Auto News 5

For a race universally regarded as one of the crown jewels of motorsports, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has suffered through some remarkably fallow stretches since it was first staged in 1923. There have been years when no major manufacturers bothered to show up, reducing the race to an exercise in irrelevance. And there have been entire eras when top drivers refused to compete because they believed the race was too dangerous, too boring, or just plain stupid.