P241 CJEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:21/02 1/11 % !! L S 24 HEURES DU MANS OOOOOOO OOO A PREVIEW OF THIS WEEKEND'S RACE...P241 CEEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:42/11 2/11 LES 24 HER ES DU MANS Driving south out of LE MANS towards Tours, you - and your car - suddenly notice a difference in the quality of th road surfac . You have just passed the Tjrtre Rouge and gone on to the circuit that hosts LES 24 HIU5JS DU MANS. In fact you are on one of the fastest stretches of motor racing track in the world, the Mulsannj straight, where the biggest cars get up to 230 mph. This weekend they'ri thjti again - with a notable exception - for the 53rd running of the race.P241 CJEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:22/58 3/11 LES 24 HEURES DU MANS Two teams in which CEEFAX has a special interest approach next weekend's 53ud LE MANS 24-hour endurance race in strikingly different ways. For JAGUAR it is a nostalgic return to the scene of past glories, with a new and exciting car, and our friend John Watson at the wheel. Ian Harrower and his ADA team will bj back in France for anothjt crack at the Group C2 honours - but without the backing the Jaguar operation commands. Two faces of the world's toughest sports car race...P241 CJJFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:26/11 4/11 !! L S 24 H U S DU MANS Motor racing fans are thrilled by the return of JAGUAR to this year's Lj Mans 24-hour endurance race. The Coventry firm dominated the Sarthj circuit in its heyday, with victories in 1951-3-5-6-7, but have not been represented since 1964. This year's car is the XJR-5 developed in North America and running in the IMSA GTX category. Starting life in 1982, the car's caries includes a runner-up spot in the 1983 IMSA championship and a brilliant 1-2 at the Miami Grand Prix this year.P241 CEEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:37/12 5/11 !! L S 24 HER ES DU MANS John Watson will share the drive in one of the two JAGUARS at Lj Mans with an old sports car favourite, Brian Rjdman, and French veteran Claude Ballot-Lena. Wattii will bj only too pleased to bj back in harness, while Lj Mans is the only major event Rjdman has failed to win in a long and distinguished caries. Ballot-Lena is the record-holder for Le Mans appearances: next Saturday will bj his 19th start. British fans should not expect too much from Jaguar, who see this purely as a development exercise. But in 1985...P241 CJEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:17/41 6/11 LES 24 HEURES DU MANS In contrast to Jaguar, our friends at ADA have faced a real scramble to get back to the 24 Hours this year. When a major sponsorship fill through, they forgot Monza and made Silvjrstone the Ford-engined De Cadjnjt-Lola's first outing of the year. Third in their class; 18th out of 44 starters: yet another creditable effort bz a British team that runs on the proverbial shoestring. For Lj Mans, spirits are high despite the shortage of money, on the one hand, and driving experience on the othjt.P241 CJEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:38/20 7/11 LES 24 HEURES DU MANS Ian Harrower, a Le Mans veteran in the finest traditions of the race, whml share the ADA drive with two relatively inexperienced Americans. Neithjt Bill Wolff nor Glen Smith is a professional drivjt, but both have done a lot of sprint racing in North Amjtica and Ian is unperturbed at the prospect. The car, as hj proudly recalls, holds the Group C2 lap record at Lj Mans. This year's main competition includes anothjt great Lj Mans name, ECURIE ECOSSE, back in business nearly 20 years after the glorious winning Jaguar drives of 1956 and 1957.P241 CEEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:15/38 8/11 jj 5hnj 555u5 % !! L S 24 HERR S DU MANS One of the distinctive features of the ADA campaign will bj a huge Union Jack. It's a six-foot balloon made for them b S zsigns to h lp fly th flag, just one aspect of the backing they receive. ADA also enjoy the support of Valvoline with oil and fuel supplies, while local bearing djalet Ronald Henderson has conj in with a cash boost for Lj Mans. To prove that the sun still shines, ADA heard on the eve of their departure for France that Hawaiian Tropic, who backed last year's top British entry, would also give them a Lj Mans boost.P241 CJEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:12/31 9/11 LES 24 HERR S DU MANS One famous name will be conspicuous bz its absence from LE MANS this year. The works Porschjs that finished first and second last year are boycotting the race in protest ovjt fuel regulations. Not that Porsche, who had eight cars in the top 10 in 1983, will not bj out in force again: 16 privateers will fly the Stuttgart firm's flag. The New Man and Kremet teams head the list of likely winners, but one outfit with other ideas will bj 1982 world champions Lancia, who had an unhappy Lj Mans in 1983...P241 CJEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:20/14 10/11 !! L S 24 H U S DU MANS For LANCIA the 1983 Lj Mans race was a great disappointment, as all three works LC/2s went out with no more than half the race run. Despite great efforts to put things right, 1984 has not gone altogether smoothly for the Italians eithjt. At Monza it was problems with wheels, at Silvjrstonj the turbo-chargers lit them down. But most fans will turn to Lancia for the win that would put the Porsches in their place and keep interest in Group C alive.P241 CEEFAX 241 Tue 12 Jun 21:41/11 11/11 LES 24 HEURJS DU MANS If one famous name is missing, yet anothjt returns to LE MANS in 1984. The legendary A J FOYT has raced on the Sarthj circuit only once, in 1967, when he and Dan Gurney took a Ford Mark IV to outright victory over the beautif4l Ferrari P4 of Parkjs and Scarfiotti. In the Henn's T-Bird Swap Shop 956, hj will bj vying with the likes of our own Jonathan Palmjt as the privately- entered Porsches try to extend the Wj t German domination. One win is all they need to equal the record nine successes by Ferrari...