5 Facts About Le Mans

1. One of the keys to Le Mans is top speed, caused by the long straights that dominate the circuit.

2. Over time, Le Mans has influenced events have sprung up all around the globe, popularizing the 24-hour format at locations such as Daytona, Nurburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, and Bathurst.

3. Soon after Le Mans was liberated by the US 79th and 90th Infantry Divisions on 8 August 1944, engineers of the Ninth Air Force IX Engineering Command began construction of a combat Advanced Landing Ground outside of the town.

4. As the principal city of Maine, Le Mans was the stage for struggles in the eleventh century between the counts of Anjou and the dukes of Normandy.

5. The ancient wall around Le Mans is one of the most complete circuits of Gallo-Roman city walls to survive.