New Bentley boys aim to relive old glory.

Bentley's return to Le Mans for the first time in more than 70 years has created a whirlwind of enthusiasm, expectation, and a sense of another successful chapter of Bentley's long history about to be opened.

The drivers of the new EXP Speed 8, Martin Brundle, Guy Smith, Stephane Ortelli, Eric van de Poele, Andy Wallace and Butch Leitzinger - experienced and professional though they are - are still awed by the prospect of becoming one of the modern-day 'Bentley Boys'.

Perhaps it is the history, perhaps it is the success of the late 1920s that saw Bentley win five Le Mans 24-hours in seven years, or perhaps it is the manner in which this project has been tackled that has given them their air of excitement.

The key players in the Bentley project have approached the race in a manner that WO Bentley himself would have been proud - political correctness out of the window as British takes precedence, followed by a marketing strategy in expectation of a new mid-size road model under development.

The piecing together of the Bentley EXP Speed 8 project is as logical as it is interesting. Racing Technologies Norfolk, formerly TOM'S GB and run by Hiroshi Fushida, built an open-topped Toyota in 1996. That car was rejected by the Japanese in favour of a closed version and the contract to build it went to Toyota Team Europe in Cologne under the direction of Ove Andersson.

The closed car concept was there in Norfolk and rtn continued to develop the idea so that, when Bentley announced their return, a rolling version of the concept was ready. James Weaver tested rtn's car as the Norfolk company began work on Bentley's challenger, producing an all-new EXP Speed 8, the proper Bentley, that first hit the track at the end of March and has now
been tested with encouraging results.

Weaver's inclusion in the team was expected from the moment he stepped aboard rtn's unnamed prototype last November, as the Englishman first raced at Le Mans with Richard Lloyd in the Canon-backed Porsche 956 in 1985, finishing a career-best second, and continued his driving career while Lloyd turned his hand more to management and is now Apex Motorsport's team manager for Bentley's return to Le Mans.

However, a disagreement erupted within the team with the result that Weaver did not show up at the trials, testing instead his Grand-Am Riley & Scott MkIII chassis at Virginia when he should have been pounding around Le Mans in the EXP Speed 8. He returned to England to secure the severance of his relationship with Bentley, and spoke not one cross word about the team
or the project.

Weaver's place in the team has been taken by Eric van de Poele, the talented Belgian who predicted great things for the Dick Barbour Racing LMP675 car at Le Mans. The car is lighter than the Bentley, can go further on a tank of fuel, will need to change tyres only four times during the race and do not lose too much speed in a straight line. van de Poele was, however, offered the opportunity of a life time, and was suitably grateful to Barbour, who recognised what a privilege it was and let his driver go.

Weaver has driven for American Rob Dyson in the Grand-Am championship for more than ten years, forging a relationship with
long-serving colleagues American Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace, the latter two involved in Cadillac's Northstar Le Mans project last year.

The other three drivers, Martin Brundle, Stephane Ortelli and Guy Smith, are an odd match. Brundle, a former grand prix driver and now television commentator, last drove at Le Mans in the TTE Toyota and has the greatest experience of a modern-day closed car in race conditions. His appointment at the last moment was at the expense of other big names including Johnny Herbert, who was sure he had only to sign the contract.

Brundle twice raced for Toyota and twice crashed out, the first time after he was caught out by a sudden rain shower that pitched him into the wall at 150mph, the second a broken transmission after a puncture.

Ortelli, winner of Le Mans in 1998 for Porsche, has long had a history with the Volkswagen Group and was involved in the Bentley project from the start, beginning with a seat fitting in a wooden mock-up of the EXP Speed 8 last February. The diminutive Frenchman was heavily involved in the early development work with rtn's chassis before Weaver climbed behind the wheel.

Smith's appointment is probably the most interesting. A former British Formula Three driver, he moved to the United States to pursue a single-seat career in Indy Lights. He teamed with former Ferrari and McLaren Grand Prix driver Stefan Johansson and the two undertook the American Le Mans Series with a Judd-powered Reynard under the direction of John Wickham.

Wickham worked on the Audi R8C project with Richard Lloyd in the Audi Sport UK team, and three of the six drivers involved in the project included Weaver, Johansson and Ortelli drove the two cars, and this year Smith brings youth, speed and experience to the Bentley team.

The drivers have been chosen for their skill and experience - and their nationalities to the chagrin of other big names - handling the pressure not only of driving at Le Mans for 24 hours, but also the hype that is surrounding one of the most exciting projects for many years. The team has the experience to develop the car in the correct way, Wickham and Lloyd have worked well together and know how to run a proper racing car in a proper motor race. At first qualifying on Wednesday, the Bentley was the best-prepared 'novice' car on the grid.

Bentley's last three appearances at Le Mans yielded victory. What are the odds this weekend?