OSFlanker
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From the BBC :The legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race takes place in France this weekend with this year's event promising to be the most open for years.German marque Audi has won every year since 2000, with the exception of Bentley's one-off win in 2003. But new rules have restricted the pace of its cars and they face a challenge from several quarters.French teams Pescarolo and Courage were fast in pre-event testing, with Italy's Dallara and Japan's Dome also fancied. This year's race will be particularly poignant as it marks the 50th anniversary of the worst crash in motor racing history.Seventy-seven people were killed at Le Mans in 1955 when the Mercedes of Pierre Levegh flew into the crowd after a collision with another car. The crash sent shockwaves around the world, and led Mercedes to withdraw from the sport for more than 30 years.Motor racing safety has progressed enormously since then, but Le Mans' character ensures it remains a unique test.The race is run on an 8.5-mile circuit of ordinary roads to the south-west of Paris. The track has a series of demanding corners and sections, none more daunting than the famous Mulsanne straight, where cars reach more than 200mph for extended periods. German manufacturer Audi is not running an official team this year, having pulled out of sportscar racing in 2002. The company is returning with an all-new car in 2006, but its venerable and ultra-successful R8 car remains a contender for victory this year.The R8 won last year in the hands of a privateer Japanese team, and both of this year's teams - Champion and Oreca - must be considered potential winners. Champion, though, have by far the more impressive driver line-up - much of it a carry-over from the days of the Audi factory team. Their drivers have accumulated 14 wins from their 39 Le Mans combined race starts. Dane Tom Kristensen shares the all-time record of six career victories at La Sarthe with Belgian legend Jacky Ickx. Kristensen, who won in 1997 and from 2000-04, is partnered by Finnish ex-Grand Prix driver JJ Lehto of Finland won in 1995, and German Marco Werner, who has finished on the podium twice in the past two years.In the other car, Scot Allan McNish, winner in 1999, is team-mate to Germany's Frank Biela and Italian Emanuele Pirro, who shared the winning Audi from 2000-2. But the Audis are afflicted this year by rule changes demanding they weigh 50kg more than their rivals, while their engine power is limited by an air restrictor. And they were not the fastest cars in pre-event testing - an honour that went to French team Pescarolo. Run by four-time Le Mans winner Henri Pescarolo, the outfit also has an impressive driver line-up, all of them Frenchmen.Former Grand Prix drivers Jean-Christophe Boullion and Erik Comas are partnered with Emmanuel Collard in one car. Former winner Eric Helary is joined by Soheil Ayari and world rally champion Sebastien Loeb in the other.But the race is not all about the overall winner, and much attention will be focused on the battle between famous marques Aston Martin and Corvette in the GT1 category for modified road cars.Aston Martin are racing at Le Mans for the first time since 1989 and their DB9 car has already proved a winner this year, beating Corvette in the classic Sebring 12 Hours race in America.But Corvette have a new car, the C6.R, and an equally impressive driver line-up, including last year's GT1 class winners Briton Oliver Gavin, Danish ex-Formula One driver Jan Magnussen and Monegasque Olivier Beretta.
