One of the toughest and most prestigious endurance races in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has officially begun, with the third and final qualifying session running last night. Peugeot and their diesel-powered 908’s put on a dominating performance, claiming the top four spots on the grid and leading the way amongst the LMP1 group that was once owned by Audi.

Frenchman and former Indy Car champ Sebastien Bourdais led the way for Peugeot, claiming pole position for the French manufacturer and no doubt delighting the home town crowd in the process. Local fans were probably just as pleased to see Frenchman and former F1 driver Olivier Panis’ independent ORECA Team Peugeot Matmut qualify 4th just behind the three factory Peugeots.

Audi, who’ve owned Le Mans with their LMP1 machines over the last decade, claimed the next three spots on the starting grid with their trio of R15 entries, giving diesel-powered cars the top seven spots. Audi’s Allan McNish made a late charge during the final qualifying session to close the Audi-Peugeot gap to 2.5-seconds a lap, but over a 24 hour period Audi has to hope for superior fuel and tire economy if they’re to have any chance at defeating the quicker Peugeots.

Get the rest of the qualifying results after the jump:

Don Panoz, the mastermind behind the production of hand-built exotic sportscars like the Panoz Esperante and 24 Hours of Le Mans GT2 class winning Esperante GTLM (2006), has outdone himself with this latest creation, the Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’.

Built and named to pay tribute to what Panoz considers the world’s greatest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Abruzzi is both a technological marvel and a uniquely delivered ownership experience, with every one of the planned 81 examples being delivered to their European owners at the famed Circuit de La Sarthe racing circuit where the day-long mid-summer classic takes place each year.

The link to Le Mans will go deeper still, with each Abruzzi’s chassis number containing the date of the Le Mans race it was delivered on. Each delivery will also include professional driving instruction on the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans and all service and repair work will be done at the ACO facilities at the Circuit 24 Hours Le Mans.

The uniqueness of the Abruzzi buying experience doesn’t end there. Panoz will give each new owner the VIP treatment during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race weekend including access to the ACO hospitality facilities and a parade lap of the full 8.3-mile La Sarthe circuit. There will also be a ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ reception held at the clubhouse of the famed 24 Hours golf club in the historic town of Arnage, where new Abruzzi owners can rub elbows with past Le Mans winners including Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx.

Although the Abruzzi will be road legal and available for purchase in Europe and parts of Asia, this front-engine rear-wheel drive very bespoke sports car will not be seen on North American roadways. But if you can afford one, chances are you’ve got a villa in the south of France where you can enjoy this 600-hp piece of rolling art work. And if you do buy one, you’ll have to let us know how its Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System (REAMS) body works out, since its multi-layer composite construction is apparently lighter than carbon fiber and just as strong while also being dent-resistant, shatter-proof and completely recyclable.

A video interview of Don Panoz speaking about the creation of the Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ is available after the jump.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

The last installment of Corvette Racing saw the team highlighting the little things they do to make the Corvette ALMS cars just a little more green. Come on guys, maybe the Sierra Club is interested, but chances are, if you’re checking out ‘Vette videos on Youtube, you’re not too interested in how the headlights can reduce C02 emissions.

Don’t think the Corvette folks are unaware of this either. Episode 5 of the Corvette Racing Series is a total departure from the previous “socially responsible” episode, with awesome footage of vintage Corvettes at LeMans, old-timer legends like Dick Guldstrand talking about how racing used to be, Ron Fellows giving his impressions of the old LeMans Corvettes, and of course, lots and lots of V8 rumbling, possibly the best antidote to anything that uses “green” as an adjective.

Hit the jump to see Episode 5 of The Corvette Racing Series

As Aston Martin prepares to hit the track at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the company has bigger plans to continue on racing prototypes well into the future. According to AutoSport, Aston Martin Racing will begin building six all-new ground-up prototype racers. Currently Aston Martin Racing runs two cars in the LMP1 field, which use Aston engines but Lola chassis.

Porsche will be displaying its new GT3 R Hybrid sports car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, even running a few demo laps on the world famous track. Recently the GT3 R proved its potential by leading the field for more than eight hours during the Nürburgring 24 Hour race before it suffered an engine failure with just under two hours to to.

Based on the GT3 chassis and powered by a traditional 4.0-liter flat-six engine making 480-hp at the rear wheels, the GT3 R Hybrid also gets two electric motors that power the front wheels, with 60 kW of power going to each axle. The driver will be able to call up this extra power on-demand, for six to eight seconds, giving the GT3 R a temporary all-wheel drive setup as well.

Along with an added boost of power, the hybrid system also allows the GT3 R Hybrid to go longer without taking pit stops, something that gives the car a significant advantage in an endurance race. We wish Porsche was actually racing the car, rather than just showing it off, as hybrid technology appears poised to change endurance racing the way Audi’s diesels have.

Official release after the jump:

American specialty car maker Panoz is set to unveil their new Abruzzi sports car next Tuesday, at the Le Sarthe circuit, better known as the home of the legendary24 Hours of LeMans race.

The Abruzzi, named after the Italian region that was devastated by an earthquake last year, is the successor to the current Panoz Esperante sports car.

No further details have been revealed, but considering Panoz’s history of building great road and race cars, the Abruzzi should carry on that legacy without disappointing sports car fans.

[Source: Autoblog]

Last year Audi of America teamed up with Xbox and Turn 10 for their first AXF-24 Challenge which featured a Forza Motorsport 3 racing experience at the Audi Forum New York City. They make another return this year for a four-hour segment during the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It’s a great partnership between two very different brands, giving virtual racers an opportunity to compete while the live race is going on. The qualifying competition is ongoing on Xbox LIVE where racers compete for the fastest lap times on the Circuit de la Sarthe, the track which the 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place. Each racer must compete in the Audi Sport Team Joest R15 TDI in order to qualify.

The fastest three drivers are then invited to attend the event on June 12th where they will race live for four hours during the live event. The top virtual racer nets themselves a one-day Audi R8 sports car experience package in Sonoma, CA.

The event is also open to the public to anyone near the Audi Forum New York City. There will be a live feed of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, playable Forza Motorsport 3 kiosks, catered food, open bar (we’re not promoting driving drunk, even virtually!) and prizes and souvenirs at the door. Make sure to check the official press release for an RSVP email. We’re sure it’s limited.

Official press release available after the break.

Last night in Paris, BMW unveiled a very expensive and very fast piece of art – a custom M3 GT2 Art Car created by American artist Jeff Koons. The colorful design is inspired says Koons by classic race cars, graphics and explosions which is, “evocative of power, motion and bursting energy.”

On display at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, BMW will soon give this piece of art a proper thrashing at the hands of drivers Andy Priaulx, Dirk Müller and Dirk Werner during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That’s right, this Bimmer isn’t just a piece of modern art – it’s fast, very fast. In fact, it’s fully prepped for the track and powered by a 4.0-liter V8 engine that makes 500-hp.

We’ll be sure to bring you an update on how the car does during the race, which takes place from June 12-13.

GALLERY: BMW M3 GT2 Art Car by Jeff Koons

Official release after the jump:

The Porsche 918 Spyder is hot. Really hot. With looks that will stop anyone, gearhead or not, dead in their tracks, and huge numbers like 718 horsepower and 90 miles per gallon, what’s not to love? TeamSpeed.com forum member “PorscheCarreraGTMay6” is 13 years old, and decided that Porsche could use some renderings, some inspiration, for turning the 918 Spyder into a GTI racing car for the LeMans series. After all, it’s one number higher than the world’s most famous racing Porsche, the 917, and Porsche has already confirmed they will be entering a 918 in the 2011 24 Hours of Nurburgring, where their 911 GT3R Hybrid competed successfully this year.

If you’ve ever heard the Chevrolet Corvette ALMS car, you’ll know that they are far and away the loudest, most evil sounding cars in the field, an impressive feat when you’re competing against Porsche 911s, Aston Martins and open-cockpit prototypes. For a car that sounds like Armageddon, one would expect that being green isn’t exactly a priority, but the latest episode of the Corvette Racing Series shows that the team can find ways to go fast and back up their green credentials. Using little tricks like ceramic wheel bearings, lower rolling resistance tires and lightweight body panels, the ‘Vettes are able to go faster with less fuel, which is the same logic behind Porsche’s 911 GT3R Hybrid,

Along with its announced plans for Formula One next season, British sports car maker Lotus is also looking at expanding its racing efforts to include IndyCar, GT and Le Mans racing. Newly appointed company CEO Dany Bahar made the announcement to employees, stating that Lotus is studying expanding its racing efforts under a new corporate outlook.

An Acura will run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. British Strakka Racing intends to compete with the car, in the Europe Le Mans Series, including at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, with an Acura ARX-01b prototype that it is currently in the process of buying from the Lowe’s Fernandez team. Fernandex racing, despite winning the LMP2 championship in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), has yet to secure a sponsor for the 2010 season and so it has decided to entertain the possibility of selling the car.

Corvette Racing driver Jan Magnussen almost saw the top of the podium during the American Le Mans Series finale at Laguna Seca, but instead he saw the track-side hospital. Magnussen, driving the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R spent the last several laps of the race battling alonside Jörg Bergmeister in the Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, before crashing into the wall just feet from the finish line, allowing the Porsche to finish first just 1.037 seconds ahead. (Skip ahead to the 1:52 mark for the best action).

Last year Chevrolet announced that it would retire its GT1 Corvette Racing team after dominating the class for close to a decade. In its place Chevy would run a lower-level GT2 team in a class that has become increasingly competitive.

In  class normally dominated by Porsches, Ferrari showed its motorsports might at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this past weekend. Not only did Ferrari claim the top spot on the podium, it claimed all the others. As a matter of fact, Ferraris clinched nine of the top ten GT2 Class spots with position number five going to the Spkyer C8 Laviolette GT2R driven by Jarek Janis, Tom Coronel and Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Just three months away from the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race, Aston Martin debuted its team of overall contenders in the LMP1 class during the first test session on Sunday.

Porsche has announced that two of its private customer teams will compete in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans using Porsche’s LMP2 RS Spyder race cars. With an obvious stake in the competition Porsche will be giving both teams some important support, in the form of two seasoned Porsche Works drivers: Sascha Maassen and Emmanuel Collard.

News has just surfaced that Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey (aka McDreamy), will race at the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ferrari F430 GT race car.