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18-497: It is the first car Jean Rondeau designed and developed and was completely built (except the engine) in Le Mans , where he himself was born. Its name, Inaltéra, comes from the name of a French wallpaper company that sponsored the team. The chassis is an aluminum -reinforced steel multi-tubular spaceframe , covered in a fiberglass panel body. This meant it was very light, with the total weight coming to 815 kg (1,797 lb). It

36-459: A 64-mile (103 km) circuit based at Le Mans in 1906. Since the 1920s, the city has been best known for its connection with motorsports. There are two official and separate racing tracks at Le Mans, though they share certain portions. The smaller is the Bugatti Circuit (named after Ettore Bugatti , founder of the car company bearing his name), a relatively short permanent circuit, which

54-678: Is among the most attended and prestigious motor sports events in the world. First mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy , the Roman city Vindinium was the capital of the Aulerci , a sub tribe of the Aedui . Le Mans is also known as Civitas Cenomanorum (City of the Cenomani ), or Cenomanus . Their city, seized by the Romans in 47 BC, was within the ancient Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis . A 3rd-century amphitheatre

72-460: Is still visible. The thermae were demolished during the crisis of the third century when workers were mobilized to build the city's defensive walls. The ancient wall around Le Mans is one of the most complete circuits of Gallo-Roman city walls to survive. As the use of the French language replaced late Vulgar Latin in the area, Cenomanus , with dissimilation , became known as Celmins. Cel-

90-524: Is used for racing throughout the year and regularly hosts the French motorcycle Grand Prix . The longer and more famous Circuit de la Sarthe is composed partly of public roads. These are closed to the public when the track is in use for racing. Since 1923, this route has been used for the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car endurance race . Boutiques and shops are set up during the race, selling merchandise and promoting products for cars. The " Le Mans start "

108-742: The Antarès , which served as one of the host arenas of the FIBA EuroBasket 1999 . Le Mans was the birthplace of: Notable residents include: Died in Le Mans: Le Mans is twinned with: The culinary specialty of Le Mans is rillettes , a shredded pork pâté . Located at Mayet near Le Mans, the Le Mans-Mayet transmitter has a height of 342 m and is one of the tallest radio masts in France. Hugh V of Maine Hugh V (c. 1055/1062 – 1131)

126-509: The Ninth Air Force IX Engineering Command began construction of a combat Advanced Landing Ground outside of the town. The airfield was declared operational on 3 September and designated as " A-35 ". It was used by several American fighter and transport units until late November of that year in additional offensives across France; the airfield was closed. Le Mans has a temperate oceanic climate ( Cfb ) influenced by

144-713: The Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne . Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine , it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans . Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region . Its inhabitants are called Manceaux (male) and Mancelles (female). Since 1923, the city has hosted the 24 Hours of Le Mans , the world's oldest active endurance sports car race. The event

162-574: The Normans, resulting in Hugh V being proclaimed count of Maine . Geoffrey V of Anjou married Matilda of England in the cathedral . Their son Henry II Plantagenet, king of England , was born in the town. In the 13th century Le Mans came under the control of the French crown. It was subsequently invaded by England during the Hundred Years' War . Industrialization took place in the 19th century which saw

180-465: The development of railway and motor vehicle production as well as textiles and tobacco manufacture. Wilbur Wright began official public demonstrations of the airplane he had developed with his younger brother Orville on 8 August 1908, at the Hunaudières horse racing track near Le Mans. Soon after Le Mans was liberated by the U.S. 79th and 90th Infantry Divisions on 8 August 1944, engineers of

198-444: The mild Atlantic air travelling inland. Summers are warm and occasionally hot, whereas winters are mild and cloudy. Precipitation is relatively uniform and moderate year round. As of 2018 , there were 367,082 inhabitants in the metropolitan area ( aire d'attraction ) of Le Mans, with 143,252 of these living in the city proper ( commune ). In 1855 Le Mans absorbed four neighbouring communes. The population data for 1851 and earlier in

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216-428: The table and graph below refer to the pre-1855 borders. The Gare du Mans is the main railway station of Le Mans. It takes 1 hour to reach Paris from Le Mans by TGV high speed train. There are also TGV connections to Lille, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes and Brest. Gare du Mans is also a hub for regional trains. Le Mans inaugurated a new light rail system on 17 November 2007. The first French Grand Prix took place on

234-519: Was entered at the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans as the Inaltéra sponsorship was cut after the 1977 season and Rondeau had to sell his cars. The car finished 13th overall. This motorsport-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Le Mans Le Mans ( / l ə ˈ m ɒ̃ / , French: [lə mɑ̃] ) is a city in Northwestern France on

252-534: Was formerly used in the 24-hour race: drivers lined up across the track from their cars, ran across the track, jumped into their cars and started them to begin the race. The 1955 Le Mans disaster was a large accident during the race that killed eighty-four spectators. The city is home to Le Mans Sarthe Basket , 2006 Champion of the LNB Pro A , France's top professional basketball division. The team plays its home games at

270-508: Was incapable of ruling Maine and began to detest him. Orderic Vitalis said of him "he was, indeed, an imbecile, a coward, and an idler, and totally unfit to hold the reins of government in so high a station." After a short time holding the countship, his cousin Elias convinced Hugh to sell him the county, which he did. In 1077 Hugh married Heria, daughter of Robert Guiscard , but after discovering he could not manage her either he repudiated her,

288-451: Was powered by a 3.0 L (180 cu in), 415 hp (309 kW), Ford - Cosworth DFV V8 Formula One engine .This drove the rear wheels through a Hewland L.T. 200 five-speed manual transmission . It competed in sports car racing between 1976 and 1978. Three cars were entered by Rondeau himself at the 1977 24 Hours of Le Mans where its best result was an overall 4th-place finish and 1st place of its GTP class. Only one car

306-491: Was taken to be a form of the French word for "this" and "that", and was replaced by le , which means "the". 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 . When the Normans had control of Maine, William the Conqueror successfully invaded England and established an occupation. In 1069 the citizens of Maine revolted and expelled

324-475: Was the count of Maine from 1069 until c. 1093. He was the son of Margrave Albert Azzo II of Milan and Gersenda, a sister of Count Hugh IV of Maine . In 1070, the citizens of Le Mans and some of the Manceaux barons revolted against Norman control. After securing the southern border of Normandy and expelling the Normans, they invited young Hugh V to rule them as count of Maine . They soon realized, however, he

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