24 uur van Le Mans 2024
I've been attending the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2011. It started as a kind of vacation from home with my mother, who was battling cancer. It was a chance to clear my head, watch the race, and take photos. In 2012, my mother even pretended to be less ill than she actually was, so I could still get away for a bit. After she passed away in September of that year, I mailed a photo immediately after the funeral. I entered a Canon contest to win a workshop with F1 photographer Frits van Eldik. And I won the workshop. It was the first time I photographed right next to the track in Zandvoort. Frits also gave a presentation featuring photos he'd taken of the Audis at Le Mans and explained the ins and outs of being a motorsports photographer. This workshop motivated me to further develop my motorsports photography. And so, a year later, Frits helped me sell my first photo.
I kept returning to Le Mans. It was like an annual pilgrimage, and also a benchmark for my photography that year. I met several fellow motorsport enthusiasts and amateur photographers there. Eventually, I started a small business and took on various assignments, but then the infamous economic downturn hit, and everything ground to a halt. Fortunately, the assignments slowly picked up again over the past two years. And now, after all these years, the time had come. I was also allowed to photograph the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For me, this was a dream come true. Things have come full circle. I also met Frits briefly in the media center, as did many other fellow photographers. As a boy, I went to Zandvoort for the first time to watch a Ferrari F1 car, Jan Lammers' Le Mans car, and other vintage sports cars race at the Masters of F3. And now I was right there with my camera as Ferrari secured a Le Mans victory in one of the most exciting and unpredictable races in years. Unreal.
On the Saturday a week before the race, I got to work. I visited the city center where the scrutineering and group photos took place. Afterward, we drove cars through the center, all the way to the gates next to the old cathedral—a magnificent sight.
The test day that followed offered the opportunity to explore the circuit in places I hadn't previously been to. One of these was the famous traffic sign on the Hunaudieres, a classic photo the photographers usually take during the test day, as the billboards are only put up afterward.
On Tuesday it was time for photo opportunities with the drivers, followed by the autograph session for the public and a pit stop competition.
The atmosphere was great. And there was plenty of action during the pit stops.
The following days saw free practice and a thrilling Hyperpole session to determine the starting positions for the fastest cars. Ultimately, Porsche took pole position with a superb lap from Kevin Estre, who was full of sparks as he entered the final corners.
On Saturday, it was finally time for the race. For the first time, I walked around the starting grid myself instead of watching the buildup from the grandstand. And then, at 4:00 PM, the action finally started. The race started sunny, but soon the first shower arrived, though it didn't last very long.
Later in the evening I was able to catch some golden sunlight in the woods behind the circuit before the weather finally changed.
It started raining heavily when I got back to the Indianapolis corner. This would continue in gusts for much of the night. I also spent a long time behind the safety car. So I made desperate attempts to get some sleep in the car, but it wasn't successful.
By the time the night was over, Ferrari had taken the lead, but Toyota, in particular, was still hot on their heels. There was still considerable rain in the final hours.
But the #50 Ferrari 499P of Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco, and Miguel Molina proved the strongest, securing another victory for AF Corse Ferrari after last year's win. Dutch success followed in GT3, where 19-year-old Morris Schuring took victory in the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche. And in LMP2, the #22 United Autosports car took the win.
It was a fantastic experience. And now I'm just recovering from an intensive week of photography. Thank you to everyone who followed and helped me over the years, and to the many people I met throughout the event. Check out the photos below.
