Saleen brings momentum and potency to 24 Hours.

Since its introduction to the motoring press in August of 2000, the Saleen S7 has managed to captivate a broad range of enthusiasts and racers alike. And, while the production version of the S7 is scheduled to begin landing in the hands of eager buyers soon, the S7R racing version has more than fulfilled its initial promise.

Throughout the 2001 international sportscar racing season, the S7R has been one of the cars to have, winning several major events including March's prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring and the first two rounds of the European Le Mans Series [ELMS].

In fact, Saleen customer teams currently lead both the American Le Mans and ELMS in the GTS category, while running a close second in the Grand-Am RoIex Series.

For Steve Saleen and the contingent of support staff, mechanics and drivers arriving in France this week for their assault on the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans, there is already a sense of accomplishment.

In addition to the momentum provided by this season's victories, Saleen was honoured by having four of the potent and highly popular S7Rs accepted to the classic French endurance race - in the car's first season of racing.

Finishing first and second in last month's Le Mans practice and smashing the previous pole qualifying time by three seconds helps too but, despite the recent successes, the Saleen team is extremely cognisant of what a difficult challenge Le Mans represents, and that the S7R project is still in its infancy.

"Like any form of sports, momentum and a winning attitude are really key intangibles that everyone wishes for, and nobody can fully control," Saleen said, "The development of the S7 and S7R has been on a steep, but progressively rewarding, learning curve. It normally takes three years to develop a car into a winner at this race, and we all are aware that it's only.year one. By no means do we feel like the favourites, but we are ready to give it our best effort."

The 2001 Le Mans 24 Hours takes place this weekend [June 16-17], and will mark the 69th running of the racing classic. A crowd of over 200,000 enthusiasts is expected to watch a field of 43 cars compete for sportscar racing's biggest prize.

For Saleen, the return to the legendary Sarthe circuit four years after the team's inaugural effort in 1997 is most appropriate. On the heels of three successful GT sports car championships in 1998, 1999 and 2000 with their radical Saleen SR widebody Mustangs, Saleen and his expanding company realised that the new S7 American supercar would be an ideal platform for a return to the greatest sportscar endurance race in the world. If the car's success in 2001 is any indication, the S7 and S7R formulas are right 'on track'.

"Certainly, it is easy to misunderstand the fundamental concept of the S7 when compared to the classic way in which car manufacturers have introduced these type of GT supercars in the past," Saleen explained, "It's important to realise that, in this case, we proudly put the horse before the cart.

''The S7 has always been a street car first. The fact that it has done so well in racing speaks well to the performance of the production car, which shares most of its components with the S7R. Le Mans is an ideal place to demonstrate the car's performance to an international audience."

Any manufacturer's foray onto the 8.4-mile Le Mans circuit is never one to be taken lightly, certainly less so in recent years. Like those of the recent past, this year's twice-around-the-clock marathon promises to be a highly competitive sprint race, with an emphasis placed on both speed and endurance. This places an increased emphasis on preparation and overall team talent.

Under the ever-watchful eye of the car's creator, the Saleen Le Mans programme for 2001 includes team director Daryl Couzens, team manager Marni Johnson and chief engineer - and Le Mans veteran - Neil Hannemann. Saleen/Allen Speedlab will manage the #60 entry driven by factory drivers Terry Borcheller and Oliver Gavin, along with race veteran and S7R customer Franz Konrad. Borcheller is the current Grand-Am GTS champion and set the fastest lap at Sebring, where team-mate Gavin qualified on the pole.

Konrad Motorsports will enter its own Sebring-winning #61 S7R piloted by Walter Brun, Toni Seiler and Charlie Slater, while Saleen technical partner Ray Mallock Limited [RML] has put together a strong driver line-up in the #62 SR7, with Briton Ian McKellar Jr joining ALMS veterans Johnny Mowlem and Bruno Lambert.

The strength of the 2001 Saleen effort was readily apparent at last month's all-important Le Mans time trials when, taking advantage of the 7-litre powerplant and the highly efficient aerodynamic package, the three Saleen S7Rs finished first, second and fifth fastest in the GTS class. The factory-entered #6O BASF entry driven by Oliver Gavin proved to be the quickest of all with a time of 3min 54.448secs, as individual Saleen drivers also posted the event's top three GTS times.