[woodcote]

   

A little later this year - although a month earlier than 2020 - I'm starting to get very excited about the 24 hours of Le Mans. Whatever cars are entered or the level of competition, I love the event. I've only been once - in 2009, when Peugeot won - but have been following the race avidly since the late 70s. Plenty of scaled-down 24 hour Scalextric races happened when I was a kid... and since I returned to slot car racing in the noughties, I've raced at eleven 24 hour events - ten of them on sports-hall-sized replicas of the pre-chicane La Sarthe layout.

The race is next weekend, but the teams and cars are already at the track - getting settled in and starting the scrutineering process...

       

The cars will be out on track tomorrow for some testing...

       

The official website and Facebook page are probably the best places to keep up with the build-up during the week. Eurosport and the Eurosport Player will have loads of coverage from Wednesday and Thursday's qualifying sessions and then the entire race. If you have a subscription, you're sorted. If not, there's the choice of a one-month Eurosport Player sub for £6.99 or the World Endurance Championship Le Mans 'Race Pack' for 9.99 Euros - that gives even more coverage from the FIA WEC website and app (see here).

Something I used to do on another forum was a 'Predict Le Mans' challenge. The nature of the race makes it a blind stab in the dark, but it's fun and only adds the heartbreak when your favourite car heads for a long pit stop or retires...



The categories are:

• Overall win (because it might not be a Hypercar...)
  
• Hypercar
  
• LMP2
  
• GTE Pro
  
• GTE Am
  

The up-to-date entry list is here: https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/lemans/liste-des-engages

I shall mull over my choices and post them later in the week - at least before the race starts next Saturday at 3pm UK time. You're very welcome to join me.