulsanne is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France.
The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. Comprising private, race-specific sections of track in addition to public roads which remain accessible most of the year, its present configuration is 13.626 km (8.467 mi) long, making it one of the longest circuits in the world. The capacity of the race stadium, where the short Bugatti Circuit is situated, is 100,000. The Musée des 24 Heures du Mans is a motorsport museum located at the main entrance of the venue.
The 2002 24 Hours of Le Mans was an automobile endurance race held for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars from 15 to 16 June 2002 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, close by Le Mans, France. It was the 70th running of the event, as organized by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. A test day was held five weeks prior to the race on 5 May. The No. 1 Audi Sport Team Joest car of Tom Kristensen, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro won the race overall and Audi's third consecutive victory in Le Mans, extending back to the 2000 event.
A number of video games have been made of Le Mans 24 Hours. The race, the Circuit de la Sarthe, and competing cars have been featured in racing games such as the Gran Turismo series.
Robert Förster is a German former professional road racing cyclist. He specialized in bunch sprints.
The Le Mans Legend is a vintage sports car race held during the 24 Hours of Le Mans festivities. Created in 2001, it was created by the Motor Racing Legends group, and supported by the ACO, organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Pezé-le-Robert is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France.
Fresnay-sur-Sarthe is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, the former communes Coulombiers and Saint-Germain-sur-Sarthe were merged into Fresnay-sur-Sarthe. Fresnay-sur-Sarthe is the seat of the communauté de communes Haute Sarthe Alpes Mancelles, which covers 38 communes with a total population of about 23,000.
Pascal Jules was a French professional road bicycle racer.
The French Basketball Cup, or French Federation Basketball Cup, is the annual national basketball federation cup competition of France. It is organized by the French Basketball Federation. It is also known as the Trophée Robert Busnel, named after the late basketball player Robert Busnel, who died in 1991.
Ariste Jacques Trouvé-Chauvel was a French businessman, banker and politician. He was briefly Minister of Finance towards the end of 1848.
The Vencer Sarthe is a Dutch sports car produced by Vencer. It is the first automobile to be produced by Vencer.
Rezvani Motors is an American automotive designer and manufacturer of high-performance sports cars based in Irvine, California. Rezvani Motors was founded by Iranian-American Ferris Rezvani, one of the designers of the Vencer Sarthe.
Top Marques Monaco is an event that takes place annually at the Grimaldi Forum in the principality of Monaco. It features exhibitions by numerous purveyors of luxury aircraft, automobile, boat, watches, jewellery etc. A quarter of the event's ticket sales are donated to Monaco Aide et Présence, a charity established by Monaco's reigning Prince Albert.
Oscar Riesebeek is a Dutch cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Alpecin–Deceuninck.
Swan doors or swan-wing doors are a type of door on performance cars or concept cars. Swan doors operate in a similar way to conventional car doors, but they open at an upward angle.
