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This year's 24 Hours of Le Mans promises to be another fantastic battle between Peugeot and Audi for the overall honours. Here, I take you through each car one-by-one and rate its chances.

Andy Blackmore's Spotters Guides are an invaluable aid to help establish which car is which throughout the race. They are available
here.

Follow me
@Frontofthegrid for the latest news and reaction throughout the week. I will be using the #LM24 hashtag.

LMP1

1. Team Peugeot Total (F) - Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
Anthony Davidson (GB) / Alex Wurz (A) / Marc Gene (E)

Davidson replaces Brabham in last year's winning car. May not be the quickest of the Peugeot lineups, or have the most Le Mans experience. All three have plenty of F1 testing mileage behind them from the last decade. 9/10

2. Team Peugeot Total (F) - Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
Stephane Sarrazin (F) / Franck Montagny (F) / Nicolas Minassian (F)

The strongest Peugeot lineup on paper, the French trio have plenty of Le Mans and 908 experience. Sarrazin can get a fourth consecutive pole position on Thursday. Staying out of trouble will be key to winning. 10/10

3. Peugeot Sport Total (F) - Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
Sebastien Bourdais (F) / Simon Pagenaud (F) / Pedro Lamy (P)

Klien is replaced in lineup by Pagenaud, who has shown immense speed in ALMS. Is lacking in Le Mans experience, but teammates have both speed and knowledge making this another contender for the win. 9/10

4. Team Oreca Matmut (F) - Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
Olivier Panis (F) / Nicolas Lapierre (F) / Loic Duval (F)

Oreca replaces Pescarolo as the French team using a 908 alongside its own chassis. Lineup may not quite be up to same standard as factory cars, but if it has a consistent race it could challenge for the win. 8/10

5. Beechdean Mansell (GB) - Ginetta-Zytek GZ09SB
Nigel Mansell (GB) / Greg Mansell (GB) / Leo Mansell (GB)

Nigel brings sons along for his first attempt at the 24 hours. Formula Renault 3.5 driver Greg should be fast, while Leo drove a Modena Ferrari last year. Will not be in battle for top petrol honours. 4/10

6. AIM Team Oreca (F) - Oreca 01-AIM
Soheil Ayari (F) / Didier Andre (F) / Andy Meyrick (GB)

Oreca runs one of its own cars alongside its Peugeot effort. Le Mans regular Ayari will lead this car's challenge to be the top petrol runner. 5/10

7. Audi Sport Team Joest (D) - Audi R15 TDI plus
Allan McNish (GB) / Tom Kristensen (DK) / Rinaldo Capello (I)

Audi returns with a heavily modified version of the car that lost to Peugeot last year. This lineup is Audi's strongest with multiple victories and lots of experience between it. 10/10

8. Audi Sport Team Joest (D) - Audi R15 TDI plus
Marcel Fassler (CH) / Andre Lotterer (D) /
Benoit Treluyer (F)

All three drivers in this lineup are new to the factory Audi team, although all have their own experience. Trying to make it through the 24 hours will be the challenge for this car, and is unlikely to challenge for the win. 8/10

9. Audi Sport Team North America (D) - Audi R15 TDI plus
Romain Dumas (F) / Timo Bernhard (D) / Mike Rockenfeller (D)

It remains to be seen how competitive this car will be. All three drivers have experience of Audi at Le Mans, so should be in the mix. Despite entry name, car is run by same German Joest operation. 9/10

11. Drayson Racing (GB) - Lola B09/60-Judd
Emanuele Pirro (I) / Jonny Cocker (GB) / Paul Drayson (GB)

Team moves into LMP1 after GT2 Aston attempt last year. Car showed good speed at Sebring in the hands of Pirro, but expect the car to be behind the leading petrol efforts. 5/10

12. Rebellion Racing (CH) - Lola B10/60-Rebellion
Neel Jani (CH) / Nicolas Prost (F) / Marco Andretti (USA)

Car has a fast lineup of single-seater starts, though they may lack experience, particularly Andretti. Along with sister car, will be the greatest threat to the Aston Martins for the petrol crown. 6/10

13. Rebellion Racing (CH) - Lola B10/60-Rebellion

Jean-Christophe Boullion (F) / Andrea Belicchi (I) / Guy Smith (GB)

This lineup has the Le Mans experience that the sister car lacks, and thus should be a greater threat over the 24 hours. 6/10

14. Kolles (D) - Audi R10 TDI
Scott Tucker (USA) / Manuel Rodrigues (F) / Christophe Bouchut (F)

A bizzare mish-mash of drivers in the first of Colin Kolles' cars. Kolles has been busy with the HRT F1 Team, who will be racing in Montreal during the Le Mans weekend. 5/10

15. Kolles (D) - Audi R10 TDI
Oliver Jarvis (GB) / Christian Bakkerud (DK) / Christijan Albers (NL)

A considerably stronger line up in the second Kolles Audi, which could mix it with the best of the petrol cars in LMP1. 6/10

19. Michael Lewis/Autocon (USA) - Lola B06/10-AER
Michael Lewis (USA) / Tony Burgess (CDN) / Bryan Willman (USA)

ALMS regulars return with ex-Chamberlain-Synergy car, with Hugh Chamberlain helping out the team during the weekend. Will struggle to stay with the rest of the LMP1 field. 2/10

007. Aston Martin Racing (GB) - Lola-Aston Martin B09/60
Harold Primat (CH) / Adrian Fernandez (MEX) / Stefan Mucke (D)

AMR maintains a presence at the 24 Hours ahead of developing its own car next year. The 007 appears to be the strongest non-diesel package and will be favourite for that unofficial 'title'. 7/10

008. Signature-Plus (F) - Lola-Aston Martin B09/60
Pierre Ragues (F) / Franck Mailleux (F) / Vanina Ickx (B)

Established F3 team race a Lola-Aston Martin for their second attempt at the 24 hours. Lacks car knowledge or driver lineup to challenge for petrol honours on speed alone. 5/10

009. Aston Martin Racing (GB) - Lola-Aston Martin B09/60
Darren Turner (GB) / Sam Hancock (GB) / Juan Barazi (DK)

AMR regular Turner will be hampered by the quality of his teammates, clearly funding their entry. Hancock's Jota operation has completed a deal to be an AMR customer, expect Barazi-Epsilon to follow suite. 6/10

LMP2

24. OAK Racing (F) - Pescarolo 01-Judd
Richard Hein (MC) / Jacques Nicolet (F) / Jean-Francois Yvon (F)

Team owner Nicolet gathers together some fellow ageing historic racers to race the first of his Pescarolos. Getting to the end will be the priority here. 5/10

25. RML (GB) - Lola B08/80-HPD
Mike Newton (GB) / Tommy Erdos (BR) / Andy Wallace (GB)

Newton and Erdos race RML prototype for 7th consecutive year. Sportscar veteran Wallace joins duo for the fourth time. Will be aiming to repeat LMP2 wins of 2005/06 having switched to HPD power. 9/10

26. Highcroft Racing (USA) - HPD ARX-01C
David Brabham (AUS) / Marino Franchitti (GBR) / Marco Werner (D)

Last year's ALMS LMP1 champion comes to Le Mans for the first time, with an all-pro lineup in amateur-heavy LMP2 class. Brabham and Werner are previous overall winners of the race. 10/10

28. Race Performance (CH) - Radical SR9-Judd
Pierre Bruneau (F) / Marc Rostan (F) / Ralph Meichtry (CH)

LMP2 regulars Bruneau and Rostan race the Radical they drove for former 'factory' squad Bruichladdich last year. Team was a late entrant following addition of 56th car. 3/10

29. Racing Box (I)
- Lola B09/80-Judd
Luca Pirri (I) / Marco Cioci (I) / Piergiuseppe Perazzini
(I)

A good team running the car, but trio of Italian gentleman drivers hampers their chances of success.
4/10

35. OAK Racing (F) - Pescarolo 01-Judd
Guillaume Moreau (F) / Jan Charouz (CZ) / Matthieu Lahaye (F)

Having Moreau and Charouz in its lineup will give the second OAK car a good chance of a podium. 7/10

37. Gerard Welter (F) WR LMP2008-Zytek
Philippe Salini (F) / Stephane Salini (F) / Tristan Gommendy (F)

Regular Le Mans entrant Welter returns, with members of Salini family which funds the team, and Gommendy, who should be fast. Reliability could be an issue. 2/10

38. Pegasus Racing (F) - Norma M200-Judd
Julien Schell (F) / Frederic da Rocha (F) / David Zollinger (F)

Team makes Le Mans debut with new car from Norma. Car is unraced before the 24 hours, making a finish an ambitious target. 2/10

39. KSM (D) - Lola B08/40-Judd
Hideki Noda (J) / Jean de Portales (F) / Jonathan Kennard (GB)

A regular at the 24 hours in recent years, KSM gained a late entry from the reserve list. Kennard gets his first crack at the race. 4/10

40. Quifel ASM Racing (P) - Ginetta-Zytek GZ09SB/2
Olivier Pla (F) / Miguel Amaral (P) / Warren Hughes (GB)

LMS and Le Mans LMP2 regular. Pla has shown himself to be a competent prototype driver, while Hughes brings experience. A podium would be a reasonable target. 8/10

41. Team Bruichladdich (GB) -
Ginetta-Zytek GZ09SB/2
Karim Ojjeh (SA) / Tim Greaves (GB) / Gary Chalandon (F)

Was previously the factory Radical team, now running Ojjeh's Zytek. Does not have the driver lineup to challenge for a podium. 5/10

42. Strakka Racing (GB) - HPD ARX-01C
Nick Leventis (GB) / Danny Watts (GB) / Jonny Kane (GB)

All British lineup may have the same car as Highcroft, but has a weak link in the driver trio in former skier and team founder Leventis. 9/10

GT1

50. Labre Competition
(F) - Saleen S7-R
Roland Berville (F) / Julian Canal (F) / Gabriele Gardel (CH)

Regular Larbre runs the tried and tested Saleen, to the new GT1 regs. Driver lineup will prevent a challenge for victory. 6/10

52. Young Driver AMR (D) - Aston Martin DBR9 
Tomas Enge (CZ) / Peter Kox (NL) / Christoffer Nygaard (DK)

FIA GT1 squad run by Fischer Racing races at Le Mans for the first time, using previous class winner DBR9. In Enge and Kox it has 2 Le Mans and Aston Martin regulars. 9/10

60. Matech Competition (CH) - Ford GT1
Thomas Mutsch (D) / Jonathan Hirschi (CH) / Romain Grosjean (CH)

Matech-Mutsch-Grosjean partnership has already yielded two victories in FIA GT1 with its own Ford GT, which relives former Le Mans glory of GT40. 8/10

61. Matech Competition (CH) - Ford GT1
Cyndie Alleman (CH) / Rahel Frey (CH) / Natacha Gachnang (CH)

Second Matech Ford has an all-Swiss, all-Female trio of drivers, who were all in single-seaters last year. Gachnang will want to put leg-breaking crash in her first drive of the car in Abu Dhabi behind her. 6/10

69. JLOC (J) - Lamborghini Murcielago R-SV
Atsushi Yogo (J) / Yutaka Yamagishi (J) / Hiroyuki Iiri (J)

Japanese Lamborghini Owners' Club has had some disastrous showings in recent years, but has upgraded to a brand new GT1 Murcielago from Reiter. 2/10

70. Marc VDS Racing Team (B) - Ford GT1
Bas Leinders (B) / Markus Palttala (FIN) / Eric de Doncker (B)

Belgian squad brings another Ford GT to the 24 hours. The team won the GT1 class at Spa recently and has been running well in FIA GT1. 7/10

72. Luc Alphand Aventures (F) - Corvette C6.R
Stephane Gregoire (F) / David Hart (NL) / Jerome Policand (F)

Alphand brings two Corvettes again, without the usual competition from the factory squad. 7/10

73. Luc Alphand Aventures (F) - Corvette C6.R
Julian Jousse (F) / Patrice Gouselard (F) / Xavier Maassen (NL)

The second Alphand car has the stronger lineup, with Maassen having shown good speed in a Corvette in recent years. 9/10

GT2

63. Corvette Racing
(USA) - Corvette C6.R
Jan Magnussen (DK) / Johnny O'Connell (USA) / Antonio Garcia (ESP)

Pratt & Miller-run team steps down to the already competitive GT2 field having been a dominant force in GT1 at Le Mans during the last decade. 9/10

64. Corvette Racing (USA) - Corvette C6.R
Oliver Gavin (GB) / Olivier Beretta (MC) / Emmanuel Collard (F)

As usual, there is not much to choose between Corvette lineups, though the two Ollies have generally had the upper-hand. Collard joins the team for the first time at Le Mans. 9/10

75. Prospeed Competition (B) - Porsche 997 GT3-RSR
Paul Van Splunteren (NL) / Niek Hommerson (NL) / Louis Machiels (B)

Prospeed were last year's FIA GT2 champions, but have unfortunately decided to sell the rides in their Porsche to paying drivers, ruling them out of contention. 3/10

76. IMSA Performance Matmut (F) - Porsche 997 GT3-RSR
Patrick Pilet (F) / Patrick Long (USA) / Raymond Narac (F)

Team will be looking to repeat its 2007 class win. Pilet and Long are both strong Porsche drivers, while team boss Narac is not too slow either. 7/10

77. Team Felbermayr-Proton (D) - Porsche 997 GT3-RSR
Marc Lieb (D) / Richard Lietz (A) / Wolf Henzler (D)

This car should lead the Porsche attack with its trio of factory drivers, with all having plenty of Le Mans experience. 9/10

78. BMW Motorsport (D) - BMW M3 GT2
Jorg Muller (D) / Augusto Farfus (BR) / Uwe Alzen (D)

BMW returns to Le Mans after an 11 year absense. Both cars have strong driver lineups, but it may be too much for the car to win here at the first attempt. 8/10

79. BMW Motorsport (D) - BMW M3 GT2
Dirk Muller (D) / Andy Priaulx (GB) / Dirk Werner (D)

Second M3 runs in a striking livery that revives the BMW Art Car concept. This lineup may be the slightly stronger of the two, Dirk Muller having driven the car since its debut in the US last year. 8/10

80. Flying Lizard Motorsports (USA) - Porsche 997 GT3-RSR
Jorg Bergmeister (D) / Darren Law (USA) / Seth Neiman (USA)

Multi-ALMS title winning Porsche squad returns for another crack at Le Mans. Bergmeister is possibly the strongest Porsche driver around, but team is hampered by team owner Neiman's ability. 7/10

81. Jaguar RSR (USA) - Jaguar XKRS
Paul Gentilozzi (USA) / Ryan Dalziel (GB) / Marc Goosens (B)

The Jaguar name returns to Le Mans. This operation has grown out of Gentilozzi's Rocketsports team, which has developed the car, which will stuggle in its 24 hour debut. 3/10

82. Risi Competitzione (USA) - Ferrari F430 GT2
Gianmaria Bruni (I) / Jaime Melo (BR) / Pierre Kaffer (D)

Risi is aiming for a third consecutive GT2 victory at Le Mans. Bruni and Melo have been team regulars in recent years, while Kaffer has shown well in an F430 in the GT Open. 9/10

83. Risi Competitzione (USA) - Ferrari F430 GT2
Tracy Krohn (USA) / Nic Jonsson (S) / Eric van de Poele (B)

As has become the norm in recent years, Risi runs its second car in the colours of Krohn Racing. All three drivers are capable of a good run. 6/10

85. Spyker Squadron(NL) - Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R
Tom Coronel (NL) / Peter Dumbreck (GB) / Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL)

The Dutch manufacturer has become a regular fixture in GT2 at Le Mans. The car may not have the raw speed to match Porsche, Ferrari etc., but has a trio of drivers capable of getting a good result. 5/10

88. Team Felbermayr-Proton (D) - Porsche 997 GT3-RSR
Horst Felbermayr Sr (A) / Horst Felbermayr Jr (A) / Miro Konopka (SK)

Second Felbermayr car, featuring Horst Sr and Jr, is unlikely to challenge the GT2 class leaders. 4/10

89. Hankook Team Farnbacher (D) - Ferrari F430 GT2
Dominik Farnbacher (D) / Allan Simonsen (DK) / Leh Keen (USA)

German-run Ferrari races on tyres from South Korea's Hankook, which are becoming more competitive. Keen was last year's Grand-Am GT champ. 6/10

92. JMW Motorsport (GB) - Aston Martin Vantage GT2
Rob Bell (GB) / Tim Sugden (GB) / Bryce Miller (USA)

JMW was an LMS race winner with Ferrari, but has switched to being Aston Martin's GT2 squad. Bell and Sugden are known names to Le Mans fans, Miller is another Grand-Am GT driver. 5/10 

95. AF Corse (I) - Ferrari F430 GT2
Giancarlo Fisichella (I) / Jean Alesi (F) / Toni Vilander (FIN)

Fisichella makes his Le Mans debut, and has two equally fast drivers in Alesi and Vilander. Should be up there with the class leaders. 8/10

96. AF Corse (I) - Ferrari F430 GT2
Mika Salo (FIN) / Mattias Russo (ARG) / Luis Perez Companc (ARG)

Despite the inclusion of Ferrari regular Salo, this 'Argentinian' car is unlikely to lead the way in GT2. 5/10 (Car has been withdrawn following qualifying crash)

97. BMS Scuderia Italia (I) - Porsche 997 GT3-RSR
Timo Scheider (D) / Marco Holzer (D) / Richard Westbrook (GB)

BMS returns to running a Porsche rather than Ferrari. It may be an impressive driver lineup, but all three are Le Mans rookies. 7/10 
26/1/2012 03:35:37 am

will return before long

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will return quickly

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22/3/2012 01:04:16 am

THX for info

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24/3/2012 08:53:10 am

good post

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31/3/2012 12:02:48 am

nice post

Reply
19/5/2012 01:44:30 am

will come back before long

Reply
30/9/2012 02:21:22 pm

Good post bro

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