This year's Le Mans 24 Hours will be supported by a Le Mans Legend historic race for car from 1949-1965, taking in some of the greatest cars ever to take to the Circuit de La Sarthe.
One of the main attractions in the race will be Sir Stirling Moss in his first race in his own 1961 Porsche RS 61. Sir Striling brought the car in March last year, and intended to race it at Laguna Seca last August, but the gearbox seized on the warm-up, pitching Sir Stirling off where he was hit by a second car which went off, causing substantial damage to the front of to the Porsche , but thankfully none to the drivers!
The car was repaired by UK Porsche specialist Maxted-Page & Prill and will return to the track on June 11 – just hours before the start of the Le Mans 24 Hours itself.
“Despite the incredible provenance and value of the cars entered, the Le Mans Legend is a fiercely fought race and none of Stirling's opponents will be hanging back,” commented Duncan Wiltshire of Motor Racing Legends, which organises the Le Mans Legend. “There's no doubt that Stirling will have quite a fight on his hands; but then, he's used to that. In fact, he positively thrives on it.”
Sir Stirling and co-driver Ian Nuthall will enter the car in the class for 1959-1965 cars with engines smaller than two litres. In class they will find competition from a Porsche RS 60, Ferrari 206P, Lotus 15 – and a 2-litre, 6-cylinder Porsche 904-6 prototype, one of just six built.
In total 61 cars are entered for the Le Mans Legend race – the a reserve list is just as filled – with Ferraris, 250LM, 246S and 365 PS and Listers – Knobbly and otherwise – expected to dominate.
The 45-minute race is scheduled to start at 10am on June 11, offering the hoards of fans something to whet their appetite before the main race starts in the afternoon.
