The 76th Le Mans 24 Hours

The engines have fired up on the grid.

The Tokai University Courage has also been sent to the back of the grid after a recent change of the gearbox.

The grid is clearing and the three minute signal is given. The cars are alone on the track - a wonderful sight.

The atmosphere is building on the grid as the sun beats down on the pack of cars.

Stefan Mucke will be starting in the No.10 Lola Aston Martin.
Frank Biela to start in the No.1 Audi.
Lucas Luhr to start in the No.3 Audi.

Allan Mcnish will be the driver to start in the No.2 Audi this afternoon.

Radio Le Mans report that the No.76 IMSA Porsche has been sent to the back of the grid by the organisers. Driver Patrick Long didn't know precisely why the car had been demoted from its hard-won class pole.

The cars have left the pitlane and made their way onto the grid. Around the circuit some 250,000 spectators are present, along with a worldwide television audience of millions ahead of the great race.

A pleasant reminder of the past graced the track this morning after the conclusion of the warm-up, as the Group C support race took place. Childhood memories of Le Mans were brought back into focus, with Silk Cut Jaguars, all-silver Sauber Mercedes, Nissans and Porsche 962Cs racing hard again at this classic circuit.

Once again we could enjoy the evocative sight of the Jaguar XJR12, with its shrouded rear wheels and distinctive Silk Cut livery, leading and indeed winning the race, in the hands of Justin Law.

The track is now handed back to the 2008 entrants, already formed up on the grid, with the race just 25 minutes away.

The weather could play a big part in the development of the race as we go through the 24 hours. We start with mainly cloudy skies and sunny intervals. It should remain dry through the rest of the daylight hours, with a maximum temperature of 19 degrees Celsuis.

Through the early part of the night the temperature will dip as low as 11 degrees Celsius, with a threat of rain coming in from the west just before dawn. Showers are expected through the final hours of the race.

Just a few hours ago the cars took to the track for the final 45 minute warm-up session ahead of the race. Overcast conditions greeted the teams but soon the sun came out, warming the chill morning air and the track.

Noteworthy stories this morning included the No.20 Epsilon Euskadi car, which didn't run, as the team were waiting for the delivery of a fresh Judd engine. The new unit was expected to arrive shortly after the completion of the session, and be fitted ahead of the race.

A large crowd gathered outside the Audi no. 3 pit, as the mechanics took the engine cover off and were seen to be making a rollbar adjustment. Press and photographers were swarming round the car as the changes were made.

The No.14 Creation AIM had trouble with the starter motor this morning, but eventually got out onto the track near the end of the session. This was the car that Stuart Hall crashed heavily on Thursday in qualification. Hall is said to be sore after the accident, but has been passed fit to race by the medics, and cleared to race by the ACO despite not setting a time in the dark in qualifying.

Up front, it was another Peugeot one-two-three, with the No.9 car setting the pace with 3:20.332. The No.8 and No.7 cars were second and third – two seconds adrift. Then came the three Audis in positions four, five and six running in the 3:23 – 3:25 bracket.

Audi driver Allan McNish told Radio Le Mans after the session that: "It was race pace from us, we don't know about them." Meantime the Peugeot stable were busy polishing their beautifully crafted machines ahead of the race.

The No.11 Dome-Judd was once again best of the rest on a 3:33.118, and the all-Japanese outfit are set for a terrific battle with the Pescarolo and Charouz machines in the race for petrol-powered honours.

Peugeot set the pace in warm-up

Pole-sitters Stephane Sarrazin, Nicolas Minassian, Alex Wurz

The fourth and final period of qualifying began fifteen minutes early in an effort to compensate teams for the stoppages earlier in the day. With darkness approaching, the conditions were ideal for some quick lap times and a number of grid positions changed hands over the first half hour.

Stefan Mucke in the petrol-powered Lola Aston Martin stole the show with a string of sensational laps to put the Cahrouz car up to fifth on the grid, ahead of the No.1 diesel Audi.

Last year’s winning combination of Biela, Pirro and Werner took to the track late in the session to try and restore the Audis in fourth to sixth, but the runs in full darkness right at the flag were just a tenth shy of the Lola Aston, giving the petrol car sixth and the leaving the No.1 as the slowest of the diesels in seventh. Daisuke Ito was also on form in the factory Dome, moving it up to eighth quickest.

The No.63 Corvette secured the GT1 pole in a lap of 3:47.668, with the Saleen driven by Bouchut splitting the factory Chevrolets.

The GT2 Porsches also came alive in the opening minutes of the final period, with Patrick Long in the IMSA No.76 setting a rapid 3:58.152 for class honours, ahead of the No.77 Porsche.

After darkeness fell, much of the session was used to test race performance. The Audis lapped around the 3:25 mark, almost on par with the Peugeot pace before Nicolas Minassian further hinted at the French manufacturer's speed with pace up to 3:21 by the end of the session.

In the end, there were no challenges to Sarrazin's stunning 3:18 from Wednesday and the No.8 Peugeot leads a trio of the French cars off the front of the grid this afternoon.

Peugeot claim 1-2-3 on the grid

Stuart Hall's Creation AIM

On Thursday, the second day of qualifying began with damp track conditions after some afternoon showers. The surface soon dried out and teams were able to set competitive laptimes.

Good news came in the form of the No.16 Pescarolo Sport entry, which had been fixed up and was ready to run following Romain Dumas' crash the previous evening.

Just seven minutes into the session, the No.5 Courage driven at the time by Laurent Groppi made light rearward contact with the barriers. The red flags were displayed while the LMP1 car was recovered and the armco was beaten back into place. The session resumed after a 23 minute delay.

For a further hour the entrants continued lapping, but with around half-an-hour remaining Ricardo Zonta caused consternation as he crashed exiting the Porsche curves. There was extensive damage to the No.9 Peugeot 908.

Two further incidents around the circuit meant that the race director had no choice but to show the red flag for the second time. These included a heavy shunt for Stuart Hall who was at the wheel of the No. 14 Creation AIM, having gone off approaching Tetre Rouge, doing serious damage to the car.

Race control quickly stated that the session would not resume, and with virtually no grid changes and only 68 minutes running the early evening portion of second qualifying was over.

Sarrazin fastest again for Peugeot

Hideki Noda's No.44 Kruse Lola

The second half of Wednesday's qualifying was largely dedicated to the task of giving each driver the requisite three laps of running in the dark. The Peugeot times held firm at the top of the timesheet and there were only a few changes throughout the field.

Two huge accidents dominated the period and resulted in lengthy spells under the red flag.

Romain Dumas lost control of the No.16 Pescarolo Judd after encountering oil dropped by the Modena Aston Martin in the Porsche Curves. The Frenchman was unhurt, but the car took heavy damage and had to be rebuilt ahead of Thursday’s session.

Late in the period, a horrifying aerial crash for Hideki Noda brought the session to a premature end. The Lola-Mazda spun exiting the first corner and became airbourne when it encountered the gravel trap, rolling violently before coming to rest the right way up. Noda escaped without injury and the car has since been repaired for the race.

Peugeot keep control in qualifying

Team Peugeot Total displayed total Peugeot dominance in the opening qualifying session held on Wednesday evening. Under clear skies, the French stable hit the ground running. Alex Wurz in the No.8 908 HDi machine signaled early intent, posting a 3:23.954 on just his second timed lap.

Stephane Sarrazin was the star of the show however – after a driver change the Frenchman went out in the same car and lowered the bar to 3:20.099, then to a sensational 3:18.513 on the 8.48 mile circuit.

The three Peugeots completely controlled the opening session, taking the first three places, with the Audis languishing behind in comparison.

Sarrazin sets blinding pace for Peugeot

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Motor racing series across the globe have their own special events. When you think of NASCAR you visualize Daytona, in Formula One it is Monaco, Indycar racing has the Indy 500. Today, none of those series or locations are the focus of the world's attention.

One town in north-west France and an 8.48 mile ribbon of ultra-fast tarmac is the centre of the world for motor racing enthusiasts everywhere this weekend. For decades the world's greatest drivers have competed against all the odds in a race only eligible for the best in the business. That race, is the Le Mans 24 hours.

For the next 26 hours autosport.com will bring you all the news, results, interviews and full live commentary from the most prestigious sportscar race on the planet. Months of preparation from race teams come together in this one race. Dreams will be shattered and champions will be crowned in one of the toughest tests of automotive engineering.

We are set for a tough, competitive race. The battle of the diesels has captured the attention of many as Audi face off against Peugeot in the battle for outright victory in LMP1. LMP2 sees Porsche, Lola, Zytek and the lone Radical racing for class honours.

Perhaps the most mouth-watering prospect among the true sportscar and GT enthusiasts will be the GT1 battle between the ever-present and stunning-looking Corvettes, racing against the Aston Martin DBR9s, with Lamborghini and the all-French Saleen for company. In GT2, Ferrari F430s outnumber the competition and are joined by the usual Porsche 997s and the Spyker C8s.

In the build-up we will review the two qualifying days, and bring you right up to date with today's warm-up session, the Group C support race and the weather.