L’Automobile Club de l’Ouest a désigné les trois récipiendaires qui recevront, à l’occasion des « 24 Heures du Mans », les 14 et 15 Juin 2003, le Trophée « Spirit of Le Mans ».
Ce Trophée, une montre ROLEX gravée du « Spirit of Le Mans » qui symbolise parfaitement le temps qui passe et la dimension de l’épreuve, est remis, depuis 2001, à des personnalités ayant apporté leur contribution à l’histoire de l’image de la course.
Les 3 lauréats cette année sont :
 #  Phil HILL
Pilote, lauréat à 3 reprises aux « 24 Heures du Mans » en 1958, 1960 et 1961 sur FERRARI. Il est un des trois pilotes à avoir à la fois remporté les « 24 Heures du Mans » et un titre de Champion du Monde de Formule 1.
 #  Norbert SINGER
Ingénieur PORSCHE. Pilier du constructeur de Stuttgart depuis 20 ans. Il est à l’origine de la conception de nombreuses voitures ayant remporté la course.
 #  Herb FISHEL
Directeur du programme GM RACING, il prendra sa retraite cette année. On lui doit le développement des programmes CADILLAC et CORVETTE aux « 24 Heures du Mans » et les victoires de ces dernières en catégorie GTS lors des éditions 2001, 2002.

La cérémonie du « Spirit of Le Mans » se tiendra à l’occasion de la Conférence de Presse de l’ACO, le Vendredi 13 Juin prochain, au Grand Welcome de l’ACO.
presse@lemans.org

Celebrating it's 80th anniversary of inception, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, François FILLON - Minister of Employment, Roland du LUART - President of the Sarthe County Council, and Jean-Claude BOULARD - Mayor of Mans, have jointly invited Mr. Donald PANOZ to give the start of the 71st race of the « 24 Heures du Mans».
Creator of the first series bearing the name "Le Mans", and using its racing rules, Donald PANOZ developed endurance racing and took it to a level probably never before attained on the American continent : the American Le Mans Series is and all-round success from sports and commercial to media.
Donald PANOZ has contributed significantly towards boosting the image and prestige of the « 24 Heures », and is a major partner of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest for the promotion of the « 24 Heures du Mans ».
The founding President of the ALMS has written to Michel COSSON, President of the A.C.O., to confirm that he is delighted to accept the invitation : « It has been a great pleasure to work with the A.C.O. for the past several years and I look forward to a continued long and successful relationship between the A.C.O. and the ALMS. It is quite an honor to be selected as your event grand marshal and I am anxiously awaiting the race next month. »
Donald PANOZ becomes the sixth American personality to appear on the « 24 Heures » roll-call of guests of honour, after Mr. HERRINGTON, U.S. Ambassador, in 1957, the car manufacturer, Henry FORD II, in 1966, the actor and film director, Steve MCQUEEN, in 1971, Mr. Bill FRANCE Sr. in 1976 and Mr. Bill CAMPBELL, Mayor of Atlanta, in 1998.
He follows the French film director, Luc BESSON, who was invited to give the start to the 2002 race.

Text and Photos
audi-sportpress

He drove his first race in the Sarthe in 1953, he won the long distance classic in 1960, and since then, as journalist and commentator has not missed a single year in France: Paul Frère is a institution at Le Mans. The 80th anniversary of the race and 50 years of Frère at Le Mans are reason for a quiet an unusual appointment for AUDI AG. Paul Frère will get the opportunity during the pre-test on May 4 to drive the most successful Le Mans sports car of the modern era: the Audi R8.

The 86-year-old Belgian is considered one of the world’s most senior and distinguished motoring journalists and works today, among others, as European correspondent for the American magazine “Road & Track”. Paul Frère celebrated his greatest successes as a racing driver in the 1950s and 1960s. The 24 Hours of Le Mans has always been particularly fascinating to him: “My victory in 1960 was obviously a very special experience,“ he remembers. “But even today Le Mans is still a fantastic race.”

Paul Frère witnessed AUDI AG’s three consecutive victories with the R8 in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 as a journalist. “Over the last few years Audi was unrivalled. I am really looking forward to the test with the Audi R8. It will be interesting to get know the race winning car of recent years and the current Le Mans track layout better.”

“It doesn’t really happen very often that we allow a journalist to get behind the wheel of one of our sports cars,” said Head of Audi Sport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “We are happy to make an exception for Paul Frère and his anniversary. There is not a single person who knows the 24 Hours of Le Mans as intimately as he does. He will be just as impressed by the Audi R8 as our drivers.”

Although AUDI AG planned no works campaigns for the 2003 motorsport season, three Audi R8 sports cars will line up on the grid at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, entered by the Audi customer teams Arena, Champion and Goh.
audi-sportpress

Le Mans : The starting field for the Le Mans 24 Hour race, which celebrates its eightieth anniversary, has been finalised.
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), organiser of the French endurance classic which has been run since 1923, has published a list of the 50 teams invited to the pre-test on May 4. Among the 25 authorised sport prototypes are three Audi R8 sports cars, entered by Team Goh, Arena and Champion with support form the Audi importers in Japan, Great Britain and North America.
No car will start in the 2003 Le Mans race with the number one as the Audi works team is not competing this year following three successive victories.
Start numbers of the Audi teams :
#5 Audi Sport Japan Team Goh : Seiji Ara / Jan Magnussen / Marco Werner
#6 Team ADT Champion Racing : Stefan Johansson / JJ Lehto / Emanuele Pirro
#10 Audi Sport UK : Frank Biela / Perry McCarthy / Mika Salo
audi-sportpress

The A.S.A. A.C.O "24 Heures du Mans" has just published the list of the 50 cars which have been admitted to take part in the administrative checks and scrutineering of the "24 Heures du Mans" preliminary practice sessions (4th May 2003).
The list also includes 6 reserve cars which could replace any eventual withdrawal, and which would follow the order in which the cars appear on the reserve list, regardless of the category of the car which has pulled out.
The 2003 "24 Heures du Mans" race promises to be a fantastic race with a well-balanced, top quality line-up and a lot of new cars. So we can count 25 "Prototypes" and 25 "GTs", all of which represent 22 different makes, made up of 14 entered in the "prototype" category, and 8 in the "GT" category.

This 2003 line-up will stand out thanks to new cars such as a REYNARD COSWORTH in the LMP 900, entered by the NASAMAX Team running on BIO-ETHANOL (green fuel technology), a LISTER and two BENTLEYS in the LM GTP category.
In the LMP 675 category, we will be seeing new chassis and engines with COURAGE COMPETITION, WR and JPX. In the LM GTS category, there will be a PAGANI ZONDA powered by a MERCEDES engine, and lastly, in the GT category, two TVRs.

Regarding nationalities, 14 cars will be running under the American banner, 14 under the French flag, 11 for Great Britain; Germany, Japan and the Netherlands will be represented by 3 cars…
Regarding makes, the 2003 line-up promises to be prestigious with 8 PORSCHES, 7 FERRARIS, 3 AUDIS, 2 BENTLEYS, 2 CORVETTES…

For the 80th anniversary of the "24 Heures du Mans", the race will be superb and will offer a great battle to try to succeed the AUDI SPORT TEAM JOEST, winner of the last 3 "24 Heures du Mans" races.

Le Mans: For some of the teams, Sebring is not just about success in the opening round of the ALMS, but also about securing a starting place for the 2003 Le Mans 24 Hour race on June 14 and 15. 72 applications have been received by the organising Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). Observers from the ACO at Sebring will be deciding after the race which 50 cars will be invited to take part in the preliminary test on May 4. One Audi R8 each has been entered by Audi Sport UK, the Team ADT Champion Racing and the Audi Sport Japan Team Goh , that spent three days of testing last week at Le Castellet (France). At that occasion, Dane Jan Magnussen drove the Audi R8 for the first time.
audi-sportpress

The " 24 Heures du Mans " will fittingly celebrate its 80th anniversary next 14th and 15th of June.

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest received 72 applications for participation.
If the quantity of applications is slightly inferior to the one last year, the quality of the entries is asserting from year to year.
Among the entries we received, new cars are appearing in each admitted category and which allows to consider the presence of, at least, 5 different makes in each class.
Among the 72 registered applications, 31 are Prototypes, and 41 are GT.
Concerning the Prototypes, we count 17 LMP 900, 2 LM GTP and 12 LMP 675.
As for the GT, 14 LM GTS and 27 LM GT.
The selection committee will be meeting in the coming weeks following the 12 Hours of Sebring so as to fix the list of the 50 cars invited to come forward the scrutinaring of the Preliminary practice session of the " 24 Heures du Mans " (Sunday 4th May).
As last year, the selection committee should keep another list of 6 reserved cars, at the maximum.
Those cars will replace any withdrawal, in the order of the list (the category will not be taken into account).