Oreca will attempt to clinch a second consecutive win, while Ligier and Alpine will go after their first LM P2 victory at the 24 Hours. But one would have to be very clever to dare to venture any predictions as each competitor in the class is a potential winner.

Oreca in momentum? - Oreca's history at Le Mans in LM P2 is a curious paradox. Appearing in 2011, the 03 chasis very quickly became, through its consistency and reliablity, one of the major players in the class, but never managed to win at the 24 Hours. Its successor, the 05 chassis, won its first victory in its first participation in 2015 thanks to Chinese team KCMG. For a second consecutive win for its 05 in 2016, the French constructor will be counting on five teams: G-Drive Racing, Eurasia Motorsport, Manor, Thiriet by TDS Racing and KCMG.

The Ligier consecration? - In 2014, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was the very first race for the Ligier JS P2. Though beaten in the last hours by the British Zytek Z11 SN of the Jota Sport team, the car had made a good impression: pole position and a second place finish for Thiriet by TDS Racing, and 240 laps (more than two-thirds of the race) in the lead. Thereafter, the Ligier JS P2 won with the Russian team G-Drive Racing the LM P2 trophies for teams and drivers in the 2015 World Endurance Championship (WEC), then the 2016 Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring with the American outfit Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM). A win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans would be the ultime feather in its cap, prior to the appearance next year of the JS P217, already in development for SO24! by Lombard Racing, Panis Barthez Compétition, ESM, Krohn Racing, Greaves Motorsport, Michael Shank Racing and RGR Sport by Morand (winner at Silverstone at the opening round of the 2016 WEC).

A first win for Alpine? - Like the Alpine A450 based on the Oreca 03 chassis that preceded it, the two Alpine A460s used by the French team Signatech Alpine are overhauled and relaunched Oreca 05 chassis. But the magic remains...and the return of the name on the top step on the podium, even for a class win, would thrill the public fond of one of the greatest adventures in the history of French motorsports. After two consecutive titles in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) in 2013 and 2014, a third place in LM P2 at Le Mans in 2014 and two victories in the WEC, the chances of Philippe Sinault's cars are very real in 2016.

Photo: STAVELOT (LIEGE PROVINCE, BELGIUM), SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS CIRCUIT, WEC 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, FRIDAY MAY 6 2016, FREE PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING. Winner at Silverstone in April, will the RGR Sport by Morand team and its drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Bruno Senna and Ricardo Gonzalez score the Ligier JS P2's first victory at the 24 Hours?