After last year’s incredible 72 hours of June, I knew I had to get myself back to Le Mans. In 2025, I experienced the 24 Hours as a solo traveller; this year, I wanted to see the race from a different angle by joining Select Motor Racing’s five-day coach tour. What followed was a weekend of comfort, compromise, new friendships and the same Le Mans magic, offering a very different answer to one of the biggest questions for any fan heading to La Sarthe: what is the best way to experience the world’s greatest endurance race?

While Le Mans itself needs no introduction, Select Motor Racing is not as widely known. Based in the south of England, Select Motor Racing is run by motorsport enthusiast Kevin May alongside his team. They offer motorsport holiday packages to a range of different races, and I joined them in London as part of their five-day Le Mans 24hr Gold package.

Victoria Coach Station was a sea of motorsport merchandise at 6 a.m. as eager fans awaited their Le Mans coach. Right on time, our coach pulled into its bay, we boarded and were handed our race tickets. This was the first major comparison to last year’s trip: pure convenience. My bags were loaded onto the coach and all I had to do for the journey was sit back, relax and enjoy the wonderful views from London to our hotel in Châtres.

The hotel was clean, comfortable and close to restaurants for some much-needed refuelling. Arriving late in the evening, with no chance to visit the track on Wednesday, meant we missed the qualifying sessions, although we were kept updated on the results. After almost 13 hours of travel, it was time for bed.

Thursday morning we were up early for breakfast before heading to the track. Our hotel was around a 90-minute drive from the circuit, and leaving at 8 a.m. meant we arrived at 9:30 a.m. with plenty of time to get ourselves settled before the Road to Le Mans qualifying sessions. Forty-five minutes later, the track roared to life with various LMP3 and GT3 cars, a sound that immediately brought back all the memories of last year.

This year I had friends with me experiencing their first Le Mans, and the look on their faces hearing and seeing their first cars race around La Sarthe will stick with me forever.

We had a full day at the track, witnessing two full practice sessions from the Le Mans Cup and Ferrari Challenge, as well as a Porsche Cup Brazil race, before the stars of the show headed to the track. The Hypercars bellowed as they headed out for their three-hour practice session. We spent the majority of the session in the stadium section before heading down to Arnage for the Ferrari Challenge race and to Mulsanne for the start of the LMP2/GT3 Hyperpole, before returning to the main circuit for Hypercar Hyperpole.

You can read GT REPORT’s full practice and qualifying reports here.

Unfortunately, our time at the track was coming to a close. Due to EU driving-time regulations, we had to be picked up by our coach driver at 10:30 p.m. so he could take the required overnight rest. This meant we missed night practice, which is one downside of taking a tour rather than camping: you have less freedom over what you want to do and when. However, I should add that this is made very clear when booking the tour.

On the way back, news of Cadillac’s lap time deletion and BMW’s subsequent promotion to pole trickled through the coach. Gasps came from each row as phones slowly lit up with notifications. Arriving back at the hotel around midnight, I was welcomed by a wonderful hot shower, which was definitely needed after a long, sweaty day in the French sun.

Friday morning we were treated to a lie-in, as we did not leave for the track until 9 a.m. Arriving just after 10 a.m., we had more than enough time to catch the Road to Le Mans race before being picked up again and driven to the beautiful town of Le Mans for the drivers’ parade.

The town of Le Mans really comes together during the week of the 24 Hours. Almost every shop window had signs inviting race ticket holders in for food and beverages. Heading up to the parade is a spectacle in itself, with the streets lined by fans from all walks of life. Fans from different countries discussed the race ahead as best they could, sharing laughs and beers with each other. It is a wonderful sight to behold.

The parade itself was new to me after opting for a track walk last year, and it did not disappoint. Being able to see my favourite drivers just metres away as they threw all kinds of goodies to the adoring crowds was special, and a highlight for me was catching a Genesis Racing hat.

The parade lasted around three hours and completely flew by, but it was soon time to head back to our hotel for a long night’s rest before the world’s biggest endurance race. It would have been nice to stay a bit longer to soak up the atmosphere, but the rest before the big race was very much appreciated.

Saturday morning, the hotel buzzed with excitement as we were packed onto the coach to the circuit for the final time. We arrived with anticipation continuing to build as streams of people headed towards the entrance. The coach emptied in an instant as we all rushed to catch our first moments of the day’s track action.

We were treated to the final Porsche Cup Brazil race of the weekend and enjoyed a few beers before finding our spot for the start.

Finding a decent spot for the start is a challenge in itself, with more than 300,000 people trying to catch a glimpse of the track. We opted to stand on one of the many raised banks after the now-renamed Goodyear Bridge, a perfect position to see the cars appear over the crest and head down the hill towards the Mulsanne Straight for the first time.

The area was packed with all types of people, from families out for the day to hardcore motorsport fans, all as revved up as each other.

At 3:50 p.m., it was start time. After a magnificent flyover from the French Air Force, the cars set off on their formation lap. Ten minutes later, the green flag fell. The sound was immense as 62 cars flew past, with the combination of engines making the ground shake. The biggest endurance race on the planet had officially begun.

We stayed in our spot for a few laps before slowly making our way around to the coaches for our circuit excursion. This excursion is a brilliant optional extra by Select, allowing fans to get down to Arnage and Mulsanne on race day without having to sit in the hours-long queues for the Le Mans shuttle buses.

Arriving at Arnage was just as magical as I remembered, with cars passing just metres from spectators, while over at Mulsanne the big spectator bank provided wonderful views of the circuit’s most impressive braking zone. We were given about an hour at each location, which was a perfect amount of time to get a couple of drinks and enjoy the different aspects each corner provides.

On arrival back at the main circuit, we were given a choice: we could either head back to the hotel for an evening rest or stay at the track for the night, with a coach left in the car park for anyone who needed a quick power nap. Although I did not use this backup coach, it was nice to know it was there.

Trying to pull an all-nighter, I headed to Le Rush, situated behind the main grandstands, to party. The atmosphere at Le Rush was electric, with DJs blasting music through the speakers and bar staff mixing up all sorts of cocktails. It felt almost like being in a nightclub, just with Le Mans Hypercars in the background.

Opting for a mojito, I got into the party mood before heading to the Manufacturers’ Village, where the party carried on with more DJs, live music and a big screen so we could keep up to date with the race. After a quick nap in a deck chair and a couple more Red Bulls, I headed back to the track to catch some night racing.

Night racing is always special: the track lit up by nothing but headlights. It is a challenge for the drivers and a spectacle for the fans. As the sun rose, fans sleeping on the banks also began to rise, while others returned from their campsites. The weekend had been hot, but Sunday felt that little bit hotter, so we filled up on water and headed for Tertre Rouge to get a wonderful view of the cars firing out of the corner and down the straight.

As the day moved on, we went up to the Goodyear Bridge for a brilliant view of the cars coming up the hill before heading to the start-finish line for the final couple of hours. A giant screen made it easy to keep up with the action, while we could also physically see the gaps between cars changing over the line as we watched the podium battle.

Soon, we were down to the final lap. The fans roared as we watched Kamui Kobayashi take victory in the #7 Toyota, while Robin Frijns helped bring BMW its first Le Mans podium in 27 years, with the #8 Toyota rounding out the podium.

Read GT REPORT’s full race report here.

After the race, we had to rush back to our coach to return to the hotel due to an early departure the next morning and, once again, EU driving-time regulations. This meant we had to miss the podium celebrations, but that does not overshadow the incredible time I had.

When comparing my two trips to Le Mans, it is clear both approaches have their advantages. Camping offers complete freedom and allows you to squeeze every possible moment out of race week, but the tour experience delivers a level of comfort that should not be underestimated.

One of the biggest surprises of the tour was the people. I had the pleasure of meeting fellow fans with whom I shared memories both on and off track, and while I was lucky to be out there with some friends, I can easily see how tours like this provide solo travellers with the opportunity to meet lifelong motorsport companions.

This experience has once again fuelled my love for Le Mans, and I am almost certain I will be back next year.

I wanted to end this article by saying that, although Select Motor Racing did not compensate GT REPORT or me in any way, I cannot thank Kevin and his team enough for making this tour as easy as possible. From booking to answering questions, and even while out in France, the entire Select team gave us updates on the action and provided a fun, enjoyable atmosphere where all racing fans felt included.

There are many ways to enjoy the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Camping and coach tours are just two of them, and neither is better than the other; they are simply two different ways to enjoy one of motorsport’s greatest spectacles.

Whichever option you choose, the magic of Le Mans stays the same.