Three legendary racers with strong Michelin connections have been honoured at the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hour race.

Three-time Le Mans winner and longtime ALMS fan favorite Allan McNish is serving as the Grand Marshall for the 82nd running of the LM24. McNish retired as an Audi factory driver at the end of last season but continues as a special Audi ambassador.  All of McNish’s wins at Le Mans and in ALMS came with Michelin tires.

On Friday evening, the prestigious Spirit of Le Mans award was presented to Doug Fehan, the longtime Corvette Racing program manager. Fehan has shepherded the Chevrolet Corvettes to seven victories at Le Mans and ten sets of ALMS championships, including the 2012 and 2013 manufacturer, driver and team titles. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Corvette switch to Michelin, a move Fehan describes as one of the most important decisions in the history of the program and a link to five Le Mans wins and seven sets of ALMS titles.

“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive the esteemed Spirit of Le Mans award,” Fehan said. “To be in a group that includes some of endurance racing’s most famous names is extremely humbling.

“Returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans each year is a very powerful and emotional time for me personally, along with everyone at Corvette Racing,” Fehan added. “Le Mans is one of the world’s great competitions and one where we have had considerable success. But even without that, Le Mans would still retain the mystique that comes over me each time I drive into the track for the first time each year. Those experiences – and many others we have achieved at Corvette Racing – are ones that I will remember for the rest of the my life.”

On Saturday afternoon, two-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso waved the green flag to start the 82^nd running of the race.  Alonso won both of his World Championships with Michelin in 2005 and 2006 when he raced with the Renault F1 team.