After the FIA World Endurance Championship's presentation of its 2012 season, the European Le Mans Series announces its entry list.

For its first season, the European Le Mans Series, essential endurance racing Championship and main channel of the new FIA WEC, presents a promising five category grid. The highest participation will be in the prototype category with a total of twenty entries.

The Le Mans Series / ILMC prize giving ceremony 2011 was held Saturday, January 21 at Musée des Arts Forains in Paris. The opportunity to meet the Endurance family before the 2012 season started. All, or almost, were presents to celebrate the winners of the season : drivers, teams, and manufacturers. An evening under the sign of conviviality a few days before the release of the 2012 entry list.

European Le Mans Series wishes to achieve better participation in 2011 where we had 35 cars committed along the season….about forty cars are expected in all categories: LM P2, LMPC, LM GTE Pro, LM GTE Am and GTC.

Registration forms are already available on the website, www.lemans-series.com in the Competitor's corner.

For its 9th season, European Le Mans Series will propose a 6 event calendar, with five races held on circuits chosen for their very selective layouts that will highlight the competitors' driving skills.

The season will begin on the 9th and 10th of March with the official testing session on the Paul Ricard HTTT (High Tech Test Track) circuit. All categories will be able to attend: LMP2, FLM (Formula Le Mans), LM GTE Pro, LM GTE Am and GTC (the new category launched in order to offer to new teams and new drivers the opportunity to access the GT Endurance world at a European level for a limited budget).

The 6 hour races format will remain, still with the aim to optimize exposure and TV broadcast of the series, provided through a live production.

Following a meeting between Le Mans Series organisation and manufacturers involved in the competition, the new GTC category took shape last week.

Like for the Formula Le Mans, the aim of this new class is to offer to new teams and new drivers the opportunity to access the GT Endurance world at a European level for a limited budget.

Eligible cars are taken from one-make series organised by the Brands themselves. It will be mandatory to add a light parts kit to their specifications, in order to adapt them to Endurance format races and balance their performances.

The 2011 Le Mans Series season ended in Portugal on September 25th during the 6 Hours of Estoril. To allow enthusiasts to wait for next year's action, Motors TV is putting on a summary of the best moments of the Le Mans Series final race.  See the Pescarolo Team victorious in front of the Rebellion Racing crews after 6 hours of fierce battles as well as all the other Le Mans Series categories.

After a thrilling Estoril 6-Hour race the Pescarolo team was able to savour its second victory of the season. Rebellion Racing won the teams' title in LM P1 in the Le Mans Series, and Julien Jousse and Emmanuel Collard bagged the drivers' crown. TDS Racing came first in LM P2, Pegasus Racing in FLM, JMW Motorsport in LM GTE Pro and IMSA Performance in LM GTE Am.

Jean-Christophe Boullion in the no. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota, who rejoined on the tail of Julien Jousse in the Pescarolo team's Pescarolo-Judd, was unable to match Jousse's pace because of excessive tyre wear. The man from the Var department gradually opened up a gap, and by the end of the race he was no longer under threat from the Swiss team's lead car. The Pescarolo team on its Le Mans Series comeback scored its second win and took the drivers' title, while victory in the teams' championship went to Rebellion Racing.  

With an hour to go to the end of the Estoril 6 Hours the Pesarolo team is in a strong position to win the race. Julien Jousse opened up a small gap over Andrea Belicchi and then made a lightening pit stop rejoining with over a minute in hand over Jean-Christophe Boullion who replaced his Italian team-mate. But Boullion is not giving up and has reeled off a string of quick laps.

The no. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola -Toyota and the no. 16 Pescarolo team's Pescarolo are on the same pit stop strategy, so the team managers in each camp can see what their rival is up to in real time! After 4 hours' racing, less than 15 seconds separate the two title contenders!

In LM P1, the battle rages between the no. 16 Pescarolo-Judd driven by Manu Collard and Jean-Christophe Boullion's no. 13 Lola-Toyota. The latter got back in front after the third round of refuelling stops, and after 3 hours' racing he has a 2-second lead over his fellow-countryman.

After leading the race for over 2 hours, the no. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota lost first place in the Estoril 6 Hours after its second pit stop. Jean-Christophe Boullion took over from Andrea Bellichi and rejoined behind Emmanuel Collard who had replaced Julien Jousse.

The Estoril 6 Hours got off to a flying start. In LM P1 the no. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota in the hands of Andrea Bellichi snatched second place from Julien Jousse's Pescarolo-Judd. But the Swiss team's double did not last as Neel Jani's no.12 Lola-Toyota was pushed into its garage, and then stripped down because of a gearbox problem.

Greaves Motorsport has won both the drivers' and teams' titles in LM P2 thanks to Tom Kimber-Smith's pole yesterday. Today, the British team is determined to end the season on a high note. Karim Ojjeh sums up a year that has been a marvellous success story from start to finish thanks to the Le Mans Series titles, and the rise to prominence of young French coming man, Olivier Lombard.

The Le Mans Series drivers took part in the autograph session in the paddock before the Estoril 6 Hours. A large crowd turned up in the warm Portuguese sunlight to get signatures from their favourites.

The final session before the start of the Estoril 6 Hours was held in sunny weather. The teams took full advantage of the 20 minutes to check their cars' setup before the last race of the season, and most of them covered over 10 laps.

In 2010, Nicolas Armindo won the German Porsche Carrera Cup and this season he has moved up to endurance with considerable success. With his team-mate, Raymond Narac, he has dominated the LM GTE Am category in the Le Mans Series at the wheel of the IMSA Performance Matmut team's Porsche 997. He scored another pole at Estoril, and he talks about what has been a very rich season.

Estoril still bears the traces of its past as a Formula 1 circuit. While the top motor racing category has now abandoned the Portuguese track, it hosts many championships. After Portimao in 2009 and 2010, the Le Mans Series decided to pitch its tent at Estoril for the first time and bring its eighth season to a close on this historic track.

The Estoril 6 Hours is the final round of the very exciting 2011 season. Patrick Peter, the director of Peter Auto, promoter of the Le Mans Series, thanked all the teams who have taken part in the Series in 2011, and all those who supported it over the past eight years. A new adventure begins in 2012.

In the categories in which titles have not yet been awarded qualifying for the Estoril 6 Hours provided some pointers, and an answer. In LM P2 Greaves Motorsport clinched the title thanks to pole. Rebellion Racing increased its lead in the LM P1 teams' classification like IMSA Performance in LM GTE Am. Neil Garner Motorsport think of class podium. First pole of the season for JMW Motorsport.

In LM P1, Neel Jani waited till the dying minutes of qualifying to go quickest with a time of 1m 30.118s in the no. 12 Lola–Toyota just in front of Julien Jousse in the Pescarolo-Judd whose best was 1m 30.317s. Thus Rebellion Racing will start the Estoril 6 Hours on pole. The duel between the Swiss team and Pescarolo Racing for the LM P1 title promises to be the highlight of the race.

The Ferrari-Porsche duel again fulfilled its promise in qualifying for the Estoril 6 Hours. Nicolas Armindo in the IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 quickly set pole in LM GTE Am, while in LM GTE Pro the battle for first place was more hotly disputed.

This morning the drivers took part in the third free practice session for the Estoril 6 Hours. Neel Jani went pedal to the metal in the no. 12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota, and got round in 1m 30.034s beating Julien Jousse in the Pescarolo-Judd who lapped in 1m 30.703s.

Do a lap of the Estoril circuit with Pedro Mello-Breyner (Norma M200P – Judd – Extreme Limite AM Paris)

Jean-Christophe Boullion banged in a stunning lap at the end of the second free practice session on the Estoril circuit to give Rebellion Racing the FTD (fastest time of the day). In his no. 13 Lola-Toyota he got round in 1m 30.935s beating the no. 16 P'escarolo-Judd, which was on top for most of the session. The French car ended up in second place thanks to Julien Jousse's 1m 31.983s.

This weekend, the Pescarolo team and Rebellion Racing are fighting for the Le Mans Series LM P1 title, and the French team got its weekend off to a good start for the Estoril 6 Hours. Emmanuel Collard whittled his times down from 1m 34.798s to 1m 31.938s putting the French car in front of the two Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyotas.

The fifth and last round of the 2011 Le Mans Series will take place on the Estoril circuit near Lisbon on 23-25 September. While some titles are already in the pocket, others are still up for grabs! This is the case in LM P1 where the final showdown will take place between Rebellion Racing and Team Pescarolo; and also in LM P2 with Greaves Motorsport poised to win its first title in the Series.

After winning the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 km and the Imola 6 Hours, Peugeot emerged victorious in front of 40 000 spectators in the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone, the fourth of the five rounds of the 2011 Le Mans Series. After a long duel with the no. 1 Audi R18 TDI, the no. 7 908 came first after a well-judged race showing its reliability and speed. Greaves Motorsport won in LM P2, Pegasus Racing in FLM, AF Corse in LM GTE Pro and IMSA Matmut Performance in LM GTE Am.

Sébastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud in the no.7 Peugeot 908 have won the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone. The French pair beat the no. 1 Audi R18 TDI driven by Marcel Fässler and Timo Bernhard and the no. 24 Oak-Pescarolo of Olivier Pla et Alexandre Prémat.

Peugeot is an hour away from winning the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone. The no. 7 908 and the no. 1 Audi R18 TDI were involved in a scrap in which every tenth of a second counted until the German car lost over a minute in the pits as the fifth hour struck. This put Sebastien Bourdais into a comfortable lead and he kept up a searing pace. He also set the fastest lap and handed over to Simon Pagenaud to finish the job.

After four hours' racing the outcome of the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone remains as indecisive as ever. Audi and Peugeot are still battling for victory with the no. R18 TDI leading the no. 7 908.

As the third hour began Peugeot had a good lead, but Audi is now back in the running for victory. After the first two cars pitted Marcel Fässler in the no. 1 Audi R18 TDI hunted down Simon Pagenaud in the no. 7 Peugeot.

The second hour of the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone flashed by almost as quickly as the first as the thrilling battle continued between Sébastien Bourdais' no. 7 Peugeot and Timo Bernhard's no. 1 Audi R18 TDI. The Frenchman fought his way past the German who then spun losing 14 seconds to the Peugeot driver, who was replaced by Simon Pagenaud while Marcel Fässler took over from Bernhard.

The first hour of the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone was a frantic one. Audi and Peugeot battled for the lead in the opening laps of the race. Sébastien Bourdas (no. 7 Peugeot 908) held on to his first place with Allan McNish (no. 2 Audi R18 TDI) crawling all over his gearbox.

Ten years ago the United States and the whole world were shocked by the attacks of 11th September, which caused 3000 deaths. In homage to the victims and their families and all those who helped them, the start of the Autosport 6 hours of Silverstone was preceded by one minute of silence.

Andrei Arshavin, the Russian football star of English football, who plays for Arsenal, will make a prestigious visit to the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone today, Sunday.

After being dominated by Peugeot in the four practice and qualifying sessions, Audi turned the tables in the warm-up two hours before the start of the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone. The no. 1 R18 TDI was fastest with a lap in 1m 47.667s from the no. 8 Peugeot 908 in 1m 48.038s.

The Rugby World Cup is omnipresent this weekend at the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone. While the race remains the main preoccupation of the various entrants, nobody can ignore the matches of their national teams. This morning, the French squad set the ball rolling before the English took on old rivals Argentina.

Originally, Simon Pagenaud was not down to drive in the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone. He was called in to replace Anthony Davidson (not fully recovered from his injuries) alongside Sébastien Bourdais. The Frenchman made a big impact, and on his first outing on a circuit he didn‘t know before this weekend, he was the quickest man on the track today, Saturday.

Simon Pagenaud took pole in his Peugeot 908 for the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone on his first outing on the famous English circuit. Despite uncertain weather conditions the Frenchman found the right window to set the fastest time in the session in front of Allan McNish and Stéphane Sarrazin. The other pole setters were: Danny Watts (LMP2), Phil Keen (FLM), Augusto Farfus (LM GTE Pro) and Nicolas Armindo (LM GTE Am).

Ferrari did not have a great qualifying session as BMW was quickest in LM GTE Pro and Porsche in LM GTE Am thanks to Augusto Farfus and Nicolas Armindo respectively.

Simon Pagenaud set pole for the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone in 1m 43.924s. It was the Frenchman's first time out on the English circuit in the no.7 Peugeot 908 he shares with Sébastien Bourdais. In fact, he was called in at the last minute to replace the injured Anthony Davidson who was unable to drive in front of his home public.

This weekend the Michelin Green X Challenge went to Peugeot rewarding the car with the best energy performance. The drivers of the no. 8 908 were declared winners of this classification for the Imola 6 Hours, the third round of the 2011 Le Mans Series.

Karim Ojjeh leads the drivers' classification in the LM P2 category and the teams' ratings with Greaves Motorsport so he is in the running for the 2011 Le Mans Series titles. He has won two races this season and the mythic Le Mans 24 Hours, but he's not making a big song and dance about it.

Peugeot dominated the third free session cut short by red flags. In the early stages, the Mik Corse Zytek 09 Hybrid caught fire and it took the marshals several minutes to put it out. Stéphane Sarrazin set the fastest time in 1m 44.879s in the no.8 Peugeot 908 from team-mate Simon Pagenaud in no. 7 (1m 45.015s), who improved at the end of the session.

The no. 8 Peugeot set the quickest time in the first free session, and its sister car (no. 7) in the hands of Simon Pagenaud topped the time sheets in the second one. Even though the Peugeot drivers reckoned that the 908 was not the ideal car to tackle the quick Silverstone curves, the Frenchman put in a stunning lap in 1m 44.945s beating the quickest of the Audis no. 2 (1m 46.690s) by almost 2 seconds!

The Le Mans Series resumed on the Silverstone circuit after a 2-month break. Peugeot continued where it had left off at Imola, and Stéphane Sarrazin in the no. 8 908 set the fastest time in 1m 47.755s after Audi had dominated most of the first free session. The German cars, nos 1 & 2, finished second and third in 1m 47.966s and 1m 48.080s respectively. The quickest of the LM P1 cars entered for the Le Mans series was the no. 12 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota with a time of 1m 48.694s.

The Chelsea Auto Legends will be held on Sunday, September 4th, from 10 am to 4 pm, just a week before the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone. A not to be missed Le Mans Series appointment, gathering some of the most famous actors in motor sports.

Enthusiasts and Medias will be able to meet the ace drivers during a question/answer session at 1:30 pm, in particular with Anthony Davidson, Johnny Mowlem, Chris Buncombe, Danny Watts and Lucas Ordonez.

The fourth round of the 2011 Le Mans Series will take place on the Silverstone circuit in England. The Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone on 10th-11th September will be the thirty-fifth running of the famous British endurance classic. The teams racing in the Le Mans Series will begin the final push to the wire on this track on which some of the greatest drivers and cars have triumphed – there will be an exhibition of cars that have raced on the Northampton layout. In all five categories the winners could take a decisive step towards bagging this year's titles. Fifty cars will start the second-last race of the 2011 Le Mans Series season.

This week, the Scottish driver Allan McNish revealed a front taste of the Autosport 6 hours of Silverstone which will take place on September 9th, 10th and 11th, aboard Audi R8 LMS. Some privileged journalists were able to rise beside the double winner of the “24 Heures du Mans” for a baptism on the Silverstone circuit.

The opportunity for theses men of the shade to discover the sensations to be driven by Allan himself... An experience that convince all of them.

The London Project to Cure Blindness is a research collaboration between Professor Pete Coffey at University College London and Dr Lyndon da Cruz, Consultant Retinal Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

The London Project aims to use your Stem Cells as an individualized treatment to restore your sight if you suffer from Age-related Macular Degeneration.

This weekend sees a gathering of stars and cars from the history of the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone, which celebrates its 35th anniversary and 20th running as Britain's premier international sports car event.

A unique collection of landmark cars from the history of the 6 Hour/1000km event has been brought together and will be on display thoughout the weekend.

There will be a BMW 3.5 CSL of the type raced to a dramatic victory by John Fitzpatrick and Tom Walkinshaw in the inaugural event of 1976, when they beat the faster Porsche 935 of ‘Brilliant' Bob Wollek and Hans Heyer by just 1.3 seconds.

The legendary Group C era began at Silverstone in 1982 when Porsche revealed its new car, the 956, at the Silverstone 6 Hours. The very same car – chassis 001 – returns to the scene of its only competitive appearance, joining the BMW and a host of other winning cars, including the Porsche 935 K3, Audi R8 LMP and Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.

The most famous drivers and cars from Le Mans Series will be gathered during the Autosport 6 hours of Silverstone in UK on September 9th, 10th and 11th. This year the dancers of the Moulin Rouge will be present on the starting grid first on the pole position and then beside Greaves Motorsport, to support three drivers among whom Olivier Lombard, member of the family owner of the most famous cabaret of the world.

From 9 to 11 September 2011, the “Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone”, one of the season's main races will take place. To allow you to live this LMS and ILMC event from the inside, in a very special way, we are offering a VIP package on Sunday 11th of September. Enjoy discovering Silverstone's brand new buildings, an access to the VIP grandstands with a unique view over the starting line, lunch and open bar…

The kick-off of the 63rd edition of the 24 Hours of Spa was given at 4 pm. The crews held a particularly intense rhythm during the whole race, eventful from the start.

The serious business started this Thursday, July 28th, unfortunately with constant rain.

Thus, the competitors set off for the qualifying sessions of the 63rd edition of the 24 Hours of Spa on a wet track.

There are a great many contenders for the victory. Who of Audi, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW.... will be on the highest step of the podium Sunday?

The saga continues for the Le Mans Series drivers who return to the crime scene. Indeed, the season's second race was held on the reputed Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

During the 24 hours of Spa, the drivers will put their overalls back on and affront each other on this much appreciated track.   

Meeting with Olivier Pla from Toulouse; participating in the Total 24hours of Spa for the first time.

During the Le Mans Series summer break, it is time, after the official announcement of the creation of an FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 and two races before the end of the season; Silverstone on 9, 10 and 11 September and Estoril on 23, 24 and 25 September, to talk about the future.

Created in 2009, Formula Le Mans has raced within Le Mans Series since two years. The category has real potential and this is shown in different ways. First of all the ORECA-FLM 09 participated in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup last year. After this season, the winner of the Team classification will be automatically offered a qualification for the 2012, 24 Hours of Le Mans in LMP2. An invitation which obviously arouses interest and gives rise to beautiful battles on the track.

Just back from the 6 hours of Imola, Mathias Beche and Fabien Rosier were together again on the track this weekend. Direction Magny Cours for the fifth race of the GT Tour. This time, the two young drivers, usually in LMP2 are in GT bucket seats.

Peugeot Sport Total scores a double in the Imola 6 Hours

Peugeot Sport Total scored a double in the Imola 6 Hours. Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Bourdais in the no.7 Peugeot 908 took the flag in front of Stéphane Sarrazin and Franck Montagny in the no.8 Peugeot 908. Marcel Fässler and Timo Bernhard completed the podium in the no. 1 Audi R18 TDI.

Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Bourdais have won the Imola 6 Hours beating their team-mates, Stéphane Sarrazin and Franck Montagny giving Peugeot Sport Total a double, and a revenge victory over the two Audi R18 TDIs in third and fourth places.

With 60 minute to go to the chequered flag, Peugeots fill the first two places in the Imola 6 Hours. Sébastien Bourdais (no. 7 Peugeot 908) has a lap in hand over Franck Montagny in no. 8. In third is still the no. 1 Audi R18 TDI.

There were no major classification changes in the fourth hour of the Imola 6-Hours event.  While the Audi drivers exchanged seats for their fifth stint, Anthony Davidson and Stéphane Sarrazin rejoined for a third turn behind the wheel. The only leadership change came in FLM with Genoa Racing taking first place.

The no. 7 Peugeot 908 has retaken first place in the overall classification  from its sister car, no. 8. The third hour was marked by an incident involving the  no. 7 Peugeot 908 and the no. 2 Audi R18 TDI when  Tom Kristensen was being lapped.

The second round of refuelling stops led to the first driver changes.  Anthony Davidson got into the no. 7 Peugeot while Stéphane Sarrazin took up the running in no. 8 after the first third of the Imola 6 Hours.

Sébastien Bourdais (no. 7 Peugeot Sport Total, Peugeot 908) who started from pole was still in the lead at the end of the first hour of the Imola 6 Hours. Franck Montagny (no. 8 Peugeot Sport Total, Peugeot 908) is lying second after pulling off a beautiful pass on Marcel Fässler (no. 1 Audi Sport Team Joest, Audi R18 TDI).

Imola was inaugurated in 1953 and quickly became one of the principal motorsport circuits in Italy. It is just down the road from the factories of Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini, and it has been the theatre of exceptional victories and serious accidents, one of which cost Ayrton Senna his life on 1st May 1994.

Anthony Davidson gave the Peugeot 908 its maiden pole position on its first outing in the Sebring 12 Hour and he repeated this performance at Imola. The British driver is expecting a tough race tomorrow against the Audis in the thick of the traffic.

The duel continues between Peugeot and Audi. The 2 Peugeot 908s and the 2 Audi R18 TDIs will line up on either side of the grid for the Imola 6 Hours. Anthony Davidson (no. 7 Peugeot 908) bagged pole ahead of Marcel Fässler (no. 1 Audi R18 TDI), Stéphane Sarrazin (no. 8 Peugeot 908 n°8) and Allan McNish (no. 2 Audi R18 TDI n°2).

The first 20-minute qualifying session for the Imola 6 Hours began at  14h00 with 14 LM GTE Pros and 8 GTE Ams taking part. The no. 55 BMW M3 n°55 and the no. 63 Porsche 911 RSR n°63 set the quickest times in their respective categories .

Gilberto Maffeo isn't one of the best-known AF Corse team members, but he's one of the most important: he is also the best-known cook in the paddock.

Giacomo Piccini hails from Sansepolcro in Tuscany, just an hour down the road from Imola so he's batting on home turf this weekend. The MIK Corse driver is counting on the Italian event to score a good result in his no. 23 Zytek 09.

The track was dry despite a shower at sunrise, and the no. 1 Audi R18 TDI pipped the no. 7 Peugeot 908 by 0.026s, which promises a very closely-fought qualifying session for the Imola 6-Hours grid positions.

Qualifying for the Le Mans Series at 13h55 and the first races in the other categories are on the programme. Today, the cars will be on the track for over 8h 15m!

Relive the free practice session, the preparations and the Michelin Green X Challenge...

A storm soaked the track mid-afternoon so only 29 cars took part in the second free session reduced to 60 minutes. At the end, the two Peugeot 908s topped the time sheets with no. 8 in front of no. 7. They were followed by the no. 46 LM P2 Oreca 03-Nissan entered by TDS Racing.

Throughout most of Europe, holiday departures cause hundreds of kilometers of traffic jams. Around Imola, the cars head for the Rimini beaches at a snail's pace. At the circuit the traffic is also a major talking point.

Ten Italians will be at the start of the Imola 6 Hours in LM P1, LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am. Among them, Giancarlo Fisichella is the crowd's blue-eyed boy. The driver with 223 F1 Grand Prix under his belt is back at a circuit that has been a very important one in his career.

Nineteen days after the finish of the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Imola 6 Hours saw battle rejoined in the Le Mans Series between the main endurance teams. The first free practice session turned in Peugeot's favour in front of its main rival, Audi.

For all endurance drivers, scoring a win in the Le Mans 24 Hours is a priority career objective. Seven drivers who achieved this feat on 12th June will be at the start of the Imola 6 Hours.

The first drivers to take to the track did so at 08h00 this morning. The day began with 60-minutes free practice for the Formula 2000 Light cars. Two 90-minute free sessions are programmed for the Le Mans Series entries at 12h15 and 16h30 respectively.

The paddock is set-up, the teams are ready …. And the drivers are raring to begin.

It is on the extemely technical track of Imola, length: 4,9 km, that tomorrow, the drivers will participate in the first free practice sessions from 12.15 to 1.45 pm then from 4.30 to 6.00.

Recently victorious in LMP2 during the last 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Saudi Arabian driver Karim Ojjeh continues his Le Mans Series season with the Greaves Motorsport team on a Zytek Z11SN-Nissan. A few days before the 6 Hours of Imola, he gave us his impressions.

Two months after the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 Km, the next round of the Le Mans Series will take place on the Imola circuit in an event lasting 6 hours.  Teams and drivers, some of whom recently competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours, will race in the third round of the season hoping to end the first half of the year on a high note. Before the summer break, they will all be out to make up for points lost at Le Castellet or on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, or to add to those scored in the opening rounds in the spring.

After an incredible 24 hours race, the Le Mans Series teams, still in the running, crossed the finishing line.

Find classifications by category after 9 hours of intense race.

Find classification after 3:30 of race

The 4th race of the season will take place on the Silverstone circuit on September 9th, 10th and 11th, 2011. Save this date on your calendar and buy your places early at an exceptional price during the 79th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In partnership with the English weekly magazine Autosport you will have the possibility of buying your tickets at a preferential rate and living the Le Mans fever at Silverstone.

The ‘Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone' bus will be in the 24 Hours of Le Mans village from Wednesday, June 8th.

No less than 20 teams have an appointment with history on the famous, mythical 24h of Le Mans circuit.

Who are they?

Numerous factors have to be combined to ensure that a Le Mans Series meeting goes off without a hitch. Race Control plays a crucial role in this area. While the on-track action is raging amid the roar of the engines Race Control is keeping an eye on everything. The monitor screens show what's happening while the nerve centre is linking to the marshals by phone.

Mathieu Lahaye reassured his fans and those of OAK Racing after the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps. Seriously injured during qualifying of Le Mans Series second round, he was treated at the Verviers hospital, close to the circuit.

Today Saturday, Peugeot won the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms for the fifth time on the trot after its four straight victories between 2007 and 2010.  The 908s got the better of their German rivals early on in the race despite their poor grid positions and were never headed after that. TDS Racing, Hope Racing, AF Corse and IMSA Performance Matmut triumphed in the other categories.

Peugeot managed to overcome a poor qualifying session to win the second round of the 2011 Le Mans Series. Alexander Wurz-Marc Gené-Anthony Davidson drove a perfect race in no.7 and took the chequererd flag in front of the no. 8 908 and the no. 3 Audi R18 TDI. It is Peugeot's fifth win on the trot on the Ardennes circuit.

Peugeot still leads the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms in LM P1 and victory looks on the cards for the French manufacturer as its three 908s are in the first 3 places.

Two thirds of the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms have now been covered and it's status quo in all categories in the fourth hour.

There have already been several upsets since the start of the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms, dominated by Peugeot at the halfway mark.

During the second hour of the race, the no. 7 Peugeot 908 increased its lead. Alex Wurz pulled out a few seconds lead lap after lap in his second stint. After 1h30m, he had 11 seconds in hand over Andre Lotterer in the no. 2 Audi R18 TDI with Allan McNish in no. 3, a further 18 seconds back.

The no. 1 Audi came in for a rear bonnet change and rejoined with Romain Dumas at the wheel.

The first hour of the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms provided some thrilling racing on the circuit in the Ardennes. Despite Audi's triple in qualifying, Peugeot fought back and overtook the R18s to lead the race.

Hope Racing, second quickest in qualifying in the Formula Le Mans category in the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms is gunning for victory on the Belgian circuit. The no. 91 FLM-Oreca will start the race from the twelfth row alongside no. 99 entered by JMB Racing and behind no. 92 run by Neil Garner Motorsport.

The many fans present at the Belgian circuit were able to meet the drivers in brilliant sunshine before the start of the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms.  

Mathieu Lahaye, who was the victim of a high-speed accident in qualifying for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms, is still under observation. The OAK Racing driver was badly shocked in the crash and was taken to hospital for examinations.

Andre Lotterer, who was second quickest in qualifying for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms in the no. 2 Audi R18 TDI, is racing on the Belgian circuit almost as if he were on home turf.  Since he was a kid, the young German has often spectated at the famous track in the Ardennes. Now he is driving here and he is determined to show his talent.

In brilliant sunshine, Peugeot emerged quickest in the warm-up for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms thanks to Franck Montagny in the no. 8 908 who set the benchmark time in 2m 03.744s.

Nicolas Armindo, 2010 German Porsche Carrera Cup Champion, who has set 2 pole positions in LM GTE Am since the start of the Le Mans Series season, has made a big impact on the endurance scene. While his aim is to have the best possible car for the race, he is very pleased with his qualifying record.

Audi made a stunning debut with its R18 TDIs. The Ingolstadt firm's three cars set the three quickest times in qualifying for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms. Strakka Racing, AF Corse, IMSA Performance Matmut and Neil Garner Motorsport bagged pole in the other categories.

Audi scored a hat trick in qualifying for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms. The Ingolstadt firm's three R18 set the three quickest times with Timo Bernhard in the no. 1 Audi bagging pole in 2m 01.152s.

The LM GTE qualifying session for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms was a closely-fought one. Ferrari dominated in GTE Pro and Porsche in GTE Am in the final session before the race.

Audi topped the time sheets in the third and final free practice for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms.  The session was again cut short following an accident.

The Peugeot Sport technical director said the repairs carried out on no. 9 went off without problems. The car, which was involved in a collision on Thursday afternoon, is ready to run again like its driver, Pedro Lamy, who was uninjured in the shunt.

The Swiss team's no. 13 Lola-Toyota was badly damaged in an off in the Raidillon on Thursday afternoon with Jean-Christophe Boullion in the driving seat, and its mechanics had to burn the midnight oil to rebuild the car.

Yesterday evening after the end of the first day's practice on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Pescarolo team received its Michelin Green X Challenge Trophy. It was a just reward for the French squad for its victory in this classification in the Le Castellet 6 Hours.

Audi set the three quickest times in the second free practice session for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms. The session was cut short due to two accidents in less than 45 minutes.

Olivier Panis, a member of the ORECA Peugeot 908 HDi FAP driver line-up, thinks that the works Peugeot and Audi squads have a certain advantage in the Spa-Francorchamps 1000-km race. But the former F1 driver reckons that the French trio in the no.10 908, which won the Sebring 12 Hours, have a few tricks up their sleeve! 

After the first round of the Le Mans Series at Le Castellet, the intensity is going to be ratcheted up several notches in the second race, the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms on 5th -7th May. Almost sixty cars will be on the starting grid for the Belgian classic, and the duel between Audi and Peugeot, with only six weeks to go to the Le Mans 24 Hours, will be the highlight in the top category!

Watch the video of the race of 6 hours Le Castellet.

Henri Pescarolo's team made a triumphant comeback to endurance racing by winning on its first outing in 2011. Emmanuel Collard, Christophe Tinseau and Julien Jousse took first place in the event on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit. Greaves Motorsport won the LM P2 category and finished on the third step of the overall podium. JMW Motorsport, Felbermayr-Proton and Pegasus Racing carried off the spoils in the other categories.

Henri Pescarolo's team made a triumphant return to endurance racing by winning on its first outing in 2011. Christophe Tinseau, Julien Jousse and Emmanuel Collard took first place in the event in the Var.

Emmanuel Collard in the no. 16 Pescarolo-Judd is still in first place in the Le Castellet 6 Hours with a lap in hand over Jean-Christophe Boullion in the no. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota. There has been a leadership change in LM P2 with the Greaves Motorsport Zytek-Nissan taking up the running from the Strakka Racing HPD.

With two thirds of the race gone, the Pescarolo Team is still in the lead in the Le Castellet 6 Hours. Emmanuel Collard is now at the wheel of the no. 16 Pescarolo-Judd with more than a lap in hand over Jean-Christophe Boullion in the no. 13 Rebellion Racing Lola-Toyota.

Just after the half-distance mark, the Pescarolo Team is still in the lead in the provisional overall classification of the Le Castellet 6 Hours. The French squad is now looking forward to seeing the cheqsuered flag, and scoring a victory to celebrate its return to endurance racing.

Despite setting pole yesterday during qualifying for the Le Castellet 6 Hours, the Rebellion Racing driver is convinced that the first round of the 2011 Le Mans Series is going to be a hotly-contested one.

The tyres play a determining role in the performance of the prototypes and GTs, and they will be the focus of particular attention during the Le Castellet 6 Hours. The new race format calls for tyres to last even longer than in previous seasons.

Before the first round of the 2011 Le Mans Series, which will start at 12h00 for a duration of 6 hours, the drivers took to the track this morning for a short warm-up to fine-tune their cars' setups.

Neel Jani topped the time sheets in qualifying for the Le Castellet 6 Hours. By bagging pole for the first round of the 2011 Le Mans Series, the Swiss driver helped Rebellion Racing to confirm its title ambitions.

Relive the third free practice session, the preparations and the Michelin Green X Challenge...

While Neel Jani set pole for the Le Castellet 6 Hours, another Swiss driver, Mathias Beche, made a big impact during qualifying. He set pole in LM P2 as he continues his successful career in endurance.

Nicolas Lapierre, ORECA driver in LM P1, who recently won the Sebring 12 Hours, is at Le Castellet this weekend.  The man from Thonon-les-Bains is advising the drivers in the Oreca 03s in LM P2. TDS Racing and Boutsen Energy Racing, two new teams in LM P2 with Oreca 03 chassis, have made a great start in the category setting the two quickest times in qualifying for the Le Castellet 6 Hours.  While Mathias Beche and Dominik Kraihamer are both very talented drivers, Lapierre's advice has also played a part in this success. 

In addition to the Le Mans Series, other championships have kicked off in the sunny Var region this weekend. Dutchman Nigel Melker, driving for the Mücke Motorsport team, won the first race of the weekend in the F3 Euro Series.

Olivier Pla, driver of the Quifel ASM Team's Zytek 09SC, reckons that it will be difficult for the former LM P2 car, which has moved up to the top category thanks to the new regulations, to hold its own against the other LM P1s driven by professionals.

With just a few hours to go to qualifying for the Le Castellet 6 Hours, the third and final free practice session gave a better idea of the overall hierarchy, even if the full potential of the contenders will not really be unveiled until qualifying, and the race itself. Rebellion Racing, however, has already laid down a marker.

34 cars entered for this first race of the season. After the 2 sessions: both surprises and confirmations...

It is first of all in LM P1 that we find the Team Quifel-ASM with the best time 1:48.004 followed by the Lola of Andrea Belicchi and Jean-Christophe Boullion (Rebellion Racing).

In LM P2, Greaves Motorsport steals the limelight from the Team Boutsen Energy Racing (1:50.557).

Neil Garner Motorsport confirms their leading position in FLM in front of Hope Racing realising respectively 1:54.583 and 1:54.716.

In LM GTE Pro, the Team Felbermayr-Proton confirms its position at the head of the category with 1:58.666 realised during the 1st test session; a performance which was not beaten.

In LM GTE Am, the Armindo/Narac crew of IMSA performance Matmut continues its momentum (1:59.220) and finishes in front of the n°61 of the Team AF Corse (2:00.376).

The 3rd session on Saturday morning (9:00 - 10:00) will allow the teams to confirm or not their positions.

The qualifying sessions will begin at 1.45pm for LM GTE Pro and Am for 20 minutes. The LM P1, LM P2 and the FLM will follow them from 2.15pm onwards.

On 11 and 12 March, the traditional Le Mans Series official tests will take place at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit, opening the Le Mans Series season.

After a six month break, teams, drivers and main actors of the series, without forgetting the enthusiasts, impatiently await the new 2011 season.