24 Hours Of Le Mans Automobile Race

For the first time since 1957, a Jaguar won the 24 Hours of Le Mans Sunday, ending Porsche's domination of the endurance race at Le Mans, France. Driven by the trio of Jan Lammers of the Netherlands and Britain's Andy Wallace and Johnny Dumfries, the Jaguar XJR-9 of Scotsman Tom Walkinshaw won a furious battle with a Porsche 962 driven by West Germans Hans Stuck and Klaus Ludwig and Briton Derek Bell. "I'm very pleased.

Relatively few Americans know what the 24 Hours of Le Mans is, so by way of introduction, I'd like to compare the event -- the 75th running of the storied motor race concluded Sunday with the seventh victory for Audi -- to something more familiar: Fox's "24 Hours." OK, so Audi is Jack Bauer, and he's trying to protect his country from the insurgents, who are, this year, the team from European powerhouse Peugeot. They, of course, are French. I don't think I need to elaborate.

Relatively few Americans know what the 24 Hours of Le Mans is, so by way of introduction, I'd like to compare the event -- the 75th running of the storied motor race concluded Sunday with the seventh victory for Audi -- to something more familiar: Fox's "24 Hours." OK, so Audi is Jack Bauer, and he's trying to protect his country from the insurgents, who are, this year, the team from European powerhouse Peugeot. They, of course, are French. I don't think I need to elaborate.

The best racing in the world barely makes a blip on most Americans' radar screen. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 80-year-old endurance race held in June in the La Sarthe region of France, murders cars and breaks the will of the most determined teams. It is a grand opera at 200 mph and it is, for most of the world, the Great Race. A win at Le Mans says something definitive about a manufacturer's technology and sporting will -- or at least the will to write big checks.

Eagle Performance Racing of Santa Barbara went to Le Mans last week with an obsolete race car, an untried engine, two rookie drivers on a bread and cheese budget--and France loved every audacious moment of this lone Yankee Doodle effort. But worship wasn't enough. Eagle's 2-year-old Chevrolet Corvette prototype did not finish in the francs. In fact, after being nibbled to death by mechanical problems, it did not even start the prestigious 24-hour race.

Matrix Motors is chasing a dream at 200 mph. The tiny, 1-year-old firm is gambling that an 800-horsepower, turbo-charged race car will catapult it to international fame and fortune. The car, so far the company's only asset, is registered for pre-qualifying events this weekend in the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race in France. The race, one of the oldest and most prestigious motorsport competitions in the world, has long been the test of fire for global auto giants.

Here is a Cinderella story where even Cinderella looks a little homely. It involves a rookie racing team without sponsors and a 2-year-old Chevrolet Corvette prototype that in a previous life entered nine races, won none and regularly finished behind the tow truck. The car does have a new 900-h.p. engine that cost $40,000. But the motor was designed primarily for cabin cruisers and drag racers. It has never been installed in a car and has logged fewer test miles than the average lawn mower.

The best racing in the world barely makes a blip on most Americans' radar screen. The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 80-year-old endurance race held in June in the La Sarthe region of France, murders cars and breaks the will of the most determined teams. It is a grand opera at 200 mph and it is, for most of the world, the Great Race. A win at Le Mans says something definitive about a manufacturer's technology and sporting will -- or at least the will to write big checks.

Matrix Motors is chasing a dream at 200 mph. The tiny, 1-year-old firm is gambling that an 800-horsepower, turbo-charged race car will catapult it to international fame and fortune. The car, so far the company's only asset, is registered for pre-qualifying events this weekend in the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race in France. The race, one of the oldest and most prestigious motorsport competitions in the world, has long been the test of fire for global auto giants.

Eagle Performance Racing of Santa Barbara went to Le Mans last week with an obsolete race car, an untried engine, two rookie drivers on a bread and cheese budget--and France loved every audacious moment of this lone Yankee Doodle effort. But worship wasn't enough. Eagle's 2-year-old Chevrolet Corvette prototype did not finish in the francs. In fact, after being nibbled to death by mechanical problems, it did not even start the prestigious 24-hour race.

Here is a Cinderella story where even Cinderella looks a little homely. It involves a rookie racing team without sponsors and a 2-year-old Chevrolet Corvette prototype that in a previous life entered nine races, won none and regularly finished behind the tow truck. The car does have a new 900-h.p. engine that cost $40,000. But the motor was designed primarily for cabin cruisers and drag racers. It has never been installed in a car and has logged fewer test miles than the average lawn mower.

For the first time since 1957, a Jaguar won the 24 Hours of Le Mans Sunday, ending Porsche's domination of the endurance race at Le Mans, France. Driven by the trio of Jan Lammers of the Netherlands and Britain's Andy Wallace and Johnny Dumfries, the Jaguar XJR-9 of Scotsman Tom Walkinshaw won a furious battle with a Porsche 962 driven by West Germans Hans Stuck and Klaus Ludwig and Briton Derek Bell. "I'm very pleased.