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A few pre-race notes and a lot of photos from the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is on.
Audi has won 12 of the last 15 events, the scion of Auto Union is trying to make it 13 this year. To do so, it will have to overcome a situation faced only three other times during its dominance of La Sarthe: underdog status. Toyota has won the first two races of the year and claimed pole for this race, the rumor being that this year it's Toyota's race to lose.
And then there's Porsche. It's been 16 years since the Stuttgart brand raced on the top rung at Le Mans, three years years since it announced its return, just a year since it acquired Mark Webber in a signing that wasn't subtle and a few months since we got eyes on the 919 Hybrid.

Here's how to follow this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans

In the pantheon of motorsports, the 24 Hours of Le Mans stands as one of the great endurance challenges to man and machine. This year's event in France already looks to be one for the ages with Porsche setting record-breaking times in practice and the competition debut of Nissan's front-engine, hybrid racer. Thankfully, there's a massive list of ways to follow this automotive attraction. Reilly Brennan, the Executive Director of the Revs Automotive Research Program at Stanford University, and a friend of Autoblog, has once again assembled a helpful couch-kit to organize many of the options. Unfortunately, the old-school way of just turning on the television might be the most frustrating way to watch Le Mans this year. Fox Sports 1 and 2 are carrying about half the race, but the coverage bounces between them seemingly at random. The broadcast begins on Fox Sports 2 at 8:30 AM Eastern ahead of the 9:00 AM start and lasts there until 12:00 PM. Things don't pick up again until 7:00 PM Eastern on Fox Sports 1 for an hour, and the channels swap back and forth more from there. The Fox Sports Go streaming app offers more, but even it stops showing the race a few times. Thankfully, streaming Le Mans is easy. If you can't dedicate 24-hours on the couch, Radio Le Mans lets you listen to audio commentary anywhere with some of the best announcers in the biz. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the governing body for the race, also offers an official video stream in an app for $9.99. For a really low-tech solution, the official Twitter is another choice. Brennan is keeping his list updated with coverage changes. You can also check out and download the spotter's guide (from Nissan) in the gallery above. Enjoy this year's race. If you miss anything, don't worry; expect a full report from Autoblog. In fact, editor-in-chief Mike Austin is attending Le Mans this year, so follow him on Twitter for on-the-fly impressions. Featured Gallery 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans Spotter's Guide News Source: Reilly BrennanImage Credit: Nissan Motorsports Audi Nissan Porsche Toyota Hybrid Racing Vehicles

Toyota recalls 1.37 million more vehicles for Takata airbags

Toyota is expanding its passenger-side Takata airbag inflator recall campaign by an additional 1.37 million vehicles in the United States. The models covered under this broadened recall are the 2003-2007 Corolla, Matrix, and Lexus SC430; the 2005-2006 Tundra; and the 2005-2007 Sequoia. In total, Toyota says that this expansion brings the number of its vehicles covered under the Takata inflator recall in the US to 2.915 million. For these latest models, owners will be notified by mail soon. The move is similar to a recent decision by Honda to broaden its recall list. As with millions of other vehicles covered under these recalls, it's possible for exposure to moisture to cause the inflator to ignite too quickly in an airbag deployment. This can cause shrapnel to be sprayed at occupants. At least seven deaths have been potentially linked to these ruptures worldwide. TOYOTA EXPANDS TAKATA AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL TORRANCE, Calif., June 16, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. today announced that it is expanding its recalls involving Takata front passenger airbag inflators. Based on recent information from Takata and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Toyota will recall approximately 1,365,000 additional 2003-2007 Corolla and Corolla Matrix; 2005-2006 Tundra; 2005-2007 Sequoia; 2003-2007 Lexus SC430 vehicles. This brings the total number of Toyota and Lexus vehicles covered by Takata recalls in the U.S. to approximately 2,915,000. In the involved vehicles, the front passenger airbag inflators could potentially be susceptible to rupture when deployed and seriously injure vehicle occupants. "Toyota's focus remains on the safety and security of our customers, and we will continue to respond promptly to new developments so we can resolve issues for them as quickly, conveniently and safely as possible," said Dino Triantafyllos, chief quality officer, Toyota Motor North America. Multiple investigations into the root cause of the potential for inflator rupture are taking place, including by Orbital ATK, an independent engineering firm commissioned by an industry-wide joint testing initiative comprised of the ten automotive manufacturers conducting Takata-related recalls. All known owners of the affected Toyota / Lexus vehicles will be notified by first class mail to return their vehicles to a Toyota / Lexus dealer. The dealer will replace the airbag inflator with a newly manufactured one.