The Rest of the World's Biggest Race

Here in the States, the biggest auto race of the year is the Daytona 500. It used to be the Indy 500, but that was back in the days before the open wheel split. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, however, the biggest single race of the year is probably the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which has its 76th running this weekend.

As the BBC explains, the scene is set for a titanic battle between the three factory Audi R10s and the three Peugeot 908 Hdi-FAPs (which occupy six of the top seven spots on the starting grid). All are diesel powered. In the Euro-based Le Mans Series, the Peugeots have had the measure of the all-conquering Audis, but the lone Peugeot at Sebring succumb to mechanical failures. Who knows how things will shake out?

Browsing the Web I stumbled across a great resource for this year's race, for both Le Mans beginners and vets. From Ultimatecarpage.com, it's a Le Mans 101 on the different classes, as well as a spotter's guide for every car in the field. Study it well before the flag drops at 8:30 Saturday morning on Speed (for a while)!