Le Mans anniversary marked at motorsport museum

The centenary of one of the world's most iconic motor races is being celebrated at the home of the British Grand Prix.

An exhibition on the Le Mans 24-hour race will run until 25 June at the Silverstone Museum, based at the Northamptonshire circuit.

Enthusiasts will be able to see the 1953 Le Mans Austin Healey 100, the twice winning 1987 Porsche 962 - and the 2005 Aston Martin DBR9.

Rob Jaina, from the museum, said: "It has been a challenge and a lot of planning trying to find the cars that are not only going to be significant for Le Mans but also have a significance to Silverstone."

The museum at the circuit, which hosts the Formula 1 race, opened in October 2019.

Mr Jaina said there was a strong connection between Silverstone and the 24-hour race as the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC), which owns the circuit, was "founded at Le Mans" and took part in the early races.

He also said the French race had "always been a place where innovation has stolen the show".

"Lots of innovation that we that we see in road cars and race cars today has come through that 24-hour endurance that people have had to go through to be successful," he said.

This year's 24 Hours of Le Mans race, the 100th, will take place on Saturday 10 June and will be started by basketball superstar LeBron James.