It’s April 13, 2023—and while MotoGP is touching down in Austin at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend, there’s another big international motorcycle racing event happening at the same time. Halfway around the globe, the FIM Endurance World Championship is about to kick off its 2023 season with the first round of the year, the 24 Heures Motos at the legendary Le Mans circuit in France.
The 2023 edition of the 24 Heures Motos race takes place at the Circuit Bugatti from April 13 through 16. Fans are expected to ride out in droves, both from all over France and also internationally. Many riders will, of course, want to ride their bikes to and from the event. If you’re one of them, then you’ll be pleased to know that riders traveling via French highways to and from Le Mans won’t have to pay tolls this weekend.
This is the 46th edition of the 24 Heures Motos in 2023, and it regularly attracts tens of thousands of riders to witness one of the highlights of the annual EWC calendar, and of international motorcycle racing in general. In the interest of encouraging riders to use the motorways, Vinci Autoroutes is offering free tolls for all motorbikes that use certain motorways during the 24 Heures Motos weekend.
From Friday, April 14, 2023, at 10 a.m. until Monday, April 17, 2023, at 10 a.m., all drivers of motorcycles, scooters, three-wheelers, trikes, sidecars, and even quads can skip paying tolls on specific French motorways. There will be specific markings directing these riders to the rightmost toll lane for the duration, so be sure to follow those to keep things flowing smoothly on your journey.
Please note, the free tolls don’t apply to all motorways; only specific motorways that go to and from Le Mans. Here are the specifics of what’s included:
- A11: between Saint-Arnoult and Le Mans; between Angers and Le Mans; between Angers and Nantes
- A81: between Le Mans and La Gravelle (Vitré)
- A85: between Angers and Restigné
- A28: between Saint-Christophe sur-le-Nais and Le Mans; between Alençon and Le Mans
It’s not clear whether any similar toll-free weekends will be extended for the remaining French EWC rounds in 2023. The 24H Spa EWC Motos will take place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps from June 16 through 18, while the Bol d’Or will take place at the Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet from September 14 through 17. In any case, if you’re attending any racing event this weekend (at Le Mans or otherwise), we hope you have a most excellent time.
