Endurance teams across Le Mans Ultimate are spending the weekend trimming rear wing angles and calculating fuel stints ahead of the sim's marquee 24 Hours of Le Mans Special Event week at Circuit de la Sarthe, commencing Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
Hosted through Studio 397's built-in RaceControl online system, the headline 24-hour team sessions fire off on Friday, October 23 at 11:00 UTC and Saturday, October 24 at 13:30 UTC, putting up to 62 cars per split on the 8.46-mile French circuit across all three FIA World Endurance Championship classes: Hypercar, LMP2, and LMGT3.
Fuel Saving, Hybrid Boost, and 62-Car Multiclass Traffic
Surviving 24 hours around Le Mans comes down to traffic patience and hitting your per-lap fuel number. Down the Mulsanne Straight and the fast run toward Indianapolis, top-class Hypercars top 212 mph while LMGT3 cars sit near 178 mph. With 62 cars sharing the track, prototype drivers who force late divebombs into single-line chicanes rarely make it to sunrise with an intact front splitter.
Stint length is equally critical. Lifting and coasting 40 to 50 meters before the heavy braking zones at the two Mulsanne chicanes, Mulsanne Corner, and Arnage lets you harvest MGU-K hybrid battery charge while saving enough fuel to stretch your run by an extra lap—often saving an entire pit stop over a multi-hour driver rotation.
- Start Slots: Friday, October 23 (11:00 UTC) and Saturday, October 24 (13:30 UTC).
- Eligibility: Open team lineups with a minimum B2 Safety Rank (SR) required for every driver.
- Session Rules: Open setups, private qualifying, and mandatory fair-share driver swap rules.
- No Tire Warmers: Leaving pit lane on cold slicks requires braking 30–40 meters early on your out-lap.
- Night Track Temps: Asphalt cools sharply after sunset, requiring a 0.3 to 0.5 PSI tire pressure bump.
- Tetre Rouge Track Limits: Running wide over the exit curb triggers strict RaceControl penalty warnings.
Surviving the Out-Lap Without Tire Blankets
If there is one place where Le Mans special events are lost in the opening two hours, it is the first out-lap on fresh, unheated Michelin slicks. With tire warmers disabled under WEC rules, your front brakes will lock at half your normal pedal pressure into the Dunlop Chicane and the first Mulsanne chicane. Brake early in a straight line, build tire core heat progressively through heavy braking zones, and check the official Le Mans Ultimate RaceControl schedule to lock in your team lineup before qualifying opens.
