The Observer

"It doesn't matter who you are racing for, this is the one you focus on," says Allan McNish. "The other races, whether we like to admit it or not, are only to get between Le Mans each year."

Yes, the 24 Hours at the 8.3-mile Circuit de la Sarthe still means as much as it has always done: to the thousands of fans who make the annual pilgrimage, to the world's car manufacturers, to the teams and mechanics who take on the daunting challenge of Le Mans - and yes, to many of the world's greatest racing drivers.

That's why Jacques Villeneuve is happy to be in France this weekend. He knows what victory at Le Mans would mean. When you've won the Indy 500, 11 Grands Prix and a Formula One World Championship, victory in the world's greatest and most famous sportcar race completes the set.

Villeneuve will be one of the big stories of the race this year, whatever happens. Sadly, it's not often these days that a former F1 world champion chooses to take on Le Mans. Keke Rosberg and Nelson Piquet were the last, and they're not exactly recent world champions.

Damien Smith and Jacques Villeneuve © LAT

We shouldn't be surprised, of course. The emphasis on F1 these days is greater than ever before, and the top echelon of the sport continues to drift further away from the other motorsport categories - at least in terms of perceptions. That's a shame.

Le Mans is also considered by some as an anachronism: too dangerous, too risky. Michael Schumacher raced there with Mercedes before his F1 career took off - but you'd never get him back there now.

Of course, it is true, Le Mans is risky - but not just because it's dangerous. Quick racing drivers should be fast in anything, but if you've proved yourself at the highest level, why step into unknown territory and risk being shown up? If you're an F1 champion and you fail to set the place alight when you go to Le Mans, you're an easy target. Who needs it?

That's why Villeneuve should be admired for joining Peugeot for this year's race. He doesn't have to do this, but he is comfortable and confident enough in himself not to be put off by the risks to his reputation if he doesn't star at Le Mans. He's doing it because it's a big race - and because he wants to have some fun.

At the Test Day a couple of weeks ago, Villeneuve gained his first experience of the track and naturally, everyone was intrigued to see how he got on.

He played himself in and was over four seconds off the pace of teammate and ultimate pacesetter Sebastien Bourdais. Hardly a star performance.

Then again, should we really have expected anything more? The challenge of lapping Le Mans for the first time should not be underestimated. Yes, he's a world champion, but the big corners at La Sarthe, the huge entry speeds, the unfamiliar surroundings of a prototype, and the massive speed differentials between the fastest and slowest cars all probably add up to, well, about four seconds around a circuit of this length on your first day in the cockpit.

And it's not like there is a shortage of big talents at Le Mans, even if there are few GP winners in the field. There are seriously quick guys in every one of the four classes.

So it was actually a respectable performance from Jacques at the test - nothing more, nothing less. Let's reserve further judgement until after the race.

But I'm glad he's there this year, whatever the outcome. Good on him.

Frank Biela, Audi R10 TDI © LAT

I missed last year's race, so I'm particularly excited about heading down to Le Mans this year. It's teed up to be a cracking race.

The battle for overall victory is likely to be won by Audi's R10 turbo-diesel. No surprise there. But they will at least be made to work for it this time.

The new Peugeot oil-burning coupe has proven race-winning pace. Its team of star drivers will push the Audis hard, and might even lead them in the early hours.

But to expect the pair of 908s to keep up that pace for the entire distance is surely too much. Manufacturers approach Le Mans as a three-year project, minimum. To pitch up and win first time out with a new car can be done, but it's a monumental achievement to carry it off.

Peugeot are right to dampen expectations - but there is real confidence in their camp that they will at least carry the fight to the Audis in their first year back. It's going to be fascinating.

The same is true of the class battles. The 'baby' prototype LMP2 cars have traditionally struggled for reliability in the past, and the races have been about attrition rather than ultimate pace. These are customer cars built and sold to privateer teams - but the standard of preparation is improving.

Six constructors line up in LMP2, highlighting just how competitive this brand of sportscar racing is. The two Barazi Epsilon Zyteks, boasting talents such as Adrian Fernandez, Michael Vergers and Robbie Kerr, are the pre-race favourites. But you can never discount RML's Lola and 1988 race winner Andy Wallace.

It might still be a race of attrition this year - but it could still be very close.

So the prototype entry is strong - and the GT field is even better. GT1 is poised yet again for a duel between the green Aston Martins and the yellow Chevy Corvettes. The American muscle cars always last the distance - that's why they keep on winning at Le Mans - but could this finally be the year for the British cars?

Well, if they are to win, they won't just have the 'Vettes to beat. The Saleen S7R has been around for a long time, but it has probably never been as competitive as it could be this year. That's because crack French squad ORECA have prepared the cars.

Hugues de Chaunac carries massive respect in sportscar circles, and if any team can make the most of the Saleen, it's ORECA. One of the cars boasts a very promising line-up: former Le Mans winner Stephane Ortelli, fiery Frenchman Soheil Ayari, and GP2 ace Nicolas Lapierre. They have a great chance to mix it with the Astons and the Chevys.

LNT Panoz Esperante GTLM © LAT

Finally, there is GT2: Porsche versus Ferrari. What could be better than that?

Four 911 GT3-RSRs will take on five 430 GTs - and this class is wide open.

At the Sebring 12 Hours in March, the Risi Ferrari of Jaime Melo defeated Jorg Bergmeister's Flying Lizard Porsche in a thrilling last-lap shoot-out, the order only being decided on the run out of the final corner. Expect the battle to be just as intense at Le Mans.

Last year the British LNT team pulled off a surprise by giving Panoz their first Le Mans win in this class. Two of the orange cars are back this year, and if they've done it once, why not do it again?

Then there are the cameo roles to look out for. Red Bull F1 design guru Adrian Newey has joined AF Corse to make his Le Mans 24 Hours debut in one of the Ferrari 430 GTs. The last time he raced at Le Mans was just one year ago, when he took his Essex Wire Ford GT40 to the Classic event - and destroyed it in a huge accident! Better luck this time, Adrian.

There's so much to look forward to, but it goes way beyond the quality of the entry. Le Mans is more than just a race, it's an experience - for everyone who attends in whatever capacity.

They keep changing things at the track, and at the test day, I was shocked at how different it looked since my last visit. But there is still enough of Le Mans as it has always been to keep the magic.

The exit from Arnage has been widened, but this section of track is essentially as it has always been. The run into Indianapolis is as super-quick and challenging as ever, as is the wonderful section that leads up to and through the Porsche Curves. At the test, the grass on the spectator banking here was up to my chest and I found myself watching from an overgrown wilderness. I assume they will have cut the grass in time for this weekend!

What left me a little shocked and slightly disappointed is the changes to Tertre Rouge. The corner itself is now better for the drivers. It's been opened up slightly and is now taken in a higher gear by the prototypes. The big bump on the entry is gone, too, but it remains a challenging big-balls corner.

And if you get it wrong under braking, don't try and cut the corner. Four inch-deep grooves cut into the asphalt, each a couple of feet wide, will severely punish mistakes. Identical grooves have been place on the exit of the corner, too, so running wide is not a good idea either. They'll destroy the suspension and tyres of any car.

The reprofiled Terte Rouge corner © LAT

That's a bit extreme - surely the ACO could punish corner-cutting with stop-go penalties rather than car-breaking grooves. But what really took me by surprise is the changes to the spectator areas.

A huge earth and concrete bank has created a lot more space for spectators stretching from the Esses down the inside all the way to Tertre Rouge.

Trees have been uprooted and the old and endearing allotments behind the corner have gone. Standing at the corner, you can now see all the way up to the Dunlop Bridge, while the tops of the pit straight buildings and grandstands are clearly visible. There's also more room for fans on the outside of this stretch, too.

It's called progress. Nothing stays the same forever. I accept that, but I can't help but feel nostalgic for how the section of track from the Dunlop bridge to Tertre Rouge used to be. Personally, I reckon it's a shame to sacrifice even a little bit of Le Mans magic in the name of progress.

But just as we adapted to accept the Mulsanne with chicanes, so we will adapt in time to these developments. And it is certainly an improvement for spectator access. So I'll put the rose-tinted specs away.

Le Mans remains special, it remains a huge challenge, and it remains a world-class race. Jacques Villeneuve is in for one hell of a ride.