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2007 sees the 75th running of the World's greatest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year 55 cars will take part for the first time since 1989, the increased number due to the completion of nine new pit garages and the complete redevelopment of the paddock area. This amazing circuit has seen many changes over the years and recent investment has improved both the track and the facilities for the incredible number of spectators attending. Hundreds of thousands of fans make the journey to the La Sarthe region every year, many from the UK. Some estimates put the number of Brits attending at around 80,000!
 The circuit is 13.65 km long, that's nearly 8.5 miles. Much of the track uses public roads and therefore has a character all of it's own. Watching cars race past houses, hotels and garden centres down the famous Mulsanne straight at nearly 200 mph is a unique experience. The rest of the circuit is challenging with a mixture of slow and fast corners, and average speeds are high, the fastest cars completing a lap in a whisker over three and a half minutes! Oliver has described what it takes to complete a lap in a Corvette C6.R, click here for the full article. One lap is challenging, last year's winners completed 380 of them! The No.64 Corvette completed 355 laps in 2007, that's 3,010 miles or roughly the distance between Land End in the UK and New England in the US .............. in a day ............ in a car!
To win at Le Mans you need speed, reliability, extraordinary teamwork and some luck! The Corvette racing team have certainly deivered the commitment, dedication and teamwork needed to be successful.  With 5 class wins in the last 6 years their record is an enviable one. However, 2007 sees the most competitive field in GT1 in recent years. No fewer than 15 cars are entered in the class, 6 Aston Martins, 5 Corvettes, 2 Saleens, a Ferrari 550 and a Lamborghini Murcielago! For a full list of entries click here (pdf file).
The event starts with the test day. This used to be pre-qualifying, often with 80+ cars setting times in an effort to make the short list for race week itself. These days the cars (55 in 2007) are selected and invited by the ACO (the organisers) to attend the test day and race. This year the test day is Sunday, 3rd June and is one of the few other occasions when the public roads are closed and the full circuit used.
Oliver will again be teamed with Olivier Beretta this year in the No. 64 Corvette C6.R and the pair will be aiming to win the GT1 class for the fourth year in succession. They will be joined by Max Papis who  moves over from the sister No.63 car. This was the driving team that stood on the top step of the podium last time out at Sebring (left).
Oliver's record at Le Mans is impressive. He has competed 6 times and has never been off the class podium with 4 wins, a 2nd and a 3rd! Keeping up that record gets tougher every year!
The team know how competitive it will be this year. They don't expect to be the quickest, the works Aston Martins and the two Oreca Saleens will be fast. Their hopes are pinned on strategy, reliability, consistency and unrivalled teamwork, elements that have delivered victory in the past.
Oliver confirmed that they are realistic about expectations, “Le Mans is going to be very tough this year. We know already that Aston Martin is super quick there and we have a smaller air restrictor which will limit our power output by about 5%. Aston Martin has lost the GT1 race in the last two years by making mistakes so they'll be determined to avenge those losses. They know they have the speed, and that we haven't got any faster over the last 12 months, so we will be relying on strategy, discipline and the strength of the Corvette car. I hope it will be really hot (because our air conditioning is fantastic!) and that maybe something untoward will happen to the opposition. You can certainly never discount Corvette Racing from any endurance race.
“The whole 2007 GT1 class is very strong and the Oreca Saleens will present as much of a challenge as the Aston Martins - they've been very fast and consistent at both the Le Mans Series races so far this year. I'm not sure how reliable the car is, but I imagine they will be well prepared and pushing the Astons and Corvettes very hard. Some of the other privateer Astons also have good driver line ups and will be in the mix so the pressure will be on 100% of the time. I can see us having to settle for 5th or 6th place in qualifying - we won't be challenging for pole, that's for sure - but we won't be racing for anything less than victory when it comes to 3 o'clock on Saturday, 16th June.”
In the UK Motors TV will be providing extensive coverage of the week of Le Mans, starting on Monday 11th June with reports from the traditional scrutineering held in the centre of the town, covering qualifying on Wednesday and Thursday, through to total coverage of the great race itself.
The full TV schedule is:
Monday 11th June - 1.30 pm to 5.00 pm - Scrutineering Day 1 LIVE
Tuesday 12th June - 7.30 am to 11.30 am and 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm - Srcutineering Day 2 LIVE
Wednesday 13th June - 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm and 9.00 pm to 11.00 pm - Qualifying 1 LIVE
Thursday 14th June - 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm and 9.00 pm to 11.00 pm - Qualifying 2 LIVE
Friday 15th June - 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm - Drivers Parade LIVE
Saturday 16th June - 8.00 am to 9.00 am - Warm Up LIVE
9.00 am to 10.30 am - Le Mans Legends Race LIVE
11.30 am to 2.00 pm - Race Build Up LIVE
2.00 pm to Midnight - 24 Hours Race LIVE
Sunday 17th June - Midnight to 2.30 pm - 24 Hours Race LIVE
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