The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous endurance auto race, has been postponed until November due to coronavirus

ACO

• The famed 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in France has been rescheduled to November from June, as the coronavirus outbreak in Europe has intensified.
• With just two interruptions in the 1930s and 1940s, the race has been run since 1923.
• The race was featured in the 2019 Oscar-winning film "Ford vs. Ferrari," about the 1966 contest.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you saw "Ford vs. Ferrari," you know about the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 2019 film featured the 1966 race and Ford's epic 1-2-3 victory. The endurance race has been held in France since 1923, with an interruption in 1936 and ten-year-break after 1939 during World War II.

On Wednesday, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest announced said that it would reschedule the race to November 18-19 from June 13-14, as the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak worsens in Europe and has forced France into a shutdown mode.

"Postponing the 24 Hours of Le Mans from the original dates in June is now the most appropriate way forward in the current exceptional circumstances," Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, said in a statement.

"First and foremost, I urge everyone to avoid putting themselves, their loved ones and others at risk. The most important thing today is to curtail the spread of this virus. Our thoughts go out to medical staff working relentlessly for the sake of us all."

Fox

Matt Damon and Christian Bale in the film "Ford vs. Ferrari."

The decision will ripple through the 2020 racing season, including the Féderation Internationale Automobile (FIA) and the World Endurance Championship. (Formula 1 has already cancelled its season-opener in Australia and postponed other races.)

"The postponement of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will affect the FIA WEC calendars; the revised dates will be communicated shortly," the ACO said.

"The European Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup and Ligier European Series Calendars will also be updated. All this information will be released in due course as will the exact schedule for the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans."

NOW WATCH: 'Ford v Ferrari' won 2 Oscars for film editing and sound editing. Here's the real story behind the movie and how Ford changed racing history.