Preparations are busily underway for the Le Mans 24 Hours, taking place at the Circuit de la Sarthe this coming weekend. All of the entrants have gone through and passed their official racecar inspections, and are now in the process of building their paddock tents. The crews are settling in and maintaining their respective cars. In addition, the PR booths and retail outlets are taking shape in the area known as the Le Mans village.

The Mazda booth is located in the centre of the village, next to the official ACO shop. In the Mazda booth, there are exhibits of cars from past and present, including historically significant racecars such as the SA22C type RX-7, 1970 Chevron B16 Mazda, and the Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B which has undergone a full restoration at Mazda's headquarters in Hiroshima since March. The new Mazda MX-5 cup racecar is also on display. The floor inside the Mazda booth is covered by a Circuit de la Sarthe-patterned carpet, while the walls are painted to resemble a racetrack's pit and shutters. It is a convincing design. Mazda also have a documentary video of the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as a presentation panel of Mazda's advanced SKYACTIV Technology, and a SKYACTIV-G engine. On the day that set-up began, June 7th, the booth's wall panels, stools, video and lighting equipment and all other necessary components were being brought in from early in the morning.

A short while after 5:00pm, the Mazda 787B that had been shipped from Hiroshima on May 27th, arrived by transporter. At the same time, a spare R26B engine, spare parts and tools also arrived. Despite it being a weekday, when the distinctive orange and green-coloured Mazda 787B was unloaded from the transporter, a huge number of kids and others crowded around the car. One fan said, "I've come to Le Mans 35 times, but still I remember the dramatic victory in 1991," and another, "When I heard that I'd be able to hear that beautiful exhaust sound again, I couldn't contain myself and that's why I'm here." There will also be some Japanese fans taking a few days off to come to Le Mans from Japan and see the Mazda 787B's return to the famous circuit.

Official qualifying gets underway tomorrow, Wednesday. Construction of the Mazda booth will be completed by then, and we look forward to welcoming everybody.