Ferrari eying a return to Le Mans in LMP1?

2015 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP1 Factory Teams - Audi, Porsche, Toyota, Nissan....and Ferrari?

Could this dream that myself and many other racing enthusiasts share soon be coming to fruition? 1973 was the final time Ferrari entered a prototype into the sports car spectacle and there have been incessant rumors for the 40 years that followed of a glorious return to the sacred racing grounds of Le Mans. A battle between the titans of Le Mans (Audi, Porsche, Ferrari) is enough to make any loyal racing fan overload with anticipation.

Ferrari has won the overall title at Le Mans on nine separate occasions (1949, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1965). Earlier this year, it was reported that Luca di Montezemolo was interested in a return to the pinnacle of sports car racing.

Ferrari already has an overwhelming presence in the GT category, making up a third of the professional division. There are also a staggering 11 prancing horses making up the 19-car GTE Am field. Add that all up and you'll realize that 14 of the 28 teams entered in the GT classes this year will be running Ferraris.

Will Ferrari return to Le Mans with a factory prototype effort and if so, could it be as soon as next year? According to some of the rumblings that have been going around, we may find out the answers to that and more during the annual ACO press conference next weekend.

Fernando Alonso will also be present at the press conference after being named the guest starter for the race. The fact that there are rumors swirling around that something big may come out of that presser and Ferrari's No. 1 Formula One driver will also happen to be there certainly raises some eyebrows though.

Could the double World Champion also be attending because of the aforementioned Ferrari/Le Mans rumors? I guess we'll have to wait and see.