Michel Vaillant

For decades, the Vaillant family has been successfully involved in various kinds of motor racing competitions. Their most notorious driver is Michel, the son of the team's founder and owner Henri and younger brother of Jean-Pierre, the team's manager. One night, Michel's mother Elizabeth has a nightmare involving his death in an accident at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, racing against a car bearing the number 13 from Leader, a team with which the Vaillants had a historic rivalry for more than a quarter of a century. Henri conforts her, assuring that they are not planning to race at Le Mans, that Leader has been out of competition for 5 years and that no one has ever used the number 13 at the race. Meanwhile, in Canada, Michel and his best friend and teammate Steve Warson are both competing in World Rally Championship cars. Michel's victory spikes the wrath of Bob Cramer, a ruthless competing driver who is blocked by Vaillant's cars during the race. Cramer ends up threatening Michel's co-pilot, David. A few days later, Henri announces that Vaillant will have an engine at time for Le Mans, and promotes David to the driver's seat at the Rally of Italy, promising him a seat at Michel's car in the 24 hour race if he does well. In Italy, Cramer forces David out of the road, causing him to crash. David is caught in the car's explosion and dies. At the funeral, Michel meets Julie Wood, David's wife. She asks him for his husband's place at Le Mans, and Michel convinces his brother to let her on the team. Meanwhile, the Leader team returns to the competition, by the hand of Ruth, Leader's daughter. They announce that they will race at Le Mans with the number 13, hiring Bob Cramer as one of the drivers. Élisabeth worries that her nightmare can become a reality and tries to dissuade Henri from competing, but he refuses to do so. The weekend at Le Mans starts, and Ruth is determined to stop Vaillant from winning, so she sabotages the car delivery. The Vaillants barely make it on time

Michel Vaillant est un pilote automobile virtuose, champion incontesté dans les rallyes et les circuits du monde entier. Ses succès et ceux de son équipe, l'Ecurie Vaillante, provoquent autant l'admiration que la jalousie de ceux qui se mesurent à eux... Ruth Wong est le manager de l'équipe Leader. Elle sait jouer de son caractère et de ses charmes, et n'a de cesse de venger la mémoire de son père, le fameux Leader. Prête à tout pour gagner, elle va déployer des trésors d'imagination pour détruire les Vaillant. Michel, concentré, est au volant de sa Vaillante bleue n°10. A ses côtés : Steve Warson, son ami, fabuleux pilote américain, dans la Vaillante n°8. Ils sont sur la grille de départ des 24 Heures du Mans. Juste devant eux, deux voitures rouges monstrueusement agressives, deux pilotes Leader, Bob Cramer et Dan Hawkins...