This season though is when the competition becomes somewhat tougher. A commendable challenge has come previously from the independent Glickenhaus with its 007 Hypercar and Alpine using the ‘grandfathered’ Rebellion LMP1 machine, but now, with the force of Ferrari, Toyota has serious challenge on its hands.

In the mist of the Ardennes in Belgium, the Scuderia at times had the pace to match the Japanese marque and it proved to be faster on the Mulsanne and following twists and turns to take pole for this weekend’s race. The big question is whether that can be sustained in the race, and whether the team can match the experience of Toyota.

Peugeot is another big money entrant, but its ground effect 9X8 has suffered both poor reliability and a lack of performance. However, it at least managed to get both cars to the finish in Spa relatively unscathed, and has shown competitive times at Le Mans. It would be a shock winner, but opular with the French crowd.

Also in Hypercar are two independent entries: the above-mentioned Glickenhaus, running two cars entered by B-movie mogul Jim Glickenhaus, and the Vanwall team, a single-car entrant headed by Colin Kolles and his ByKolles operation.

Read more

LMDh Hypercar

LMDh rules are much more prescriptive, but offer a relatively cost-effective way for entrant to vie for the overall win at Le Mans.

The technical regulations state that entrants must use a spec hybrid system, battery and gearbox, as well as choice of LMP2 derived chassis from either Dallara, Oreca, Ligier and Multimatic.

Porsche, the most successful manufacturer ever at Le Mans, is entered with a Multimatic chassis, while Cadillac – back in the top tier of Le Mans after an absence 20 years – is making use of Dallara’s offering.

The Stuttgart marque is running a third car in addition to its usual two-pronged WEC attack, sourced from its parallel IMSA campaign, and has been close to the Ferrari and Toyota Hypercars all week. Striong race pace could see the 963s take the fight to the front-running Hypercars.

Cadillac is bolstering its ranks with both an extra Ganassi machine (adding to the usual single-car WEC effort) and one from the Action Express team. Both of these cars usually compete in IMSA also. With lap times not far short of the Porsche, the team could find itself in the mix.

There will also be a fourth car for Porsche 963 from the British JOTA squad, which impressed by finishing sixth in Spa on debut.

Read more

LMP2

LMP2 has been seen as Le Mans’ most fertile ground for competition in recent years, and in spite of the increased Hypercar class this year, the second-tier category should still provide excitement throughout the 24 hours.

Zak Brown’s United Autosport is featuring endurance heavyweights Oliver Jarvis, Tom Blomqvist and Josh Pierson in one car, and Phil Hanson, Filipe Albuquerque and Frederick Lubin in the other.

Other front-runners include the No41 WRT squad of Robert Kubica, Louis Deletraz and Rui Andrade, the No 63 Prema car of Daniil Kvyat, Doriane Pin and Mirko Bortolotti and the No28 Jota machine of Pietro Fittipaldi, Oliver Rasmussen and David Heinemeier-Hansson.

Also competing will be endurance legend Jan Magnussen, driving for Inter Europol Competition, his No32 machine being completed by Mark Kvamme and Anders Fjordbach.

GTE-Am

The GT discipline at Le Mans was previously split into the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am categories, but now with the increase of the Hypercar class and decrease in manufacturer interest in GTE racing, only the former exists.

Next year the category will switch to the cheaper, less technologically advanced GT3 ruleset, opening up the class to a wide number of manufacturer cars.

This year still promises to provide some thrilling racing though. Aston Martin, with five Vantages present, will have its largest representation since 2017, while Hollywood film star Patrick Dempsey’s Proton squad is again fielding cinematic colleague Michael Fassbender in the No911 Porsche 911 RSR.

Lilou Wadoux made history by becoming the first ever woman to win a WEC race at Spa, and will look to build on that progress with Luis Perez Companc and Alessio Rovera in AF Corse Ferrari 488.

Also looking to make further Le Mans history is the competitive all-female team of Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey in the No85 Iron Dames car.

2023 24 Hours of Le Mans schedule (BST)

How to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans 

All sessions will be available to stream live on Discovery+, with all broadcasts beginning 15 minutes before each session time listed above, apart from the race itself which will have a one-hour build-up.

Eurosport will also show qualifying practice, Hyperpole and the race, with the first two sessions to be broadcast similarly to Discovery+. Race coverage such as build-up and post-race etc is yet to be released.

Download the World Endurance Championship app (renamed to 24H Le Mans TV for this weekend) and yo can subscribe to the race package for £9.99 within the app.

Guide to the Le Mans circuit (La Sarthe)

The La Sarthe circuit on which the Le Mans 24 Hours is held is one of the great motor sport challenges. At 13.6km (8.4 miles) the track is longer than most modern circuits, the official lap record being held by Toyota’s Mike Conway, who in 2019 clocked a 3min 17.297sec driving a TS050 LMP1 prototype.

With the famous Mulsanne Straight inducing some of the highest speeds seen in racing, huge concentration is needed as drivers negotiate public roads turned international race track for one week only – ruts, bumps, undulations and all.

The lap opens with a right-hand sweep into the Dunlop curb before heading through the Dunlop Bridge and chicane section. A number of technical corners present themselves before drivers round Tertre Rouge, the right-hand turn which proceeds drivers going full-throttle down the Mulsanne.

After negotiating the straight’s two chicanes, cars slam on the brakes for the Mulsanne corner, before taking on the left-right switch of Indianapolis and Arnage.

Competitors then slalom through the sweeping Porsche curves before the chicanes of Maison-Blanche, Ford and Raccordement finish the lap.

Run over 24 gruelling hours, Le Mans is one of racing’s greatest challenges, and this year’s hundredth anniversary looks set to be one of the greatest events held yet.