Le Mans Day

What Is Le Mans Day?

May 26th is known in Japan as "Le Mans Day" (ル・マンの日, Ru Man no Hi). On May 26, 1923, the first running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 Heures du Mans) endurance race began at the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France — inaugurating the world's most famous endurance automobile race. Japan has a strong connection to the race: Mazda won in 1991, and Toyota won five consecutive times from 2018 to 2022, giving Le Mans special resonance in Japan's automotive culture.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the oldest and most prestigious endurance races in motorsport. Teams of drivers share a single car for 24 continuous hours on a circuit that combines purpose-built track sections with closed public roads — including the famous long straight known as the Hunaudières or "Mulsanne Straight," where a top speed of 405 km/h was recorded in 1988. Two chicanes were added in 1990 to reduce the danger. The race tests both the mechanical endurance of the cars and the strategy and stamina of the teams and drivers. The famous "Le Mans start," in which drivers ran across the track to their cars, was replaced by a rolling start from 1971 for safety reasons.

Japan at Le Mans

Japanese manufacturers and drivers have had a deep and sometimes agonizing relationship with Le Mans. Toyota's quest for an overall victory was marked by heartbreaking near-misses — most dramatically in 2016, when its leading car stopped with only about three minutes remaining. In Japan, the race is often said to be home to a "demon" because of such unpredictable twists. Toyota finally achieved outright victory in 2018 with the TS050 Hybrid, driven by Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, and Fernando Alonso — the first win by a Japanese driver in a Japanese car — and went on to win every year through 2022.

Japanese Automotive Achievement

Japan's success at Le Mans reflects the broader achievement of Japan's automotive industry, known worldwide for reliability and engineering quality. Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and other Japanese companies have all taken part in Le Mans over the years, and hybrid technology proven in endurance racing has close ties to the cars people drive every day.

Fun Facts

• Toyota's 2019 repeat: Toyota's TS050 Hybrid finished first and second again in 2019, with Buemi, Nakajima, and Alonso in the winning car. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and José María López, who led much of the 2019 race before a puncture, went on to win in 2021.
• Mazda's 1991 victory: Mazda became the first Japanese manufacturer to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright with the 787B in 1991 — still the only rotary-engine car ever to win Le Mans overall.
• Champagne spray: The custom of spraying champagne on the podium is said to have begun with Dan Gurney after his 1967 Le Mans victory.