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Fantastic prizes are waiting to be won every day up to Christmas with the 24 Hours of Le Mans advent calendar.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans advent calendar is back with lots of treats in store! Once again, the prestigious race&rsquo;s partners have joined up with the Automobile Club de l&rsquo;Ouest to put together a bumper collection of surprises for our passionate fans. A Premium Pack for two people to attend the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, a ride in the MissionH24 electric-hydrogen prototype, a &euro;200 fuel voucher from TotalEnergies, model cars signed by drivers from the Toyota and Peugeot Hypercar programmes, and even a ride in the Goodyear blimp &ndash; there&rsquo;s something for everyone!

Try your luck every day from 1 December up to Christmas with our easy-to-enter competition.&nbsp;<a href="https://shakr.cc/4nfud" target="_blank">Click here</a>&nbsp;every day, select the day&#39;s box and fill in the form to enter the draw. Then scratch out all the squares to see if you have won. If the Centenary Trophy appears in colour, you&rsquo;re the day&rsquo;s lucky winner! If not, never mind &ndash; you can try again tomorrow!

Don&#39;t forget to come back every day and check out what new surprise the 24 Hours of Le Mans advent calendar has in store!

<h3>Looking for Christmas ideas?</h3>

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Official Store has stacks of different gift ideas for fans of the classic French endurance race that will celebrate its centenary next year. Clothing, models cars, books, luggage, limited-edition photographs and other unique gifts to delight your loved ones.

<a href="https://boutique.lemans.org/en/" target="_blank">&gt;&gt;&gt; Visit the 24 Hours of Le Mans Christmas Store now! &lt;&lt;&lt;</a>

Enter the Great Race to Christmas with the 24 Hours of Le Mans Advent Calendar!

24 HOURS OF LE MANS CENTENARY – PEOPLE AND MACHINES ⎮ In 2001, the first 24 Hours of Le Mans of the new millennium saw the return of Bentley. The team took the top spot on the podium two years later, claiming one of the most unusual records in the race’s history in the process. This latest Le Mans campaign was led by a superb driver crew, worthy descendants of the pioneering Bentley Boys of the 1920s.

Eleven drivers were involved in this new era for Bentley, which ran from 2001 to 2003: one Dane (Tom Kristensen), one Belgian (Eric Van de Poele), one American (Butch Leitzinger), one Australian (David Brabham), one Italian (Dindo Capello), one Monegasque (St&eacute;phane Ortelli), and five Britons (Mark Blundell, Martin Brundle, Johnny Herbert, Guy Smith and Andy Wallace), meaning a total seven nations were represented.

This contrasts with the contingent which competed from 1923 to 1930, as at that time they hailed mainly from countries of the British Empire (Great Britain and Canada), with three notable exceptions from France and Italy. In the 21st century line-up, UK drivers nonetheless still accounted for the majority, and were joined by a prestigious ambassador: Derek Bell, the most successful British competitor at Le Mans, with five victories to his name.

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<h3>BENTLEY BOYS BOASTING AN IMPRESSIVE TRACK RECORD</h3>

This latest contingent of Bentley Boys all left their mark on 24 Hours of Le Mans history in one way or another. There was Tom Kristensen, for a start! The nine-time Le Mans winner and ambassador of the Centenary race recorded his fifth win (the fourth in a row) in 2003, equalling Derek Bell&rsquo;s score and just one win behind the record-holder of that time, Jacky Ickx. He shared this victory with teammates Dindo Capello and Guy Smith, both winners for the first time that year. Capello went on to claim two other victories, in 2004 and in 2008.

Starting from pole in the #7 Bentley EXP Speed&nbsp;8, the trio took the lead on the 27th lap and were never really challenged again, leading for 369 of the 377 laps. Capello, Kristensen and Smith led a one-two finish, with Johnny Herbert, Mark Blundell and David Brabham standing beside them on the second step of the podium. Herbert and Blundell had already taken one Le Mans win each, respectively in 1991 and 1992. With Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot at the wheel of a Mazda, Herbert had scored the first 24 Hours win for a Japanese team. The following year, teamed with Yannick Dalmas and Derek Warwick, Blundell gave Peugeot its first taste of Le Mans victory. And later, in 2009 David Brabham took the win with the same French manufacturer, alongside Marc Gen&eacute; and Alex Wurz.

&nbsp;

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<h3>BENTLEY 2001-2003, THREE 24 HOURS APPEARANCES THIS CENTURY</h3>

The 2003 Bentley one-two was the culmination of a journey that had begun two years earlier. That year, 71 years after its last victory, Bentley made its comeback to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team fielded two EXP Speed&nbsp;8s.

The #7 was driven by Martin Brundle, St&eacute;phane Ortelli and Guy Smith. Brundle had previously raced under the colours of another British icon, Jaguar, taking his only win at Le Mans in 1990 with John Nielsen and Price Cobb. Meanwhile, Ortelli had celebrated Porsche&rsquo;s half-century on the top step of the podium in 1998, with Laurent Aiello and Allan McNish.

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The #7 Bentley was forced to retire early, but the #8 finished third, with a nod to the Bentley Boys of the 1920s as the crew took to the podium in white overalls and leather headbands, widely acclaimed by fans and connoisseurs. For Andy Wallace, this was another episode in a great British story after clinching victory for Jaguar in 1988, 31 years after the manufacturer&rsquo;s previous triumph in La Sarthe, sharing driving duties with Jan Lammers and Johnny Dumfries. Eric Van de Poele had previously added his name to the 24 Hours honours list in 1998 with the Ferrari&nbsp;333 SP, the last (class) victory to date for a prototype bearing the prancing horse logo. And that year Butch Leitzinger achieved his only Le Mans podium. In 2002, in the only Bentley to start, the Briton, the Belgian and the American finished fourth.

These 21st-century Bentley Boys added a total of four victories to Bentley&rsquo;s record at Le Mans: in 2001 and 2002, Andy Wallace, Eric Van de Poele and Butch Leitzinger won the now defunct LMGTP (Grand Touring Prototype) class; and in 2003, the third consecutive LMGTP win was coupled with an overall victory. In doing so, they achieved an extraordinary record: that of the longest gap between two overall wins by the same manufacturer at the 24 Hours of Le Mans&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;the 2003 triumph coming 73 years after the 1930 victory!

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When the road up to the main entrance of the 24 Hours circuit was renamed after the Bentley Boys in 2019, the mayor of Le Mans made no secret of his wish to see the British marque back in La Sarthe&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;especially as two of its models are named after Mulsanne and Arnage, two of the circuit&rsquo;s legendary corners. Will this wish come true with the new golden age of the hypercar class and the revamped GT class, with a third generation of Bentley Boys on track? Only time will tell!

PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS CIRCUIT &ndash; TOP TO BOTTOM (Copyright: ACO ARCHIVES): the Bentley EXP Speed&nbsp;8s on their way to a one-two finish at the 24 Hours in 2003; the 2003 winners (left to right) Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello and Guy Smith; David Brabham (left) was teamed with two previous winners in 2003:&nbsp;Johnny Herbert (pictured) and Mark Blundell; left to right, Andy Wallace, Butch Leitzinger and Eric Van de Poele at the 2001 Drivers Parade, before taking the third spot on the podium; the 2003 Bentley Boys at scrutineering (left to right): Guy Smith, Tom Kristensen, Dindo Capello, Mark Blundell, David Brabham and Johnny Herbert can now boast 16 24 Hours of Le Mans wins between them.&nbsp;

24 Hours of Le Mans 2001-2003: 21st-century Bentley Boys!

This season, Sarah Bovy and the Iron Dames have made endurance history with a win in the European Le Mans Series and two pole positions in the FIA World Endurance Championship. We spoke to the Belgian recently about this extraordinary campaign and the Iron Dames project.

A few weeks ago, your team made endurance history by winning the LMGTE class at the 4 Hours of Portim&atilde;o. Has your achievement sunk in yet?

Sarah Bovy: We worked hard to earn this victory and actually thought we&rsquo;d do it earlier in the season. The level in the European Le Mans Series was very high this year. More than anything, it was a feeling of relief to finally get the win. We won in style too as it was a great race. It will always provide wonderful memories.

What does this success prove?

SB: It shows that an all-female line-up is capable of winning at any level of motorsport. However, we must continue working hard and not rest on our laurels. This win does not mean that our project has run its course. Quite the contrary. It&rsquo;s a superb stepping stone to even greater things.

What emotions did you go through during the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year?

SB: I&rsquo;ve always dreamed of competing in this race. For years, I thought I&rsquo;d never be able to take part as it&rsquo;s the pinnacle of motor racing and it&rsquo;s not easy to make it. So getting to Le Mans was already a triumph for me and I tried to make the most of it. I&rsquo;m known for being very laid back on the grid and I try to lighten the mood for my teammates who are sometimes a little more tense than me. It wasn&rsquo;t an easy race for us this year as we began with a puncture on lap 2. It gave me an opportunity to experience something new as we made a dramatic fightback up to P7 in our class. We really gave our all.

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The Iron Dames project looks to inspire women to pursue their dreams and get a foot on the motorsport ladder. How do you view it?

SB: Iron Dames is a great team promoting a wonderful initiative. However, as I always say, not a single Iron Dames driver started racing with the aim of being an ambassador for women in motorsport. We do it because we love racing. Like all drivers, we started out in karting. We wanted to be faster than the one in front and win races. We are driven by the same passion. It&rsquo;s true that we are part of a bigger picture which conveys ideas that go further than us. We receive a lot of support. Thanks to everyone for that as it helps when times are tough.

What are your plans for 2023?

SB: For Iron Dames, the programmes announced so far are the GT World Challenge and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. On a personal level, I don&rsquo;t yet know what my own programme will be. I don&rsquo;t yet know which line-up I&rsquo;ll be in but, so far, I&rsquo;ve left it up to them and it&rsquo;s worked out fine. Iron Lynx and Iron Dames do all they can to get cars on the grid at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the FIA WEC so I&rsquo;m keeping my fingers crossed! I&#39;d hate&nbsp;to miss the Centenary race!

24 Hours of Le Mans – Sarah Bovy (Iron Dames): “We are driven by the same passion”

24 HOURS CENTENARY – People and machines ⎮ In 1924, Bentley became the first British constructor to triumph at the race, winning four more consecutive times between 1927 and 1930, including scoring the first quadruplet in Le Mans history in 1929. The marque's extraordinary success was owed to outstanding drivers with personalities as larger than life as their talent on the track.

Between&nbsp;1923 and&nbsp;1939, many&nbsp;of the best drivers of the&nbsp;period competed&nbsp;at the 24 Hours, as did women, predecessors of&nbsp;today&#39;s gentlemen drivers, weekday entrepreneurs and weekend sportsmen, aristocrats and&nbsp;even crown princes. In this pioneering lineage exists&nbsp;a very special subset: the Bentley Boys.

They were rich&nbsp;bon vivants, all living&nbsp;in the highly&nbsp;chic&nbsp;Grove neighborhood in London. The Bentley Boys were one&nbsp;of the first groups of drivers to embody a true family spirit, later adopted by&nbsp;Audi racing drivers in the 2000s. They shared a definite&nbsp;esprit de corps, especially given that at that time&nbsp;the impact&nbsp;of World War I&nbsp;remained&nbsp;strong among the eight Bentley Boys who earned the marque&#39;s&nbsp;five wins ffrom&nbsp;1924 to&nbsp;1930.

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<h3>1924-1930 | Life at full&nbsp;throttle</h3>

The first driver to win the 24 Hours three times&nbsp;(1928, 1929 and 1930), Woolf Barnato ended the first world war with the rank of captain, before becoming a lieutenant-colonel during World War II; John Duff (winner in 1924 with Frank Clement) fought in Belgium&nbsp;at Passchendaele in 1917;&nbsp;Dudley Benjafield (winner in 1927 with&nbsp;Sammy Davis) served in&nbsp;Egypt; it took&nbsp;Bernard Rubin (1928) three years to regain the usage of his legs after a&nbsp;serious&nbsp;injury&nbsp;in&nbsp;1917; Henry Birkin (1929) reached the rank of&nbsp;lieutenant in the air force; Glen Kidston (1930) was a corvette captain and submariner.

<h3>Two French Bentley Boys</h3>

Two Frenchmen figured among the Bentley Boys. For his rookie participation with a&nbsp;Sunbeam in 1925, Jean Chassagne finished second then joined&nbsp;Bentley after driving an&nbsp;Aries in 1926 and&nbsp;1927. In 1928, he finished fifth and then fourth in&nbsp;1929. Those results were the culmination of a successful&nbsp;career that saw Chassagne take pole position at&nbsp;the Indianapolis 500 in 1914 and win the RAC Tourist Trophy in 1922.&nbsp;He served in WWI like his British counterparts,&nbsp;as a fighter pilot.

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In 1929, Chassagne was beaten in the classification by fellow countryman&nbsp;Andr&eacute; d&rsquo;Erlanger (third). A French baron born in Great Britain, d&rsquo;Erlanger took the start in the 24 Hours three times. He and Chassagne both shared a Bentley with winners of the race: the first joined forces with Dudley Benjafield (1929)&nbsp;and the&nbsp;second with&nbsp;Tim Birkin (1928 and&nbsp;1930) and&nbsp;Frank Clement (1929).

<h3>The other&nbsp;Bentley Boys</h3>

While posterity mainly remembers&nbsp;the winning Bentley Boys, several others experienced&nbsp;varying outcomes&nbsp;at the wheel of the British manufacturer&#39;s racing&nbsp;cars: Jack Dunfee (second in 1929 with&nbsp;Glen Kidston), Richard Watney (second in 1930 with&nbsp;Frank Clement), Leslie Callingham (retirement in 1927 with&nbsp;Frank Clement, fifth with&nbsp;Lord Howe in 1930), Tommy Thistlewayte and&nbsp;R. Clive Gallop (retirement in&nbsp;1926), George Duller (retirement in 1926 with&nbsp;Frank Clement and in 1927 with&nbsp;Andr&eacute; d&rsquo;Erlanger), Giulio Ramponi (retirement in 1930 with&nbsp;Dudley Benjafield) and&nbsp;Jack Dunfee&#39;s brother Clive (retirement in&nbsp;1930 with&nbsp;Sammy Davis).

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<h3>The&nbsp;Bentley Boys beyond the 24 Hours</h3>

The Bentley Boys satisfied&nbsp;their need for adventure&nbsp;in other ways before and after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A talented swordsman, John Duff became&nbsp;a stuntman in&nbsp;swashbuckling films in Hollywood. Before competing in the race, bacteriology expert Dudley Benjafield worked at the heart of the fight against the 1919-1920 Spanish flu pandemic. Journalist, writer and caricaturist, Sammy Davis was one of the great automotive writers of the interwar era.

Glen Kidston turned&nbsp;to aviation and, in 1931&nbsp;a year after his win at Le Mans,&nbsp;set the record for the England-Cape Town,&nbsp;South Africa&nbsp;air link (12,900 km&nbsp;at an hourly average of 211 kph). During WWII, Woolf Barnato served in the&nbsp;Royal Air Force, ensuring the protection of aircraft construction sites on British territory against Luftwaffe bombing.

Seven decades later, a second&nbsp;generation&nbsp;of very cosmopolitan Bentley Boys&nbsp;honoured&nbsp;the British racing green of Bentley at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. But that&#39;s&nbsp;another story&hellip;

&nbsp;

PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO Archives, Bentley Motors): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE&nbsp;MANS. From top to bottom: the first&nbsp;Bentley to win the&nbsp;24 Hours in&nbsp;1924; the historic quadruplet in 1929 with&nbsp;Woolf Barnato/Henry Birkin (#1, winners), Jack Dunfee/Glen Kidston (#9, second), Dudley Benjafield/Andr&eacute; d&#39;Erlanger (#10, third) and&nbsp;Frank Clement/Jean Chassagne (#8, fourth); a group portrait at the end of the 1920s with&nbsp;(from left to right) Frank Clement, Leslie Callingham, Woolf Barnato (behind&nbsp;Andr&eacute; d&#39;Erlanger), George Duller, Walter Owen Bentley, Sammy Davis, Clive Dunfee and&nbsp;Dudley Benjafield; three-time winner Woolf Barnato (at left in the&nbsp;Bentley) in as many participations after&nbsp;his&nbsp;1929 victory with Tim Birkin. Below (Copyright - Louis Monnier/ACO):&nbsp;the inauguration of rue des Bentley Boys at the 2019 24 Hours coinciding&nbsp;with the British marque&#39;s centenary. From left to right: Gilles Huttepain (member of the ACO Management Committee representing Pierre Fillon), Brian Gush (Bentley&#39;s competition manager at the&nbsp;time) and&nbsp;St&eacute;phane Le Foll (mayor of Le&nbsp;Mans).

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24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary – 1924-1930: the one of a kind Bentley Boys

24 HOURS CENTENARY – THE LE MANS EXCEPTION  ⎮ Jean Graton has been a diehard fan of the race since childhood, first bringing his illustrated driver Michel Vaillant to life in 1957 and figuring him in three runnings of the 24 Hours.

In 1937, 13-year-old Jean Graton attended the 14th 24 Hours of Le Mans with his father, witnessing the first of Bugatti&#39;s two wins at the race with at the wheel&nbsp;Robert Benoist and&nbsp;Jean-Pierre Wimille (two of the top French drivers&nbsp;of the interwar period).

Twenty years later, after becoming an illustrator, Graton created Michel Vaillant in the pages of Tintin&#39;s diary. To test the character with readers, he first drew five short stories published in 1957, one of which, &quot;La 24e Heure&quot;, was already set at Le Mans. To date, of the 81 albums released between&nbsp;1959 and&nbsp;2021, 17 stories took place or mentioned the 24 Hours, including five wins since&nbsp;the most famous driver&nbsp;in Franco-Belgian comics has chosen not to beat&nbsp;the&nbsp;record long held by his great friend Jacky Ickx!

In 2002, it was at&nbsp;the circuit in Le Mans that producer and co-screenwriter Luc Besson set the plot of his Michel Vaillant&nbsp;film adaptation&nbsp;based on a production by Louis-Pascal Couvelaire. On three occasions, Graton&#39;s character took&nbsp;the start&nbsp;with prototypes in the colors of Vaillante, a fictional car constructor&nbsp;whose models and history refer as much to Bugatti as to Ferrari.

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<h3>1997 |&nbsp;Tribute paid to Michel Vaillant</h3>

For the double anniversary of Graton&#39;s first visit to Le Mans and the birth of Michel Vaillant, a Courage&nbsp;prototype aptly named&nbsp;the&nbsp;Courage-Vaillante was entrusted to Franco-Belgian trio Didier Cottaz, Marc Goossens and&nbsp;J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Policand. The car sported Graton&#39;s favourite number&nbsp;13&nbsp;and qualified&hellip;13th on the starting grid.

While in seventh position as night fell, the prototype experienced&nbsp;an electrical problem, costing it one full hour. The engine refused to start, but&nbsp;the&nbsp;solution came from a trick that Graton himself would most likely not have even imagined in his albums: the team&#39;s physiotherapist sprayed&nbsp;the malfunctioning&nbsp;electronic box with a spray used to cool stiff muscles. The action was repeated during each pit stop, allowing the Courage-Vaillante to climb to 4th place overall and also become the second&nbsp;prototype ranked, only preceded in the class by the winning car of&nbsp;Michele Alboreto, Stefan Johansson and&nbsp;Tom Kristensen.

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<h3>2017 | Michel Vaillant and the &quot;rebels&quot;</h3>

The&nbsp;double anniversary was once again feted in 2017 with the release of the &quot;R&eacute;bellion&quot;&nbsp;album and a&nbsp;participation in the&nbsp;LMP2 class at the&nbsp;24 Hours and in the FIA WEC, in partnership with Swiss team&nbsp;Rebellion Racing and&nbsp;Motul. In the #13 and #31 ORECA&nbsp;07s fielded by&nbsp;Vaillante Rebellion figured racing legend progeny&nbsp;(Nelson Piquet, Jr., Nicolas Prost and&nbsp;Bruno Senna), an LMP2 expert&nbsp;(Mathias Beche) and two talented&nbsp;gentlemen drivers&nbsp;(David Heinemeier Hansson and Le Mans local&nbsp;Julien Canal).

Contenders for the&nbsp;overall podium after long leading&nbsp;the class, the two&nbsp;Vaillante Rebellions ran out of good fortune near the end of the race. Delayed with technical troubles, the #31 of&nbsp;Canal/Prost/Senna finished&nbsp;16th overall&nbsp;(14th in&nbsp;LMP2) and&nbsp;the #13 of&nbsp;Beche/Heinemeier Hansson/Piquet was disqualified after claiming the third step on the overall podium. At&nbsp;the remaining six rounds of the season, the #31 managed a series of wins worthy of Michel Vaillant (four) which earned the Vaillante Rebellion team, as well as Bruno Senna and Julien Canal, the FIA Endurance Teams and LMP2 Drivers trophies, respectively.

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<h3>2022 |&nbsp;Michel Vaillant and the surprise guest</h3>

In 2022, Michel Vaillant joined TDS Racing, a top French team in the LMP2 class, under the name&nbsp;TDS Racing x Vaillante and with an ORECA&nbsp;07 entered in the European Le Mans Series for&nbsp;Mathias Beche, gentleman driver Philippe Cimadomo and&nbsp;Tijmen van der Helm (an 18-year-old Dutch driver from the endurance pyramid).

Cimadomo was replaced at the last minute by another Dutchman, Nyck de Vries, already on the scene as a reserve Toyota driver with three&nbsp;participations under his belt in 2019, 2020 and&nbsp;2021. The team&#39;s ORECA&nbsp;07 once again boasted the number&nbsp;13 and finished eighth overall and fourth in LMP2.

Next year will mark a double centenary: that of the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le Mans and also of&nbsp;Jean Graton, born on 10 August&nbsp;1923 (deceased on 21 January 2021): a&nbsp;double celebration&nbsp;that surely Michel Vaillant won&#39;t&nbsp;miss. So, will the number&nbsp;13 take the&nbsp;start in this momentous&nbsp;running of the race? See you next on 10 June to find out!

&nbsp;

PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE&nbsp;MANS. From top to bottom: in 2022, and previously in 1997 and&nbsp;2017, the number&nbsp;13 along with &quot;V&quot; for&nbsp;the Vaillante marque is the racing logo&nbsp;of choice for&nbsp;the character&#39;s participations in the 24 Hours. It is the lucky number of Jean Graton who entitled the first Michel Vaillant graphic book dedicated to the race&nbsp;&quot;Le 13 est au d&eacute;part&quot; in 1961.

24 Hours Centenary – Michel Vaillant, a loyal ambassador in the world of comics

Alpine will be competing in LMP2 in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship while the French marque's Hypercar programme is already well underway for 2024.

2024 will mark Alpine&#39;s return to the&nbsp;Hypercar class governed by the&nbsp;LMDh regulations. The&nbsp;French manufacturer has already announced joining&nbsp;forces with ORECA for the construction of the&nbsp;chassis and the engine will be developed at Viry-Ch&acirc;tillon. During the Paris Motor Show in October, Alpine unveiled the&nbsp;Alpenglow as an indication of the future Hypercar&nbsp;set to participate in the 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans and the FIA World Endurance&nbsp;Championship.

During the recent preview screening of the official 2022 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans film, Alpine Elf Team team manager Philippe Sinault shared his thoughts on the programme: &quot;The virtue of the Apenglow is to foreshadow&nbsp;certain features of our Hypercar in 2024. We intend to&nbsp;field two cars. Alpine&#39;s design team came to our workshops recently to present their results and it was an important&nbsp;moment of collaboration. We are in full swing.&quot;

<h2>Hitting the track next summer</h2>

To get a leg up on the 2024 season, Alpine will return to the&nbsp;LMP2 class next year. Will Nicolas Lapierre, head driver for&nbsp;Alpine&#39;s endurance&nbsp;programme, represent the marque? &quot;More than a year ago, I took&nbsp;the reins at&nbsp;Cool Racing. In 2024, I will be very busy with that team, but&nbsp;I will have a hand in the development of the new&nbsp;Alpine set to take the track in the summer of 2023. It is a wondeful project and I can&#39;t wait to check it out. I&#39;ve been a part of Alpine&#39;s journey almost since its return to&nbsp;endurance racing. We were able to win in LMP2 at the 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans three times. The team has matured a great deal these last two years battling against&nbsp;Toyota and&nbsp;Glickenhaus. We have a lot of ambition for 2024.&quot;

Actually, Alpine is&nbsp;one of the only marques set to compete in both Formula&nbsp;1 and&nbsp;endurance racing in 2024. The similarities&nbsp;between these two disciplines is sure to&nbsp;be a major asset to&nbsp;this new programme.

The French manufacturer boasts&nbsp;a long history at the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans, entering the winners&#39; circle&nbsp;through the Energy Index in 1964, 1966 and 1968, and the Performance Index in 1968 and 1969. Add to those 10 class victories and an&nbsp;overall win in 1978 with the Alpine A442B driven by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and&nbsp;Didier Pironi.

24 Hours of Le Mans – Alpine gearing up for 2024

24 HOURS OF LE MANS CENTENARY – PERPETUAL INNOVATION ⎮ Not only did the Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine earn 22 Formula One titles between 1968 and 1982, it was also successful at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Local man driver/constructor Jean Rondeau notched up seven of the eight victories (two overall and six class wins). The riveting story of an engine that made its mark on motor racing began with a spat between the Ford and Ferrari camps.

In 1963, Enzo Ferrari&rsquo;s infamous last-minute change of heart to a Ford buyout was not taken well by the US bosses. Had Ferrari ever really intended to sell or did he just want to attract the attention of potential investors? Whatever the case, Henry Ford II was sufficiently piqued to respond with a three-pronged attack. First, Le Mans, where the goal was to beat Ferrari on the marque&rsquo;s familiar territory. Second, on the road, where the Mustang was to add a youthful glow to Ford&rsquo;s brand image. And finally, in Formula One, where a 1966 rule increasing capacity for naturally aspirated engines to three litres threw up fresh opportunity.

Ford seized the chance to back the development of a competitive large-capacity engine. They turned to Cosworth, a British engineering company founded in 1958 by Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth which already had an established relationship with Ford UK. The Ford Cosworth DFV was launched in 1967. The double-four valve (abbreviated to DFV) 2,993&nbsp;cc V8 engine made its first appearance at that year&rsquo;s Dutch Grand Prix, powering the two Lotuses driven by Graham Hill and Jim Clark. Between 1967 and 1983 the Cosworth was instrumental in 155 victories, including all Formula One World championships between 1968 and 1974.

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<h3>The way to Le Mans</h3>

The end of the five-litre Sport class in 1971 brought about the retirement of the Porsche 917. Only the three-litre normally aspirated prototypes remained. The new rulebook paved the way for the DFV to feature at the 24 Hours of Le Mans; the challenge being to ensure its staying power.

Guy Ligier and Patrick Depailler&rsquo;s JS3 was the first Le Mans car to sport a Ford Cosworth DFV, in 1971 (DNF). The following year, the engine powered Alain de Cadenet and Chris Craft&rsquo;s Duckhams LM across the finish line in twelfth place.

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<h3>Propelled onto the podium</h3>

Another three-litre engine, the Matra V12, reigned supreme at Le Mans between 1972 and 1974. Meanwhile, the Ford Cosworth DFV was gradually climbing its way through the ranks with the Gulf team; in 1974 Derek Bell and Mike Hailwood achieved fourth place.

In 1975, with Matra out of the running, Gulf Research Racing won the day, with one of the most iconic driver crews in the history of the race, Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell, who started in pole position. The Cosworth DFV made a clean sweep. The British team placed the Gulf-Mirage GR8 in first and third, with the Ligier JS2 in second place. Motorsport has a knack for uncanny coincidences and that year saw one of them: over in Formula One, the engine was beaten for the first time since 1968 by Ferrari &ndash; back at the top of the game thanks to Niki Lauda.

In 1976 four Cosworth DFVs finished in the top 10, including eighth place for local driver/constructor Jean Rondeau.

1977_cca_656 (1).jpg

<h3>Rondeau and Cosworth &ndash; a winning combination</h3>

Jean Rondeau built his prototype around the highly successful Formula One engine. In 1977 and 1979 his cars scored four class wins and finished in the top 10 five times.

In 1980, following a long hard slog fending off the Porsche 908/80 of Jacky Ickx and Reinhold Joest in pouring rain, Rondeau, paired with Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, achieved the still unparalleled feat of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans as both driver and constructor. Briton Gordon Spice and Belgian brothers Jean-Michel and Philippe Martin claimed third place and a class win in another Rondeau.

The following year, the Cosworth DFV claimed second and third place in two Rondeaus, beaten only by Ickx and Bell in the Porsche 936/81.

1980_1_ap_109 (1).jpg

<h3>Out with a bang</h3>

With the advent of Group C in 1982 a variant of the DFV was introduced. The DFL (for long-distance)&nbsp; was a larger (4-litre) engine, but its best result at Le Mans was 13th place in 1984. In fact, the DFV it was designed to replace continued to outrank it (10th in 1982 and 11th in 1984).

The DFV&rsquo;s 155th and last Formula One win was the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix, when future Le Mans winner Michele Alboreto drove a Tyrrell to victory. The Italian went on to win Le Mans with Stefan Johansson and Tom Kristensen in 1997. Five other Le Mans winners &ndash; Graham Hill, Jacky Ickx, Bruce McLaren, Didier Pironi and Jochen Rindt &ndash; also won Formula One Grand Prix with a DFV engine.

PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES DU MANS, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS &ndash; From top (Copyright ACO Archives): Jean Rondeau at the wheel of the #16 Rondeau on the road to victory in 1980; Briton Alain de Cadenet was particularly loyal to the Cosworth engine in the seventies as illustrated by the #8 Lola here; the two Mirage GR8s at the front of the grid in 1975, when Derek Bell claimed the first of his five Le Mans 24 Hours wins.

The Ford Cosworth DFV, an engine that lasted the course

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has revealed its drivers for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season. The Japanese marque is going with tried and true to take on Ferrari, Porsche, Peugeot, Cadillac and Glickenhaus.

The Hypercar class at Le&nbsp;Mans &ndash; and in the FIA World Endurance&nbsp;Championship &ndash; will welcome&nbsp;several new competitors next season, just in time for the centenary running of the race. The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team&#39;s goal under the leadership of&nbsp;Kamui Kobayashi is to win the 24 Hours for the sixth time consecutively&nbsp;and earn the Drivers and Manufacturers titles for the fifth time in a row.

As such, the Japanese marque is opting not to make any changes to its driver line-ups: the #7&nbsp;Toyota GR010 Hybrid will once again be entrusted to&nbsp;Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and&nbsp;Jos&eacute; Mar&iacute;a L&oacute;pez, and the #8 to&nbsp;S&eacute;bastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and&nbsp;Ryo Hirakawa.

Team Principal and #7 driver, Kamui Kobayashi: &quot;We achieved all our&nbsp;targets this year, winning Le Mans, Fuji and the World Championship, thanks to big support from Toyota and our partners. But we start again in 2023 with even stronger competition, so we need to improve ourselves, making our team and car even stronger. The drivers are an important part of our team and I am happy to drive alongside Mike, Jos&eacute;, S&eacute;b, Brendon and Ryo again in 2023. We have a strong team spirit throughout the whole team, particularly among the drivers, and we race together as one family. This is a big strength for our team and we need to trust and support each other next season&nbsp;to be as strong as possible against the big competition in Hypercar. We are all looking forward to racing against so many manufacturers who have won Le Mans in the past. Winning Le Mans in its centenary year is a big target for everyone, so of course it will be difficult and our competition will be pushing extremely hard. This big fight is what we all want in motorsport and I think it will be really exciting for the fans.&quot;

During the preview screening of the official 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans film on Tuesday, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Technical Director&nbsp;Pascal Vasselon&nbsp;confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-of-le-mans-toyota-gazoo-racing-to-upgrade-the-gr010-hybrid-56853" target="_blank">TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will&nbsp;upgrade the GR010 Hybrid</a>&nbsp;to take on the&nbsp;caliber of competition expected next season.

24 Hours of Le Mans – Toyota sticking with winning line-up in 2023

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Wearing a very special farewell livery, designed by Andy Werner, that pays tribute to 10 glorious seasons in endurance racing, the Porsche 911 RSR works team cars have waved their final goodbye. Here's the highlights of a memorable weekend at the 8 Hours of Bahrain for cars, drivers and our race team.

A legacy through a livery: goodbye to the Porsche 911 RSR

The 8 Hours of Bahrain was the last race of Team Peugeot TotalEnergies’ three-round 2022 programme ahead of its full assault on the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2023.

FIA WEC - The 8 Hours of Bahrain in the Peugeot TotalEnergies clan

Toyota Gazoo Racing started the 8 Hours of Bahrain in a fight for both World Endurance Championship titles. After eight hours of intense racing, the manufacturers' and drivers' titles were secure. Here how it unfolded with those in the driving seat.

FIA WEC – Toyota Gazoo Racing clinches stunning win at 8 Hours of Bahrain

The race highlights of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship season finale in Bahrain.

Race highlights I BAPCO 8 Hours of Bahrain I FIA WEC

Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is ready to go for the final round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship season, the 8 Hours of Bahrain! Join us all weekend long as we tackle 8 Hours of racing in the desert!

Last dance of the season | Peugeot 9X8 at the 8 Hours of Bahrain

From moments of tension to moments of joy, passing through strategic questions throughout the 24 hours of competition: come and watch behind the scenes of a historic race whose scenario is still unpredictable a few months before the Centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans!

24 Heures du Mans 2022 - TEASER FILM OFFICIEL 2022

MissionH24, in its commitment to promote hydrogen in competition, invites drivers from all horizons to discover its electric-hydrogen prototype. 
The first guest is François Perrodo, President of Perenco and a driver in the FIA World Endurance Championship, with several participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Mission H24 - The H2 Driving Experience : Episode 1

499P is the name of the new Le Mans Hypercar with which Ferrari will tackle the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship in the elite class from 2023, a name evoking the history of the Prancing Horse manufacturer.

Ferrari 499P: the Hypercar to return to WEC elite class

Take a step back in time and join Derek Bell, Jochen Mass, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Bernd Schneider as they make their way to the Porsche Experience Centre in Leipzig to share their personal recollections of their time in Group C and their memories of driving the most successful Porsche racing cars of all time.

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