The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, race of the year. Teams of various classes put their cars and drivers to the test, pushing both to be at peak performance throughout a grueling day’s worth of motorsport. With the 2015 race taking place this weekend, Porsche has released We Are Racers, a mini-documentary following its teams as they prepare for the big day.
In partnership with Michelin, the 25-minute documentary follows drivers like Mark Webber through the first rounds of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship. The documentary gives the audience loads of insight as to how the historic race looks from the inside. While there is testimony from mechanics and engineers, the focus is clearly on the mindset of the drivers, each of whom has their own relationship with the race.
The documentary manages this by giving the drivers a single voice by way of the prevailing narration. While they each get to speak for themselves, the voiceover sets up backstory and context from a first-person perspective before moving on. So while each driver has different goals and approaches, the narration highlights that drivers are ultimately there to win.
Much like the 2008 documentary Truth in 24 which followed Audi, We Are Racers is a great way to familiarize people with Porsche and those behind the wheel of its 919 Hybrid LMP1 race car. Directed by Jérôme Raynaud and produced by a French production company, there are a few non-English segments which require a click of Youtube’s closed-captioning button.
For anyone who may be unfamiliar with the 24-hour race, this is a great jumping-off point. It’s highly dramatized, and while some of the particulars of the sport may get glossed over, its length and energy are just enough to get viewers pumped to see more. And if more is what you find yourself wanting, we recommend you follow up with Truth In 24, which is free to download from iTunes. Some of the players may have changed since then, but the name of the game remains: race, endure, win.
The 2015 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicks off at 8:30 ET this Saturday, June 13th. Fox will have live coverage of the race throughout its various channels and apps, a list of which is available here.
