Alphand's Ferrari adventure ready to begin.

One of France's most famous sporting names, Luc Alphand, will be taking on a new challenge at this year's 24 Heures du Mans as he takes to the wheel of the Solution F Ferrari 550 Maranello to challenge for GTS class honours.

The 38-year old former world downhill skiing champion will be racing in what is expected to be the most highly competitive battle of the race - the contest between the three Care Racing owned Ferrari 550s and the US Corvette team - as he teams up with one of France's most experienced sportscar drivers, J?r?me Policand, and a newcomer to the famous La Sarthe circuit, Fr?d?ric Dor, founder of Care Racing Development. The mix of experience and familiarity with the car will be an important part of their bid for success, particularly as the team has only recently taken delivery of the car.

"It is a very exciting opportunity for me to drive at Le Mans, especially in the Ferrari, and with Luc and Jerome," Dor said, "We know we are up against some very strong competition but, at this race, above all others, we also know that anything can happen."

Just before Easter, the team - which is entered under the Luc Alphand Aventures/Solution F banner - and all three drivers were able to share an endurance test session at the Paul Ricard circuit with the Veloqx Prodrive Racing team, and used the opportunity to not only familiarise themselves with the Ferrari 550, with the assistance of the Prodrive personnel who built the car, but also adapt the car for FFSA regulations prior to the French GT Championship's opening race at Nogaro on 19-20 April.

"It's a great feeling for me to drive a such car in Le Mans," Policand revealed, "For my first time in GTS class - I've always driven prototypes before - I think I am lucky to be able to drive the best car around. I hope my experience at Le Mans can help my team-mates Luc and Frederic, although I am not too worried because they have the knowledge of the car and we all share the same goal to finish the race."

Although the Nogaro race was not without incident for Alphand and Policand, the time in the car was invaluable in the build up to this weekend's official Le Mans test. The Luc Alphand Aventures Maranello was adapted to run on Pirelli tyres, and also now features a revised suspension damping system which has been developed by Solution F.

"I was really thrilled to drive this magnificent and very competitive car at Nogaro," Alphand admitted, "However, [our participation in] the remainder of the French GT Championship has yet to be decided - our priority now is to set up the Ferrari for the preliminary tests at Le Mans on 4 May."