Pompidou promoted to prototype.

French single-seater convert Xavier Pompidou has replaced compatriot Patrick Lemarie in the second Ascari entry for Le Mans.

With Lemarie being released to drive for the Johansson Racing squad, Ascari team boss Ian Dawson moved quickly to prise his replacement from the ranks of the GT runners, snapping up Pompidou from the Freisinger Porsche team.

The Frenchman has yet to drive the A410 which he will share with marque boss Klaas Zwart and Canadian Scott Maxwell, and will get his first taste of the Judd V10-powered machine when qualifying for the 24 Hours starts on Wednesday night.

Ascari fields two cars in this year's event, having failed to get a single machine through pre-qualifying last season, and went well in the pre-event practice in May. Impressive results in the FIA sportscar series, in the hands of regular drivers Ben Collins and Werner Lupberger have since given the team reason for optimism, provided the old bugbear of gearbox reliability can be overcome.

Pompidou was to have partnered veteran Wolfgang Kaufmann in one of the Freisinger Porsche entries, and no replacement has yet be named alongside the German.