DERBY DAYS 24 HOURS OF LE MANSIN THE trailer for the film Le Mans, Steve McQueen appears in various poses - staring wistfully down a country road, behind the wheel of a Porsche 917 while it battles for road supremacy with a Ferrari 512, receiving instruction in the pits, and, of course (it is an action film, after all) running from a burning car that is about to explode.

The American plays Michael Delaney in the 1971 film, which tells the story of the Porsche driver's fierce rivalry with a Ferrari driver, Erich Stahler.

During the dramatic trailer, Delaney tells us . . .

"Racings important to men who do it well. When you're racing, its life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting. . . This isn't just a thousand-to-one shot. This is a professional bloodsport. And it can happen to you. And then it can happen to you again."

In 1971, when the film was released, it bombed, though its lack of mainstream appeal probably had something to do with the fact that for the opening 40 minutes there is no dialogue whatsoever.

Today, however, the film is considered one of the greatest motor-racing movies of all time - and is an excellent portrayal of probably the greatest period in the event's history.

It includes big chunks of action from the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans - which actually featured a classic rivalry between the two auto giants

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is different from almost every other motor sport in the world in one crucial factor - instead of being simply a test of the speed of a car and driver, it is also the ultimate test of endurance, of mind and of metal.

In fact, in the early editions of the now 85-year-old competition, several drivers attempted to complete the race on their own. And up until the late 1980s, some teams used only two drivers.

The year before the 1970 edition of Le Mans, Enzo Ferrari sold part of his company to Fiat, and the Commendatore used part of the windfall to build 25 cars capable of competing with Porsche at Le Mans. The following year 11 Ferrari 512s were entered in Le Mans. While 24 cars lined up with the Stuttgart coat of arms on the front, only seven were Porsche 917s, considered by Ferrari to be their biggest threat on the track.

They were right, and Porsche, competing in their 20th edition of the race, quickly took control.

Some 90 minutes into the race disaster struck for the Italians when four Ferrari 512s managed to crash into each other in the one incident.

Worse was to follow. Eight hours into the race, Jacky Ickx - who had brilliantly moved up to second - crashed his 512 in an accident that killed a steward.

By the next morning, the weather had changed from heavy rain to a full-scale storm, and the first two cars home were Porsche 917s. The first two Ferrari 512s to finish were fourth and fifth.

Hans Herrmann was the principal driver of number 23, the red and white car that claimed the crown for Porsche, but the 40-year-old had promised his wife he would never race again if he won. Porsche were stunned when the German announced he would be retiring with immediate effect.

Ickx can be credited with the end of the "Le Mans Start" - which involved drivers running to their cars - and the birth in 1971 of the rolling "Indianapolis Start", which still survives.

In 1969, when the French flag dropped, Ickx sauntered across the track to his car, instead of running like everyone else. The rookie was nearly knocked down in the process - in fact, another racer, John Woolfe, was killed in a first-lap accident a few minutes later. Ickx still won the race.

There was another reason for its demise - this one concerning another great rival of Porsche and Ferrari. In the final lap of the 1966 race, Denny Hulme was ahead of Bruce McLaren, and Ford were so ecstatic at their one-two finish by the GT40s ahead of the Porsche 906s and Ferrari 275s they orchestrated a photo-shoot at the final straight, with McLaren staying close behind the leading car.

McLaren had, however, started the race up to 10 metres behind his team-mate and so, despite the other Ford finishing first, the second car was judged to have covered more ground in the 24 hours and was therefore declared the winner. Hulme was understandably inconsolable.

Currently, Porsche and Ferrari still occupy the first two places in the constructors' championship - with the Germany-based motor company having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15 occasions and the Italy-based company claiming the crown nine times.

Since the turn of the century there has, however, been a new kid in town.

Audi have claimed all seven of their Le Mans 24 titles in the last eight years, with only Bentley briefly breaking their dominance in 2003.

This weekend, Peugeot are expected to be the biggest challenge to Audi's dominance.

But it is testament to the enduring appeal of the annual duel between Porsche and Ferrari that many motor-racing fans will be more interested in who wins the famous battle in the GT2 class (while there is an overall winner, and everyone competes at the same time, the cars are also divided into four classes) than in the battle between Audi and Peugeot.

History demands attention be focused on the fight between seven Ferrari F430s and three Porsche 997 GT3s.

For non-stop action at breakneck speed you could rent Steve McQueen's interpretation of the competition, or you could just watch the real thing this weekend.