Grand Prix stars jon Bentley line-up

Former F1 racers Mark Blundell, Johnny Herbert and David Brabham will be on the driving strength when Bentley adds the Sebring 12 Hours to its Le Mans build-up programme.

By including this US event on its programme, Bentley is underlining its commitment to winning the French race for the first time since 1930.

Blundell, Herbert and Brabham bring the combined experience from 246 grand prix starts, while both Britons are former Le Mans winners.

A second of the all-new Speed 8s will be raced by Tom Kristensen, Rinaldo Capello and Guy Smith.

“Of course, victory at Le Mans is not a given for even the best-prepared team,” said a Bentley spokesman. “But Team Bentley is confident everything that can be done to provide the best possible chance of victory will be in place by June.”

The Sebring assault is the first works Bentley entry in a US race since the 1922 Indy 500, when W D Hawkes drove a largely standard 3-litre.