Road to Le Mans 2026!
We’re on a roadtrip to Le Mans to find out why the world’s biggest car race still matters for the cars we all drive!
Words by: Dan Trent
Published on 12 June 2026 | 0 min read
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a motor race like no other. Held on a combination of closed public roads and dedicated racetrack on the outskirts of the French town of Le Mans it’s always been the ultimate test of car and driver. First held in 1923, over the years it’s been a proving ground for technologies many of us now take for granted.
Turbocharging, disc brakes, active aero, dual-clutch gearboxes and, in more recent years, high-performance diesels and now hybrids and electrification have all been put to the test over the 24 gruelling hours of racing, the manufacturers taking what they’ve learned and putting it into the cars we all drive. Everyone from Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche, Ferrari, Ford, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Alpine, Audi, Toyota, Aston Martin, Jaguar and more have enjoyed moments of glory in the race, the new Hypercar class heralding a new golden era and packed grid.
Le Mans is about more than racing, though. For the fans it’s a roadtrip, a festival, a petrolhead gathering and a massive party all wrapped into one giant event taking over a whole town. And we’re out there, sharing our experiences with regular updates to this story. Stay tuned and keep coming back for the latest!
My trip to Le Mans starts in the slightly less glamorous surroundings of Hull, and the overnight ferry to Rotterdam ahead of the 400 miles or so to Le Mans and the glamping ground arranged by my hosts, BMW. Who have also very generously provided my transport for the trip in the shape of this rather fetchingM5 Touring. Big, fast, comfy and – most of all – surprisingly efficient thanks to its plug-in hybrid power, I’m hoping it’ll be just the ticket for a big roadtrip.
BMW will be there in force, with two M Hybrid V8s fighting for overall honours having taken pole in the Hypercar class ahead of Aston Martin, Toyota and last year’s winners Ferrari. They’re also up against Cadillac, Alpine, Peugeot and newcomers Genesis, the Hypercar class attracting a new crop of players after a period of stalemate where it was basically just Audi and Toyota slugging it out for the top spot. BMW also has a couple of M4s in the LMGT3 class, these more closely related to the road cars we know and love and up against Ford Mustangs, Porsche 911s, a random Lexus, Corvettes and more.
This isn’t the only reason BMW is making noise this year. But more on that in due course!
For now, I’ve got some miles to cover, the M5’s combination of a big V8 petrol engine and fully charged hybrid battery hopefully getting me there in good time!
