Le Mans 2010

The French flag will drop at 3pm on 12th June, signalling the start of the 78th 24-hours of Le Mans.

LISTEN TO THE RACE LIVE WITH RADIO LEMANS

This year, 55 cars across four different racing categories are due to take the start. And unlike an F1 race which involves a two-hour sprint, punctuated by a pit stop or two, Le Mans is a much greater test of man and machine.

Le Mans is held on the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe in France. Around 85 per cent of the lap is spent at full throttle, placing great demands on the competing cars. What’s more, part of the track is made up of closed public roads, making each lap an even greater test.

Each car is shared by a minimum of three drivers. The top teams will tend to have each driver in the car for a stint of two hours, pitting once for fuel and tyres in the middle of each stint – that means that each driver will undertake the equivalent of eight F1 races in just 24 hours!

And as well as the weather, racing at night at speeds of up to 205mph, and overtaking slower cars, drivers have to battle extreme fatigue as the race unfolds.

Ahead of the event, Auto Express has spent time at a private test with the Peugeot team as it readies its cars for June’s event. We also caught up with British ace Anthony Davidson who will race with the Peugeot drivers which won the event last year.

We also have a full guide to which cars and drivers are worth looking out for as the event unfolds. Click to read about the LMP1 cars battling for the overall win, LMP2 cars fighting for top 10 finishes, GT1 supercars going for class wins and the hotly-fought GT2 class which should see some of the most dramatic racing of all.