MG head back to Le Mans

Racing through the night gives Le Mans special cachet

The MG car marque has revealed plans for an ambitious return to the race track, with an assault on the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour sportscar race as its centrepiece.

MG will field an all-British driver line-up at the French endurance classic starting this year.

The plans of the MG Rover company also involve the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and building a new rally car, which is planned to enter selected rounds of the world and British championships.

The return to international-level competition for a brand that has not raced at Le Mans since the mid-1960s marks part of a campaign by MG Rover to portray itself as a sporting-oriented carmaker.

Reid will race in both Le Mans and the BTCC

It has joined forces for both the Le Mans and BTCC programmes with leading British racing car constructor Lola.

Two MGs will be entered in the historic race, held on public roads in the north-west of France on 16-17 June.

The driver line-up will include a number of top British racing stars, including BTCC star Anthony Reid, Formula 3000 drivers Warren Hughes and Kevin McGarrity, sportscar veteran Julian Bailey and rising Irish star Jonny Kane, who races in the US Indy Lights series.

Reid and Hughes will be the two drivers in the BTCC team.

Reid, who finished runner-up in the BTCC in 2000, said: "It makes me very proud to be associated with MG. It is a fantastic opportunity for me to race with Britain's largest car manufacturer.

"This year's Le Mans should be fantastic. I can imagine 50,000 or so British fans on the beer, cheering MG and Bentley, will add an extra patriotic element."

Bentley, now owned by Volkswagen, is also to return to racing this season. Its new car has already undergone some private testing.

'Smells right'

For Hughes, regarded as one of Britain's most talented but unluckiest drivers, this is an opportunity to get some momentum behind his career.

He was a race-winner in Formula 3 as long ago as 1992, but his career has been marked by a series of chances that stalled before they got going.

Hughes said: "It's a huge opportunity to represent a marque like MG, but the thing I'm really excited about is that it's Lola.

The new MG sportscar will be made by Lola

"The motivation and facilities it has are amazing, and it just smells right.

"It is perfect - just what I've been looking for. But I have to admit it has been a struggle to keep my name visible long enough to be around when a good chance like this comes along."

The MG sportscar is scheduled to start on-track testing in March, while the BTCC car will not run until the summer.