The race, to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday, is the 77th edition of the famous race, first contested in 1923.
First in line when check-in begins for the 55 entrants at 2:30 p.m. local time is the dominant Audi contingent, with the R15 turbodiesel-powered machines of Audi Sport Team Joest and Audi Sport North America. Audi has won five in a row and eight of the last nine at Le Mans.
Audi has held off a charge from diesel competitor Peugeot the past two years but had to utilize pit-stop efficiency to win last year. This year's overall victory promises to be the result of an entertaining battle of these titans. The addition of Aston Martin Racing, which steps up from the GT ranks with Lola chassis, will add spice.
In P2, Porsche is expected to have stiffer competition than it had to overcome last year, with favorites Team Goh and Team Essex facing challenges from the Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola-Judd and the Quifel-ASM Ginetta Zytec 09S.
The factory Corvette team, in its final entry, will be denied a showdown with the works Aston Martin outfit, and GT1 class victory is all but assured in a lean field featuring only six cars. GT2 will feature a much deeper grid and, in all likelihood, a more spirited battle for class honors between Ferrari F430 GT2 and Porsche 997 GT3 RSR entries.
In-processing continues today. The first free practice session is from 6 p.m. to midnight Wednesday.
Qualifying practice sessions will set the grid on Thursday. Friday will feature a pit walk and drivers' parade, and Saturday will feature a warm-up session at 8:30 a.m. and preliminaries, including the Le Mans Legend and Formula Le Mans Cup events.
Inside Line says: Is this the year for Peugeot, or does the incredible Audi beat go on? — David Green, Correspondent
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