LE MANS:

Together with the Monaco F1 Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500, the Le Mans 24 Hours is one of motor racing’s three “blue riband” events. Held each June on a 13.7km circuit southwest of Paris, it attracts around 250,000 fans and commands global TV coverage.

The field usually comprises 50 cars racing in four categories – LMP1 and LMP2 for prototypes (ie cars designed specifically for racing) and GT1 and GT2 for modified road cars. Matthew Marsh’s Hong Kong team will compete in GT2.

The most famous part of the circuit is the Mulsanne Straight, where the fastest cars used to reach almost 400km/h before safety concerns saw two chicanes inserted to reduce speeds.

The 2006 event will be the 74^th running of the race. Porsche is the most successful manufacturer with 16 overall victories, including seven in a row from 1981-87. Audi has won four of the past five races.

The race used to begin with the famous “Le Mans start”, when drivers would line up in front of the grandstand and, at the drop of the French flag, run to their cars on the opposite side of the track. This was discontinued in 1970 following the introduction of safety harnesses, which meant drivers needed to be properly strapped into their seats by mechanics, so the race now begins with a rolling start.

Nowadays, each car has a team of three drivers, but before 1970 only two drivers per car were allowed and even solo driving was permitted in the early decades. Danish driver Tom Kristensen has been in the winning team on the past five occasions and he shares the record of six overall wins with Belgian legend Jacky Ickx.

As well as the world’s best drivers, the race has also had its share of celebrity entrants. Late Hollywood icon Steve McQueen competed in 1970 as part of the production for his movie called Le Mans. Nine years later, actor Paul Newman and co-drivers Rolf Stommelen and Dick Barbour, driving a Porsche 935 Twin-Turbo, finished first in their class and second overall.