Banbury-based motorsport giants Prodrive will mark a major milestone this month (June) as they take part in the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race for the 25th consecutive year.

The motorsport car manufacturers have been at the legendary 24-hour race in France every year since 2002.

In that time, the company has worked alongside some of the biggest names in motor racing, engineering and building across both prototype and GT categories.

Prodrive’s projects have included partnerships with Ferrari in the early 2000s and a long-running collaboration with Aston Martin in more recent years.

Banbury's Prodrive racing team are preparing for their 25th consecutive Le Mans 24-hour race.

placeholder image — Banbury's Prodrive racing team are preparing for their 25th consecutive Le Mans 24-hour race.

The team's success at Le Mans includes six class victories, with Prodrive-built cars covering almost 347,000 kilometres during the race over the last quarter of a century – the equivalent of travelling around the world more than eight times.

Prodrive Chairman David Richards commented that reaching the milestone was a proud moment for the company.

He said: “Le Mans has always meant something deeply personal to me. It's a race that captured my imagination from a young age, so to see Prodrive reach its 25th consecutive entry is incredibly special.

“A real testament to the passion and dedication of the people who have made that journey possible.”

Prodrive’s race team operations director Paul Diggins and race team manager Simon Edwards have been involved throughout the team's Le Mans journey and played a role in every one of the Banbury team’s previous appearances at the event.

“What makes Le Mans so extraordinary is that, despite all the change, the essence of the challenge never fades. It still demands everything of you,” Mr Richards added.