Le Mans, this enchanting historic town just South East of Paris turns into "racing heaven" for motor racing enthusiasts from all over the world mid-June. The 24hours of Le Mans will kick off on June 17th this year and we'll be there once again to enjoy the spectacle.

One thing the organisation has done well the last few years is the "Women's pavilion"; not just a sanctuary for that much needed rest and manicure amidst the racing fuel and long walks, but more importantly the emphasis it places on the history of women at the Le Mans 24h. A few facts from the Le Mans website:

Odetta Siko holds the title for the best overall result for a female driver, achieved in 1932.

Vanina Ickx is the last woman to have finished in the top 10 overall at the 24 Hours, with seventh place in 2011 at the wheel of a Lola-Aston Martin coupe (LM P1 class).

Le Mans native Anny-Charlotte Verney holds the record for the most participations by a female driver at the 24 Hours (between 1974 and 1983).

Odette Siko _circa 1932. Image via here.

Anny-Charlotte Verney. Image via Motorsport Sisterhood.

In 2015 we met Vanina Ickx briefly. Photo from own collection with Inge and Vanina.

I love my Louboutin's, but there are times they need to be swapped for a pair of sneakers, and the 24h of Le Mans is one of those times. This weekend, on June 13th and 14th, Audi, Porsche, Nissan, Toyota and many others will once again take to the Sarthe track in Le Mans for the 83rd annual endurance challenge - and we will be there to cheering them on.

You might think that an endurance race is not something for women - however, this is more than a car race, there is history here and this year for the first time the ACO (l'Automobile Club de l'Ouest) has created a space during the Le Mans 24h entirely devoted to women and the motor car, but above all this is France and that is always lovely. So we've packed the umbrellas, our national flags and our camera's and look forward to starting our journey to Le Mans tomorrow.

A vintage poster from the 1954 24h Race. Love that car. Image via here.

“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough”

— Marion Andretti