French President Hollande to Attend 24H Le Mans

Photo: P. Segrette/Presidence de la Republique

For the first time in more than 40 years, the President of France will be attending the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest has confirmed that Francois Hollande will be making a visit to the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic on Saturday.

Hollande, who will be accompanied by Minister of Agriculture Stephane Le Foll and Bernard Cazeneuve, the Minister of the Interior, will be the third French President to visit the race following Vincent Auriol in 1949 and Georges Pompidou in 1972.

“It’s a great honor for the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and the Le Mans 24 Hours to welcome the President of the Republic forty-three years after Georges Pompidou,” said ACO President Pierre Fillon.

“It’s further proof of the very important place occupied by this event both from a sporting and social point of view.”

Former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, the brother of ACO President Pierre, made multiple visits to the race during his time in office.

The ACO is using the opportunity to further promote its initiatives for road safety and eco mobility, having heavily invested in both categories in recent years, in parallel to the French government.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John