for the Le Mans 24 Hours
Racing driver Liz Halliday will form part of Eurosport’s commentary team for their exclusive coverage of the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours on 14-15 June.
The dual sportswoman, who also competes in International 3 Day Eventing, has contested the world’s most famous motor race three times, finishing fourth in class in 2006 and leading the LMP2 category last year before gearbox failure, and will now provide expert analysis for the pan-European channel.
The California-born Halliday has previous commentary experience on both sides of the Atlantic with CBS Sports and Motors TV and has vast experience of sportscar endurance racing having competed in the European based Le Mans Series, the American Le Mans Series and the FIA GT Championship.
She is now set for her first Le Mans commentary stint and admitted she’s looking forward to the challenge of tackling a 24 Hour race from a very different perspective!
“It’s a big honour for me to be invited by Eurosport to do this,” said Halliday. “They’re a huge channel all across Europe and it’s a good opportunity to further my media career, which is something I really enjoy.
“I absolutely adore Le Mans and hopefully that enthusiasm will be transferred to the viewers during the race. I’ve raced at La Sarthe three times and was the only female driver to do so for the past two years, so I’ve got good experience there as a driver and I hope to bring that to the commentary box.”
Halliday, who hasn’t raced so far in 2008 having undertaken an extensive 3 day eventing programme all across Europe, also revealed she is planning a return to the cockpit later in the year.
“I had a couple of options to race at Le Mans this year, but, having come so close to a podium finish in 2006 and then having led the LMP2 class last year, I only wanted a drive with a team capable of challenging for honours. However I’m hoping to return to action at Petit Le Mans and possibly Laguna Seca later in the year so plans are very much in the pipeline to get behind the wheel again soon.”
Eurosport’s coverage of the Le Mans 24 Hours begins on Saturday 14 June at 7.30am (UK Time) and continues throughout the day. They will also stream all the action live at http://player.eurosport.co.uk/. For more details, visit eurosport.com.
