The Le Mans circuit consists of a both a dedicated racetrack as well as closed public roads, which form the majority of the track. The circuit is famous for the Mulsanne straight, which used to be a five kilometer flat out stretch where cars have touched up to 400 km/h. The Mulsanne is now bisected by two chicanes (added in 1990) to keep speeds down.

The race has been held every year, with very few exceptions, since 1923. At 4PM on a Saturday in mid-June, the cars and drivers would traditionally be lined up on opposite sides of the track. The flag, which has always been the French tri-color, would drop – requiring the drivers to run across the track, jump into their cars, and take-off unassisted. This tradition was abandoned in 1970 due to safety reasons – they reverted to a standing start that year, whereas every year since has had a rolling start instead. Even today, Le Mans holds a special place place on the world motorsports calendar. In addition to being a true test of engineering, the race throws up other challenges as well, such as changeable weather conditions that more often than not include rain and poor visibility over the course of the 24 hour period.