The 77th Le Mans 24 Hours

0h15m Alexandre Premat brings the #3 Audi into the pits and is quickly wheeled into the garage. The mechanics go to work instantly checking the car.

0h14m Jan Magnussen, in #63, leads for Corvette in GT1 from the sister #64 car.

0h13m Recovery completed, and the #3 is on its way again slowly. Premat will likely bring the car into the pits for checks.

0h13m The Team Essex Porsche Spyder has the early lead in LMP2 with the Team Goh Spyder second in class.

0h12m The #3 is being pulled out of the gravel by a tractor as the Audi loses more and more time.

0h11m Up front it is #8 from #7 and #9 as Peugeot dominate the opening quarter hour.

0h11m The car is stuck in the gravel and the Frenchman is awaiting help from the marshals.

0h10m Alex Premat in the #3 Audi has gone off at Indianapolis ...

0h07m So it is Peugeot locking out the top three as McNish begins to come under pressure from the #17 Pescarolo Peugeot 908.

0h06m Allan McNish is demoted to fourth in the #1 as Alex Wurz takes third at the second chicane.

0h05m Franck Montagny leads through the first lap in the #8 as he begins to open a gap from Pedro Lamy in the #7.

0h02m The #7 dives by McNish into the second chicane to make it a Peugeot one-two on the opening lap.

0h01m The #8 leads on to the Mulsanne from McNish in the #1 Audi.

0h00m 24 hours of racing at Le Mans is underway!

Franck Montagny leads the snake in the #8 car as they head towards the pit straight for the start.

Ferrari Chairman Luca Di Montezemolo is ready to flag the start of the race.

The train of cars continues through the second chicane as the formation lap continues.

The Kolles Audi #14 may yet have to run the race with only two drivers available, because Narain Karthikeyan has dislocated his shoulder jumping over the pitwall.

Charles Zwolsman and Andre Lotterer will wait to find out if their team-mate can join them for the race.

The cars roll away for the formation lap.

The mechanics are clearing the grid, leaving the fantastic sight of 55 racing machines ready for the formation lap.

The grandstands along the pit straight are packed with fans, providing a fervent atmosphere in the warm sunshine.

Darren Turner is preparing to climb aboard the #008 Lola-Aston Martin and he will start that car.

The mechanics are making their final checks on the cars with just minutes to go before the field rolls off for a slow lap leading up to the start at the top of the hour.

The #8 Peugeot and #1 Audi stand ready for battle on the front of the grid.

The pit lane is now closed and all 55 cars are now on the grid, preparing for the start.

That minor issue for the #7 Peugeot seems to be under control.

The #7 Peugeot has been wheeled back into the garage with a minor problem. The mechanics are working quickly to fix the car so that it can be sent out again.

The atmosphere is electric in the main grandstand opposite the pits and around the circuit.

A few minutes ago, the national anthems of the competing drivers were played out on the public address system, and the roars from the crowd were amazing for the British, French and German anthems, as the spectators supporting Aston Martin, Peugeot and Audi sang their hearts out.

The start of the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours is now just 30 minutes away. Most of the field have made it back towards the dummy grid, as we build towards the start of the race.

Several drivers are choosing to pit and go around again to double check their cars ahead of the start.

A pleasant reminder of the past graced the track this morning with the legends race just a few hours ago.

The race was a wonderful reminder of Le Mans tradition, as the 61 entries were lined up diagonally next to the pit wall prior to the start. Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, Lola, MG and Austin-Healey were all represented in a supreme collection of vintage racers.

It was impossible to put a price on the exquisite machinery on display, but it was not only the cars that made the hairs rise on the back of your neck. Sir Stirling Moss was back at La Sarthe once again - this year in a little 1956 OSCA. Sir Stirling will turn 80 later this year, but was certainly not averse to mucking in and even helping the team push the car down the pitlane in practice on Thursday!

This year's event was won by Brazilian driver Carlos Monteverde, in Ferrari 250 LM, after a race-long battle with last year's winner - Justin Law in the #17 Lister Jaguar GT. The pair put on a great display of driving in the final laps.

If the main race is half as good as the legends classic then we are all in for a treat.

The cars are continuing round the circuit on their reconnaissance lap to the grid, in glorious weather conditions.

Warm up

The action at the circuit today began with the traditional 45-minute morning warm-up. Under bright and sunny conditions, the 55 cars came out onto the track for a quick run to check everything ahead of the big race.

As soon as the session opened, incidents occurred. Soheil Ayari spun at the Dunlop chicane in the #11 Oreca Matmut entry on his lap out of the pits. This was soon followed by 'The Great Dane' Tom Kristensen taking a run straight on over one of the chicanes. He toured slowly back to the pits and the #1 Audi was quickly sorted so that Allan McNish could climb aboard.

Audi's morning didn't end there however. Marco Werner in the #2 R15 attempted to pass Patrick Dempsey at the Ford Chicane ending the lap. The American driver turned in on his line and the pair made light contact. Both drivers spun but were able to continue to the pits.

Up front, the leaderboard was an all-Peugeot affair. Alex Wurz was quickest in the #9 entry with a lap time of 3m26.793. The #7 and #8 machines were around half-a-second shy of the Austrian, with Audi #3 fourth, followed in fifth by the #2 sister car. The Pescarolo Peugeot was sixth driven by Jean-Christophe Boullion with the McNish-Kristensen-Capello trio rounding out the top seven in the #1 Audi.

Peugeot sets the pace in warm-up

The field of 55 cars begins to roll away from the pits. The drivers in each of the entries will take a lap towards the grid.

The forecast for the race is for mostly dry weather. The race will start dry and quite bright with a maximum temperature of 24 degrees Celsius. There is a possibility of rain for a time later this evening as the light fades and we move into the night hours.

Any rain will clear away by the early hours of Sunday morning, leaving dry conditions for the remainder of the race. Overnight the air temperature will dip to 13 degrees, rising back up to 23 Celsius by the end of the race.

Pole for No.8

The second and final period of qualifying was - for the most part - a sedate affair, with many of the teams focusing on dry-weather race setup.

With rain affecting Wednesday's free practice, Thursday evening was the chance for the teams to tune the machines on a track surface with ever-increasing grip levels.

However, the drama was cranked up a notch when the Peugeot team set about toppling Allan McNish's pole time, which the Scotsman set right at the end of the first period.

Stephane Sarrazin ventured out in the #8 with around 20 minutes of the session remaining and immediately lit up the timing screen. He set fastest sector times on two consecutive laps, only to have them spoiled by traffic - the first by Andre Lotterer's Kolles-run Audi R10 and the second by Tom Kristensen in the #1 R15.

Sarrazin was forced to pit for a new set of tyres and it was close to midnight when he unleashed the fastest lap of the week so far, a 3m22.888s - seven tenths quicker than McNish's effort at the end of the first session.

That lap by the Frenchman sent the spectators and the public address announcer into overdrive. Audi sent the #2 car out to pinch the top spot, but it was to no avail. The German marque had turned over Peugeot in the final moments of first qualifying, and just a couple of hours later the roles were reversed.

The qualifying battle sets up the perfect scenario for the 77th running of Le Mans.

Sarrazin takes sensational pole

Audi R15

Near-perfect weather on Thursday evening allowed the 55 entrants to come out onto the track and set times in dry and clear conditions.

The ACO were set for a shock very early in the first two-hour session as times tumbled well under the 3m30s mark very quickly. Peugeot stole the early march with Franck Montagny posting 3m25.608s within the first half-hour in the #8 car.

The flying Peugeots consolidated their positions throughout the session, occupying the top three places, but in the final 20 minutes Audi made their move, first with defending champion Allan McNish in the #1 car as he moved into second place with 3m26.362s, and seconds later Mike Rockenfeller went second to the #8 Peugeot with 3m26.352s.

McNish stayed in the #1 for the final segment of the session, and crossed the line with just seven seconds remaining to start a final attempt against the clock. All eyes were on the Scotsman as he blasted round the 8.4 mile ribbon of asphalt, and the time flashed up - 3m23.650. The Audi #1 crew cheered in the garage as they snatched provisional pole from Peugeot.

The question as we headed into the break was whether Peugeot could respond and repeat their qualifying feat of 2008.

Rain on Wednesday

A new practice and qualifying structure at La Sarthe meant less testing than in previous years, and lead to concerns over the amount of track time available.

Practice took place on Wednesday evening in one, long, six-hour session, as the teams and drivers familiarised themselves with the circuit, and conducted numerous important tests such as practicing pitstops and driver changes.

The track was wet when proceedings began, following afternoon showers, but within an hour was ready for dry times to be set. Audi and Peugeot traded quick times as they whittled down their pace towards the magic 3m30s mark. But just as the practice was beginning to hot up, so the rain made another unwelcome appearance.

The remaining four hours were therefore somewhat of an anticlimax as the cars circulated on a wet track, but there were still some talking points. The most important incident for the front-runners befell David Brabham in the #9 Peugeot 908, when he toured back to the pits slowly, mid-way through the session. A broken clutch was the cause, and was repaired by the French squad before the end of practice.

The damp session and careful running by many of the teams gave the opportunity for some old friends to catch up in the pitlane, for the first time in years. Alain Prost was reunited with his old driver Olivier Panis in the Oreca Matmut pit, just as 1992 Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell appeared - three superb drivers all sharing the joy of Le Mans and recalling good times from the past.

The session concluded at midnight with the Audi #1 car at the top in 3m30.708s, followed by the #2 Audi, and then three of the four Peugeots.

Audi fastest in practice at Le Mans

AUTOSPORT Live invites you to join the fun throughout the event and post your thoughts and opinion on the 24 Hours as it unfolds.

• Do you want Peugeot, Audi or Aston Martin to take the overall victory?

• Will the race turn on one sublime stint of driving like it did last year in the night with Allan McNish taking the race by the scruff of the neck?

• Who will take the GT2 honours?

• Will Tom Kristensen make it a stunning nine victories in the 24 Hours?

Forum members can click the SHOW LIVE FORUM link in the red bar at the bottom of your browser window if you'd like to join the debate.

Le Mans 2009

The anticipation has been building for weeks to the great race and the moment is almost upon us.

Audi and Peugeot are set to serve up another classic ding-dong battle for overall supremacy in LMP1. The two manufacturers raced to the wire in a thrilling 2008 event.

Audi come to La Sarthe as defending champions, with no less than four Peugeot 908s bidding to wrest the title from their grasp. Aston Martin have moved up into the top category, making it a three-way fight with their trio of B09/60s.

In LMP2, we have the prospect of Lola and Zytek taking on the marvelous Porsche RS Spyders. The Porsche entries have qualified well and have demonstrated very good pace over one lap, but their line-up features some names who are less than familiar with the 8.4 mile circuit, and that is likely to level the playing field.

With the end of the GT1 category in sight, the field is down to six cars for the last hurrah. Corvette are aiming to win the category they lost last year with four entries, taking on the the sole Aston Martin DBR9 and Japanese Lamborghini.

In GT2, once again we see a very healthy field, as five Porsche 997 GT3s take on no less than ten Ferrari F340s, with a single entry for the Dutch Spyker and Aston Martin V8 Vantage in the mix.

The cream of the world's sportscar manufacturers are ready to race into the night once again, and many stories will be told over the next 25 hours.

Since 1923 the world's premier car makers have tested themselves in a contest of reliability, skill and speed. The very mention of 'Le Mans' conjures up images of wonderful marques such as Ferrari, Jaguar, Porsche and Aston Martin.

Early June rolls round once again and with it the 2009 running of the most prestigious motor race on the planet. Dreams will be shattered for some, and realised for others in one full day of combat on the track.

Night follows day and the stars of our world will literally dazzle all with their supreme commitment and daring, as the ultimate automotive test continues. Then, at three o'clock, the victors will take the spoils and be acclaimed across the globe as the racing car giant.

Welcome to the 77th 24 Heures du Mans.