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Le Mans 2017: Start time, TV schedule for 24 hours of racing

Can Toyota avoid the heartbreak they suffered in 2016 and beat Porsche?

Jun 17, 2017, 9:00 AM UTC

Photo by Dean Treml/Red Bull via Getty Images

Kamui Kobayashi set several records at the 8.47-mile Circuit de la Sarthe to earn pole position for the No. 7 Toyota in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, set to get underway on Saturday. Porsche and Toyota will be battling it out due to the departure of Audi from the LMP1 scene.

Saturday’s race will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET and end around the same time on Sunday. The race will be broadcast on television via Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 in the United States. A live stream of the entire 24 hours will be available via Fox Sports GO.

Kobayashi put in a lap top of 3:14.791 and averaged 156.512 miles per hour over the course of the lap. Kobayashi will be the second of three drivers to participate in the No. 7 car for the race, ahead of Mike Conway and before Stephane Sarrazin.

The No. 8 Toyota took second place in qualifying and combined for a front row lockout for the team. Toyota was favored and in control of the race a year ago when the engine failed with just five minutes to go. Toyota is favored again, and they’re hoping the reliability issues have been figured out.

Porsche will challenge them, though, and the only other entrant in LMP1 is the privateer team of ByKolles Racing Team, driving the ENSO CLM P1/01-Nismo. Audi departed the sport after last year’s race, and this year is something of a skeleton crew in LMP1.

In 2018, the field is expected to be filled with more privateer teams. But the weakened field doesn’t diminish the important of a trophy for the teams competing in LMP1 and on down. It’s still a big deal, and it should be an exciting 24 hours.

Below is the full schedule and all you need to watch this year’s action.