LeBron at Le Mans: NBA star to kick off centenary race

Le Mans is one of the most storied races in motorsport. It's an endurance race, which means the winner isn't the car that crosses the finish line first; instead, it's the car that puts in the most distance once 24 hours have elapsed. Teams and drivers must solve for consistency, comfort and technical excellence to prevent their cars -- and their concentration -- from breaking over the course of the day.

But endurance races aren't simply about lasting until the end. The cars at Le Mans will still reach speeds of over 200 mph as they push through a 2.6-mile loop that takes place partially on public roads. That's the beauty of endurance races; you get all the speed and danger of traditional motorsport with the additional challenge of long-term performance.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the crown jewel of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), a global motorsport competition focused on long-distance driving. James' appearance at Le Mans is a big boost for the WEC and should bring plenty of attention to the competition.

Several drivers, including Brendan Hartley and Kamui Kobayashi, are familiar former F1 stars, and many current F1 drivers laud the WEC as their favorite racing series. Verstappen and Fernando Alonso have expressed interest in joining the WEC once their F1 careers are over.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans will kick off with James on Saturday afternoon. It will run straight through the night and finish midday on Sunday, with the winner likely covering more than 3,000 miles of racing in between.