Mulsanne Straight

Since 1990, the straight is interrupted by two chicanes, with the last section (that includes a slight right turn known as the "Kink") leading to a sharp corner near the village of Mulsanne.

[1] When races are not taking place, the Mulsanne Straight is part of the national road system of France.

[2] During the 1911 Grand Prix season, the Grand Prix de France used an early version of the Circuit de la Sarthe, which was 54 km in length, and used a longer version of the current straight, running from Ave George Durand at Le Tertre Rouge, to Écommoy, before heading towards Saint-Mars-d'Outillé, Les Jouanneries and Parigné-l'Évêque.

Jean-Louis Lafosse was killed in 1981, and Jo Gartner in 1986; in 1984 a French track marshal was killed in an accident at the Kink involving the two Aston Martin Nimrod NRA/C2s of British driver John Sheldon and his American teammate Drake Olson.

The 6km (3.7 mi) Mulsanne Straight caused tyre and engine failures, as cars reached over 320km/h (200mph) before braking hard for the sharp right turn at its end.

The highest speed on the Straight since 1990 was achieved by a Nissan R90CK driven by Mark Blundell, which reached 366 km/h (226.9 mph) during qualifying when the twin-turbo system's wastegate was stuck shut, leading the engine to produce well over its regular output of 800 bhp.