24 Heures Motos 2025
Back in Le Mans as a photographer, but this time in April, for the motorcycles. The 24 Hours of Le Mans for motorcycles were scheduled for Easter weekend. A race I'd been following for a long time. In endurance racing, the teams battle against the clock, the elements, and themselves. And this is even more visible with the motorcycles. I often saw exhausted drivers on Eurosport trying to push a damaged bike back to the pits. This edition, too, ultimately turned out to be an unpredictable war of attrition. During practice, I'd barely been standing trackside when I saw the first motorcycle, followed by its driver, slide past. It certainly wouldn't be the last that weekend.
During practice, I explored the circuit and pit lane as a photographer. For the motorcycles, this is the shorter, permanent version instead of the larger one used by the cars, which is also three-quarters public road.
The atmosphere along the track was also striking. Even on Thursday evening, the sound of revving engines and burnouts dominated the campground. Loud exhausts echoed across the circuit. Before the evening practice session, the track was foggy from all the campfires and tire smoke drifting over from the campgrounds. I'm glad I had a quiet room a few kilometers away...
A little while before the start, it started to rain. So the umbrellas came in handy to keep the bikes and riders dry.
After a warm-up lap, the drivers took their positions on the opposite side of the pits. Then came the typical old-fashioned Le Mans start, where at the starting signal, they run to their bikes, jump on, and race away. Something that hasn't happened in cars for over half a century, but thankfully still happens with motorcycles.
The rain took its toll almost immediately. Polesitter Marvin Fritz of the #7 YART Yamaha dropped out on the first lap. I raced to the final corner and saw several bikes slide into the gravel, followed by riders fighting to get back out.
Towards the evening it became a bit drier and it was possible to get into a more rhythm.
A few motorcycles fell to my left and right, but eventually night came.
The pit lane was certainly still a busy affair in the evening. Engines were being repaired after problems, and pit stops were completed at a rapid pace.
In the morning, the #11 Kawasaki led the race. They had already won several races and had managed to stay relatively out of trouble. They had a three-lap lead when a crash occurred just as I was returning to the pit lane. Once I arrived, the #11 quickly came in for a pit stop. It turned out some parts needed replacing, which happened amidst the chaos in front of the pit garage itself. Their lead shrank, and after the pit stop, the bike was in second place. The #7 YART Yamaha, which had fought back impressively, was back on the same lap as the leading #11. They couldn't afford any more mistakes.
But around the start of the 24th hour, it started to drizzle. This made the track very treacherous. How do you lean into the corner? Painted curbs and lines become slippery. And then I was walking along the track. And three corners in a row, it all went wrong: three Kawasakis, with the last one being the leader!!! The #11 was off and cut across the track towards the pits, and so the #7 Yamaha finally reclaimed the lead they had held at the start of the race.
At the finish, Marvin Fritz went completely off the rails. He had lost his pole position 24 hours earlier and had ended up in the gravel trap, but had reclaimed the lead along with Jason O'Halloran and Karel Hanika. This allowed them to celebrate their victory in style on the podium.
It was a fantastic race, a true endurance race where speed, technique, and staying out of trouble were crucial for a good result. Check out the photos below for an impression. If you'd like to order more photos, please contact us!
