How to watch today's 24 Hours of Le Mans
Here's how to watch the biggest motorsport event of the year if you can't fly to France.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans ranks at the top of nearly every motorsport enthusiast's yearly watch list -- as it should -- but if you're in the US, streaming the race is typically a bit of a challenge. In the past, it meant that you'd have to hop between several services depending on the time of day. But this year, things are quite a bit simpler, and that's awesome.
Here's the good news: MotorTrend TV is streaming Le Mans in its entirety, and you can watch it via your cable provider or, if you're a cord-cutter, via MotorTrendOnDemand.com or through the MotorTrend app. If you're not already signed up, you get a 14-day free trial, and after that it's $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year to subscribe. Live, flag-to-flag coverage has already started as you read this, even though the big race itself won't get underway until 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT).
The bad news is that MT is pretty much the only game in town unless you want to get into using a VPN service to try to trick the European streaming services into thinking you're on The Continent, but that's more complicated than we're willing to deal with and sketchier than we're willing to endorse.
In any case, MotorTrend TV is the new name for the Velocity channel, which was the spin-off for automotive content of the Discovery Channel. It offers tons of race coverage for events other than Le Mans, as well as a bunch of original programming. It's not a terrible deal, all things considered.
That's pretty much it.
That is, unless, actually watching the race isn't a requirement for you. RadioLeMans.co always offers fantastic audio coverage of the race, and it's free. It's actually one of my favorite ways to experience the race since I don't feel so glued to the TV for 24 hours.
As always, Le Mans promises to be one of the best motorsports events to happen all year long, even though the top LMP1 category is essentially a one-make show now that Audi and Porsche have pulled out, though several strong privateer teams are hoping to take Toyota on. That being said, there is always plenty of action in the lower classes, and this year marks the last for Ford's excellent GT program.
