A look back at Test Day, and a look forward to the 24 hours.

The 24 hours 2014 is destined to be a vintage one, whatever the final outcome. With three manufacturer teams in LM P1, a well stocked P2 grid and ultra-competitive GTE categories, there is will be tough fight for overall and class honours.

Photo: Romain Scholer

In addition to the traditional classes, there is also the 'Garage 56' entry in the unusual shape of the Nissan ZEOD RC. At test day last week it turned its first laps on the 24 hours circuit, putting in times in between the bottom of LM P2 and the top of LM GTE Pro. The car is lightweight, agile and powered by a three cylinder engine weighing only 40kg but producing 400hp. The car also has an electric motor that it is hoped will be able to take the ZEOD RC around an entire lap of the circuit on 'zero emission' mode when required. Having only completed 24 laps on Test Day due to fuel pump failure and a cracked exhaust manifold. Its best time was 10 seconds slower than the Deltawing in the 2012 24 hours.

Image: Dave Davies

In LM P1 Audi have long experience and the law of big numbers on their side. Toyota have a completely different approach to hybrid technology and cars which have demonstrated a higher top speed than Audi at Spa WEC. Facing them is the new Porsche factory effort that has been two years in gestation. The 'Mission 2014' project has resulted in two very quick LM P1 hybrid prototypes that have the potential to pull off a victory, but only if they can last the 24 hours. In the LM P1 privateer class, Rebellion's pair of new Toyota engined R-One are unopposed since the withdrawal of the Strakka Dome that had an accident in recent testing. Rebellion might even climb onto the overall podium if there is attrition in the factory teams.

Image: Dave Davies

In LM P2 it is anyone's guess as to the front runners. G-Drive appear to be strong after winning at the Spa WEC, but competition is very tough in the second largest individual class of the 24 hours (17 cars despite the loss of Millennium Racing). During test day the P2 times were slightly faster than at test day in 2013 and most of the field were lapping within a second or so of each other.

The two GTE classes, Pro and Am are essentially comprised of cars running to the same technical regulations, but with year-old cars in the Am class and a limit of one professional driver per car. It is traditionally the toughest fought class and the Am contingent are the most numerous (19 cars).  Two new factory Corvettes in Pro are pitted against a pair of factory Porsche 911, Aston Martin Vantage V8 and three Ferrari 458. In Am there is an army of 11 Ferraris two Astons and four Porsche 911. Fireworks are pretty much guaranteed with enthusiastic 'gentlemen' drivers.

On test day last week Bonanomi in #3 Audi topped the morning session and Buemi in the #8 Toyota was faster in the afternoon though not as quick by 0.5 secs as last year's test day. The Toyota, Audi and Porsche works teams all completed their programmes successfully over the 8 hours. All three ran 13 lap stints but no one attempted 14. The Porsche #14 had a small flash fire in it's pit but no damage was done, neither human nor mechanical. The Rebellion #12 hit the barriers at Porsche curves and sustained front bodywork damage which brought the 2nd session to a slightly early end.

In LM P2 the Oak Racing Morgan #26 set the fastest lap with Rusinov at the wheel on a low fuel/new tyre run late in the day. It was faster  than last year's test day time by one second. The Jota Zytek #38 of Simon Dolan had tyre blow our resulting in bodywork damage.

In GTE Pro the Porsche #92 set fastest lap by Makowiecki faster than last year by 1.6 seconds. In the morning, Porsche #91 got airborne over new kerbs at Ford Chicane and missed afternoon session, the chassis having sustained damage and had to be replaced. Ferrari were given dispensation to run new aero configuration despite their design being notionally frozen at end of 2013.

For GTE Am it was the 8Star Ferrari #90 fastest with a time set by by Paulo Ruberti, making it the fastest 458 of the day (including GTE Pro entries), and 3.4 seconds faster than last year's test day. The IMSA Porsche #76 of Raymond Narac (winner last year in Am) had big off at the Dunlop chicane and sustained considerable  frontal damage. The JMW Ferrari #66 had an airborne moment over new kerbs at Ford Chicane, damaging its suspension.                            

Today (Sunday) is the first day of race week activity with scrutineering and driver sign-on that takes place this year in the Place de la Republique in the city centre. The event is popular with the local population of Le Mans and the region, being rather too early to attract race fans from further abroad. It is however set up as a spectacle in its own right, but more of that later....