Motorsport is something I’m passionate about, and probably top of the list is Le Mans. Why? Well, I’ve got a book on motorcycle touring, which says that if you have to have it explained, then you won’t understand the answer - and I think it’s applicable.

Le Mans is simply a magical event; I first went in 1994, at the behest of a friend of mine, Jon Baker. That year was an excellent event, with the new McLaren F1 dominating proceedings, and we had such a good time that we haven’t missed a year since then.

The format of the race is simple: race for 24 hours, and whichever car has gone the furthest is the winner. However, there can be significant complications around this; only 48 cars can start the race, since that’s how many pit garages there are. Sometimes the organisers, the ACO, allow more cars to take part in qualifying in the days leading up to the race, with the slowest cars not being allowed to start; sometimes the 48 are decided at pre-qualifying, at the end of April, again based on lap times; and sometimes, as this year, the ACO ‘invites’ cars to take part in pre-qualifying, and then decides who they want to invite to the race.