Some events are so vast in scale that they redefine what we expect from event lighting. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of them: a full day of racing, hundreds of thousands of spectators, and an electric atmosphere that shifts from daytime fervour to nocturnal magic. This year again, lighting played a central role in crafting an unforgettable experience, and the Baracca 360 WET was the fixture of choice to rise to that challenge. 

What Is the Starway Baracca 360 WET?

The Baracca 360 WET is a professional outdoor LED Laser beam manufactured by Starway, a French specialist in stage and event lighting. It is a versatile fixture built specifically for outdoor use, rated IP65, meaning it is fully dust-tight and protected against direct water jets.

Key specifications:

• Light source: High-power LED Laser (260W, 190 000 lux@20m)
• IP rating: IP65 (outdoor use, no additional housing required)
• Operating modes: Beam, effects (gobos, prisms, strobe)
• Movement: Infinite pan and tilt rotation
• Colour mixing: CMY + colour wheel for a complete chromatic range
• Protocol: DMX512 / ArtNet / sACN, compatible with standard and advanced lighting consoles

It is precisely this combination of robustness and versatility that makes it a reference choice for large-scale outdoor events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Why Choose an IP65 Fixture for a 24-Hour Outdoor Event?

An IP65 rating guarantees two things that are non-negotiable for a long-duration outdoor event:

1. Full dust protection, essential on a motorsport circuit where fine particles are constantly in the air.
2. Water jet resistance, critical for surviving an entire night without risk of condensation, rain, or humidity damage.

At an event like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where no technical downtime is possible between sunset and sunrise, a fixture without IP65 certification is a serious operational liability. The Baracca 360 WET eliminates that risk by design.

An Exceptional Venue for an Exceptional Fixture

The 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit spans over 13 km of tarmac, with vast hospitality zones, entertainment stages, VIP areas, and brand villages that transform, as night falls, into fully-fledged live event spaces. Delivering a coherent, immersive, and technically flawless atmosphere across such a footprint, outdoors, around the clock, in any weather, is a challenge only top-tier professional equipment can meet.

That is precisely where the Baracca 360 WET steps in.

The Baracca 360 WET: Power, Versatility, Resilience

On the lighting performance side, the Baracca 360 WET leaves nothing to chance:

• High-power LED Laser source for volumetric beam effects of spectacular intensity, even against the ambient lighting of a motorsport circuit.
• Continuous 360° pan and tilt for fluid, fast movements perfectly synchronised with the event's dramatic moments.
• Wide colour palette via CMY + colour wheel mixing, enabling instant shifts from a clean cold white to warm, festive hues as the programme unfolds.
• Onboard gobos, prism, and effects to structure spaces, highlight temporary brand architectures, and create strong visual moments during ceremonies and podium presentations.

How Is the Baracca 360 WET Used at an Event Like the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

At Le Mans, lighting has to tell several stories at once. The Baracca 360 WET adapts to each context seamlessly:

Hospitality zones and VIP areas, In beam mode, it fires sharp columns of light that cut through the night, creating a dramatic atmosphere for brand receptions and partner lounges.

Entertainment stages and live shows, Its powerful beam punches through the circuit's ambient lighting, energising DJ sets and live performances in the paddock until dawn.

Ceremonies and podiums, In effects mode, it drives key moments with precisely choreographed sequences, without overwhelming the image or saturating broadcast cameras.

On-site wayfinding, Thanks to its throw distance and infinite rotation, it also serves as visual signage, guiding spectator flows between the circuit's different zones.

Night: the Baracca 360 WET's Natural Playground

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a daytime race, but above all, it is a night race. It is in the dark that the competition takes on a different dimension, and where event lighting becomes a language in its own right.

The Baracca 360 WET is built for the night. Its source delivers a beam of precision and purity that allows for nuanced atmospheres, far removed from the flat output of entry-level fixtures. Colour transitions are smooth, movements are accurate, and reliability over time, 24 consecutive hours, to be precise, has never once been in question.

A Partnership, a Lighting Signature

Choosing the Baracca 360 WET for the 24 Hours of Le Mans also sends a clear signal: a shared commitment to excellence between the organiser, brand partners, and technical suppliers. In a world where image matters as much as performance, lighting is not a production afterthought, it is a strategic component of the brand experience.

With the Baracca 360 WET, Starway delivers exactly that: a professional tool that lets technical teams focus entirely on creativity and emotion, without ever worrying about equipment reliability.

Behind the Scenes: What Technical Teams Take Away

Lighting directors and technical managers who deployed the Baracca 360 WET at this event consistently highlight the same points:

Straightforward integration. Despite its extended capabilities, the Baracca 360 WET slots naturally into any existing fixture inventory. Its intuitive feature set allows teams to build complex shows quickly.

Uncompromising durability. The IP65 rating is not marketing copy: the fixture made it through the circuit's damp night without a single alert, without condensation, without failure.

Output-to-footprint ratio. At an event where storage and deployment space is always at a premium, the Baracca 360 WET's compact form factor relative to its light output is a decisive advantage.

The Night Belongs to Those Who Master It

The 24 Hours of Le Mans never stops. The race runs on, pit crews work through the night, spectators keep watch, brands stay on show. And in this extraordinary window outside normal time, light is what gives the event its rhythm, its emotion, its drama.

The Baracca 360 WET  by Starway has established itself as a technical partner equal to those ambitions. Robust, versatile, powerful, a fixture that, much like the cars pushing flat-out on the circuit, is built to run 24 hours and impress at every moment.

FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions About the Baracca 360 WET

Can the Baracca 360 WET run for 24 hours straight? Yes. Designed for professional long-duration event applications, the Baracca 360 WET is rated for continuous operation. Its thermal management system and LED Laser source are engineered to handle intensive use cycles without any degradation in performance.

What is the difference between the Baracca 360 and the Baracca 360 WET? The WET version is the outdoor variant of the Baracca 360, upgraded with an IP65 certification that allows it to be used outside without any additional weatherproof housing. The standard version is intended for indoor or semi-covered environments.

Is the Baracca 360 WET compatible with all lighting consoles? Yes. It operates on DMX512, ArtNet, and sACN protocols, making it compatible with all professional consoles on the market, including MA Lighting, Avolites, ChamSys, and others.

What types of outdoor events is the Baracca 360 WET suited to? Music festivals, sporting events, opening ceremonies, outdoor product launches, gala evenings under marquee or open sky, architectural illumination, any context requiring a high-performance, reliable, weather-resistant beam fixture.

Where can I buy or hire the Baracca 360 WET? The Baracca 360 WET is available through authorised Starway dealers. For rental, it is listed in the catalogues of leading professional event lighting suppliers in France and internationally.