FERRARI recorded a shock victory last weekend in the Le Mans 24 Hour race, with local driver James Calado on board during the 100th anniversary of the prestigious event in France. 

Evesham's Calado, 33, was part of the three-driver line-up for Ferrari, who were competing in their first Le Mans 24 Hours race in 50 years. And they produced a big surprise to stun favourites Toyota. 

"It's a great achievement after so long, this will go down in history" Calado told BBC Sport. 

The number 51 Ferrari car crossed the line first with behind the wheel after a stint by former Formula 1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi.

Alessandro Pier Guidi was behind the wheel as Ferrari completed the win, which was their 10th top-level Le Mans win in a thrilling race with Toyota.

Sportscar racing has seen several manufacturers return to the sport following the introduction of new 'hypercar' rules, which allow for a broader design brief than other series, leading to Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche and Cadillac coming back into the sport.

Five years ago, Toyota were the only manufacturer left in the sport, and had been expected to take a sixth-straight victory at Le Mans 2023.

But several early crashes and some heavy rain showers shuffled up the field, and when the race settled down through the night, the Ferrari began to show unexpected consistent speed.

After hours of running within seconds of one another, Toyota's Ryo Hirakawa spun towards the end of the race at Arnage corner, and Ferrari held on.