EAST Yorkshire’s former Le Mans 24 Hour race winner Guy Smith competes again in the gruelling twice around the clock endurance sportscar race this year.

The 35-year-old from Driffield will make his seventh Le Mans appearance by driving for the new Anglo-Swiss team Rebellion Racing.

Smith, who will also compete in the American Le Mans Series in 2010, will have Jean-Christophe Boullion (France) and Andrea Belicchi (Italy) as co-drivers in a brand new British-built Lola LMP1 Coupé B10/60 powered by a V10 Rebellion engine.

“I’m very excited to be joining Rebellion Racing for Le Mans,” confirmed Smith, who will make his race debut for Rebellion in the opening round of the Le Mans Series at Pal Ricard in France on April 11.

“The team showed a lot of class last season with strong showings at Le Mans itself and in the LMS, marking themselves out as one of the most exciting and ambitious teams in sportscar racing today.”

Rebellion Racing was formerly known as Speedy Racing Team Sebah, the association between Speedy and Sebah growing and evolving from the GT ranks in to the LMP2 and the LMP1 categories in recent years.

Smith added: “I genuinely believe that the Lola chassis and Rebellion engine ‘package’ will allow us to push the ‘factory’ manufacturer teams hard for a top-five showing at Le Mans.

“Rebellion has worked incredibly hard to develop the programme on from last year and they are leaving no stone unturned in its bid for LMS and Le Mans glory.”

Rebellion Racing team manager Bart Hayden said: “Guy has a wealth of sportscar experience and as a previous winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Bentley in 2003, knows what is required to succeed in the world’s greatest race.

“His experience with the Lola Coupé in America should ease his integration into our team.”

Smith undertakes his first test for the Rebellion team at Paul Ricard on March 7 and 8.

But he first tests his Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda from Monday at Sebring, the Florida track which stages the opening round of the American Le Mans Series on March 20, a nine-race championship which Smith is expected to contest again for the New York State-based Dyson team.