Marc Hynes, the man who beat Jenson Button to one of British motor sport's biggest championships, will return to the race track in 2005 by contesting the world famous Le Mans 24 Hours sports car event.

Marc, 26, from Tetbury, will compete in the prestigious French Le Mans endurance race in June with one of British sports car manufacturing's most exciting names, TVR. The race annually attracts 300,000 spectators and is broadcast around the world. There was even a Hollywood film made about it, Le Mans starring movie legend Steve McQueen in the Seventies.

Marc's first stop in 2005 will be America where he will line up on the grid for the prestigious Sebring 12 Hours endurance race on 19 March.

From there, the Gloucestershire driver will compete on five of Formula One's biggest race tracks across Europe in the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES), including his home circuit of Silverstone. Marc's TVR 400R, capable of 200mph, will be prepared by the LNT team. Together, they will be aiming to win the GT2 category.

Marc is one of Britain's leading racing drivers. In the mid-nineties he won the Formula Vauxhall Junior and Formula Renault titles. In 1999 he won the British Formula Three title - ahead of Britain's current Formula One star Jenson Button. Marc went on to test for Formula One teams but without the necessary financial backing he saw his chance at F1 cruelly slip from his grasp.

"Sports car racing is a new discipline to me - I've always competed in short, sprint races, whereas this will be a real test of endurance," said Marc.

"I've not competed for a couple of seasons, but I've continued to work hard on my fitness at Whatley Manor and that is what will be required to succeed from a driver's point of view, particularly with the long stints behind the wheel.

"Sebring will be a good test for me in my preparations for Le Mans which, of course, is the jewel in the crown. It's every driver's dream to race there. The LMES also looks exciting - Spa and Monza in particular are very special places.

Marc Hynes's Motor Sport Calendar March 19, Sebring 12 Hours (USA) April 17, 1,000km of Spa-Francorchamps June 18-19, Le Mans 24 Hours (F) July 10, 1,000km of Monza (I) August 13, 1,000km of Silverstone September 4, 1,000km of Nurburgring (D) November 6, 1,000km of Istanbul (TK)