Variety the spice of Le Mans lineup

This year's Le Mans 24 Hours race will feature one of the most varied lineups in the history of the famous race.

Manufacturers Peugeot, Audi, Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ford and Jaguar will all compete the endurance race, which starts June 13.

Peugeot is aiming for a repeat of its success in 2009 with the diesel-powered 908 cars this year. Team Peugeot will run two cars in the foremost LMP1 category, and Peugeot Sport and Team Oreca will race one each.

Peugeot is yet to name full driver lineups however Alexander Wurz and Nicolas Minassian will lead the Team Peugeot cars; Le Mans local Sebastien Bourdais will head the Peugeot Sport team's campaign and Olivier Panis is number one driver for the Oreca outfit. Teams are not required to announce final driver lineups until mid May.

Audi will race three factory-prepared LMP1 R15 cars, also diesel-powered. Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish -- winners of the 2008 Le Mans event -- will lead the Team Joest attack, with Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller in the sister car.

New to the Audi racing fold, Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Treluyer will race the Audi Sport North America R15.

Jaguar is celebrating its 75th birthday with a return to Le Mans after 20 years, competing in the GT2 category. The brand's most notable success was in the 1950s with C-Type and D-Type cars, but it also took wins with the XJR-9LM in 1988 and the XJR-12 in 1990.

An XKR will be campaigned by Paul Gentilozzi's Jaguar RSR outfit, driven by Gentilozzi, versatile American racer Scott Pruett and Belgian Marc Goossens.

"We are delighted the ACO [Automobile Club de l'Ouest] has granted us entry in the prestigious 24 hours of Le Mans," says Gentilozzi in RSR's press release. "It is a race that is held dearly in the hearts of motorsport fans across the world and for Jaguar to be racing again is something special."

Gentilozzi will also race the XKR GT2 in this year's American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

Jaguar is one of three manufacturers making a return to Le Mans this year, including BMW and Ford. BMW has ditched Formula One and is turning to the sportscar arena with an entry in this season's ALMS, and will take part in the upcoming 24 Hours event.

BMW last competed in an endurance event in 2005 and has secured only one win at Le Mans: in 1999 with the Williams F1-developed V12 LMR.

BMW Motorsport has entered two M3 cars for the GT2 category. The brand's long-time motorsport director Mario Theissen outlined BMW's race programme late last year, mentioning another customer racing option "in the form of a Z4 that complies with GT3 regulations."

Ford enjoyed Le Mans success back in the late '60s with the GT40. This year, the modern-day GT will take on the GT1 category, with entries from the Swiss Matech Competition team and Belgian outfit, Marc VDS Racing.

Only eight entries were assigned to the GT1 category. The Ford teams will face the Larbre Competition Saleen S7R, Luc Alphand's Chevrolet Corvette C6.R cars (two) the AMR Aston Martin DBR9, Peka Racing Corvette C6.R and JLOC Lamborghini Murcielago.

78th Le Mans 24 Hours entry list
LMP1
Team Peugeot Total - Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 
Team Peugeot Total - Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
Peugeot Sport Total - Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 
Audi Sport Team Joest - Audi R15 TDI 
Audi Sport Team Joest - Audi R15 TDI
Audi Sport North America - Audi R15 TDI 
Aston Martin Racing - Lola Aston Martin 
Aston Martin Racing - Lola Aston Martin 
AIM Team Oreca - Oreca 01 AIM 
Team Oreca Matmut - Peugeot 908 HDi FAP 
Beechdean Mansell Motorsport - Ginetta-Zytek Z09R 
Signature Plus - Lola Aston Martin
Dome Racing Team - Dome S102 Judd 
Drayson Racing - Lola B09/60 Judd
Rebellion Racing - Lola B10/60 Rebellion
Rebellion Racing - Lola B10/60 Rebellion
Kolles - Audi R10 TDI
Kolles - Audi R10 TDI
Pescarolo Sport - Pescarolo 01 Judd 
SORA Racing - Pescarolo 01 Judd
Autocon Motorsports - Lola B06/10 AER

LMP2
OAK Racing - Pescarolo 01 Judd
OAK Racing - Pescarolo 01 Judd 
RML - Lola B08/80 HPD
Highcroft Racing - HPD Acura ARX-01C 
Racing Box - Lola B08/80 Judd
Gerard Welter - WR Zytek 
Quifel-ASM Team - Ginetta Zytek 09S Zytek 
Team Bruichladdich - Ginetta Zytek 07S Zytek
Strakka Racing - HPD Acura ARX-01C

LM GT1
Larbre Competition - Saleen S7R
Luc Alphand Aventures - Chevrolet Corvette C6.R 
Luc Alphand Aventures - Chevrolet Corvette C6.R 
Matech Competition - Ford GT
Marc VDS Racing - Ford GT 
Young Driver AMR - Aston Martin DBR9
Peka Racing NV - Chevrolet Corvette C6.R 
JLOC - Lamborghini Murcielago GT1 

LM GT2
Corvette Racing - Chevrolet Corvette C6.R
Corvette Racing - Chevrolet Corvette C6.R
BMW Motorsport - BMW M3 GT2 
BMW Motorsport - BMW M3 GT2 
IMSA Performance Matmut - Porsche 997 GT3 RSR 
Team Felbermayr-Proton - Porsche 997 GT3 RSR 
ProSpeed Competition - Porsche 997 GT3 RSR
Flying Lizard Motorsports - Porsche 997 GT3 RSR 
RSR - Jaguar XKR GT2 
Risi Competizione - Ferrari F430 GT2
Risi Competizione - Ferrari F430 GT2 
Modena Group Racing - Ferrari F430 GT2
Spyker Squadron - Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R
Hankook Team Farnbacher - Ferrari F430 GT2
JMW Motorsport - Aston Martin Vantage GT2 
AF Corse - Ferrari F430 GT2 
BMS Scuderia Italia - Ferrari F430 GT2