2024 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGT3 Preview

For the first time, GT3 regulations are being used at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the inaugural year of the LMGT3 class sees 23 entries representing nine manufacturers. Eighteen of the cars are full-time FIA World Endurance Championship entries. Three European Le Mans Series teams, one IMSA entrant and an additional Le Mans-only participant round out the class.

Twenty-five of the 49 Le Mans debutants are in LMGT3. Fifteen of the 23 cars in LMGT3 have at least one driver making a Le Mans debut. Of the 69 drivers in this class, 52 drivers have made fewer than five Le Mans appearances.

#27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo

Drivers: Ian James (4th), Daniel Mancinelli (2nd), Alex Riberas (2nd)

Test Day: 2nd

About This Team: Heart of Racing is back for a second consecutive year with this lineup. This trio was sixth in GTE-Am last year. After opening the WEC season with a second in Qatar, Heart of Racing is tied for second in the LMGT3 championship on 37 points, but loses the tiebreaker to the #31 Team WRT BMW.

#31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3

Drivers: Augusto Farfus (6th), Sean Gelael (4th), Daniel Leung (1st)

Test Day: 3rd

About This Team: The #31 BMW won at Imola in April. Farfus has never finished in the top five of his class in his first five Le Mans appearances. Gelael makes his first Le Mans appearance outside of LMP2 this year. He was runner-up in the LMP2 class in 2021 with Jota. 

#44 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3

Drivers: John Hartshorne (3rd), Christopher Mies (1st), Ben Tuck (1st)

Test Day: 13th

About This Team: This is the only one-off Le Mans entry in LMGT3. Mies makes his Le Mans debut at 35 years old. The German has won the 24 Hours Nürburgring twice and the Bathurst 12 Hour twice. Hartshorne and Tuck are co-drivers in the European Le Mans Series for JMW Motorsports. This is Hartshorne's first Le Mans appearance since 2011 when he drove a Lotus Evora GTE for Jetalliance Racing.

#46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3

Drivers: Ahmad Al Harthy (2nd), Maxime Martin (9th), Valentino Rossi (1st)

Test Day: 9th

About This Team: The #46 BMW opened the season with finishes of fourth and second before being taken out at Spa-Francorchamps. Rossi has spent the last three years competing int GT World Challenge Europe. He and Martin won a Sprint Cup race at Misano last year on their way to fifth in the championship. Martin and Rossi also won another Sprint Cup race at Misano this year. Martin won the GTE Pro class in 2020 with Aston Martin. Al Harthy made his Le Mans debut last year in an Aston Martin and finished second in GTE Am.

#54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3

Drivers: Francesco Castellacci (9th), Thomas Flohr (8th), Davide Rigon (10th)

Test Day: 15th

About This Team: Castellacci, Flohr and Rigon were third in the GTE Am championship last year and won at Fuji. It was Castellacci and Flohr's first WEC victory since Fuji 2017. They were fifth in GTE Am at Le Mans last year.Through three races, the #54 Ferrari has 23 points with its best finish being fifth at Qatar.

#55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3

Drivers: François Heriau (1st), Simon Mann (3rd), Alessio Rovera (4th)

Test Day: 14th

About This Team: Rovera won at Le Mans in GTE Am in 2021. Mann has had two different co-drivers in each of his three Le Mans appearances. Heriau was supposed to make his Le Mans debut in 2021 in the SRT41 Garage 56 entry but an injury kept him from participating. Mann and Heriau were co-drivers in the Asian Le Mans this past winter and were eighth in that championship with Rigon as their third driver. 

#59 United Autosports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo

Drivers: Nicolas Costa (1st), James Cottingham (1st), Grégoire Saucy (1st)

Test Day: 5th

About This Team: The #59 McLaren enters Le Mans coming off a fourth-place finish at Spa-Francorchamps. Costa won the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil championship last year. Cottingham was runner-up in the British GT Championship GT3 class last year. Saucy is a part of the ELMS LMP2 Pro/Am championship leading team.

#60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2

Drivers: Matteo Cressoni (7th), Franck Perera (1st), Claudio Schiavoni (6th)

Test Day: 5th

About This Team: After driving a Ferrari and a Porsche the previous two years at Le Mans, Cressoni is now in a Lamborghini. Perera won the GTD class at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2018. Cressoni and Schiavoni were third in the ELMS GT championship last year. The #60 Lamborghini was third at Spa-Francorchamps.

#66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3

Drivers: Giacomo Petrobelli (2nd), Larry ten Voorde (2nd), Salih Yoluç (6th)

Test Day: 18th

About This Team: Ten Voorde has opened the 2024 Porsche Supercup season with two victories. This is the Dutchman's first Le Mans appearance since 2020 when he was fourth in GTE Am. Yoluç won the GTE Am class that year, and the Turkish driver is focused on the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup this season while Petrobelli is running in British GT. Petrobelli and JMW retired after 89 laps last year due to an accident. 

#70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo

Drivers: Brendan Iribe (3rd), Ollie Millroy (3rd), Frederik Schandorff (1st)

Test Day: 12th

About This Team: Iribe and Millroy did not run Le Mans last year, but they ran the two years prior to that. Schandorff and Iribe are full-time in IMSA and they were sixth in the GTD championship last year.

#77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3

Drivers: Ben Barker (9th), Ryan Hardwick (2nd), Zacharie Robichon (3rd)

Test Day: 21st

About This Team: The #77 Ford has been ninth in the last two WEC races. Barker scored his first class podium at Le Mans last year when he was third in GTE Am. This is the first time Barker is not driving a Gulf/GR Racing Porsche. Hardwick and Robichon fell out after 28 laps in last year's race. Hardwick and Robichon did win the ELMS GT championship last year.

#78 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F GT3

Drivers: Timur Boguslavskiy (1st), Arnold Robin (3rd), Kelvin van der Linde (1st)

Test Day: 4th

About This Team: In its first season in WEC, Lexus has only one point between its two entries. Boguslavskiy is a two-time GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup champion while Robin won the Michelin Le Mans Cup GT3 championship last year. Van der Linde is a two-time 24 Hours Nürburgring winner. 

#81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Drivers: Rui Andrade (4th), Charlie Eastwood (5th), Tom van Rompuy (2nd)

Test Day: 10th

About This Team: The #81 Corvette won pole position at the Qatar season opener but failed to score points in two fo the first three rounds of the WEC season. Andrade won the WEC LMP2 title last year while Eastwood was second in the GTE Am class at Le Mans. Eastwood won in GTE Am at Le Mans in 2020. Van Rompuy made his debut in LMP2 last year and finished 32nd overall, 31 lap down and 17 laps off the LMP2 class winner.

#82 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Drivers: Sébastien Baud (1st), Daniel Juncadella (1st), Hiroshi Koizumi (1st)

Test Day: 1st

About This Team: The #82 Corvette has yet to finish better than eighth this season, but it was on top o the test with a lap at 3:59.883. Juncadella was second in the IMSA GTD Pro championship last year. Baud drove in GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup's bronze class last year and Koizumi was in Michelin Le Mans Cup in 2023.

#85 Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2

Drivers: Sarah Bovy (4th), Rahel Frey (7th), Michelle Gatting (6th)

Test Day: 8th

About This Team: Frey remains in the Iron Dames entry as Doraine Pin misses the race due to a ribs injury suffered in Formula Regional European competition. This trio was fourth in GTE Am last year and they ended up second in the championship. Iron Dames was on pole position at Spa-Francorchamps before finishing fifth.

#86 GR Racing Ferrari 296 GT3

Drivers: Riccardo Pera (4th), Daniel Serra (8th), Michael Wainwright (9th)

Test Day: 11th

About This Team: GR Racing moved to ELMS competition this year and Pera and Wainwright are third in the championship after finishing second and fifth in the first two races. They were third at Le Mans last year. With Rigon driving for AF Corse, Serra moves over from Kessel Racing in ELMS. Serra has been first or second in class in four Le Mans appearances. 

#87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F GT3

Drivers: Takeshi Kimura (6th), Jack Hawksworth (1st), Esteban Masson (1st)

Test Day: 16th

About This Team: Hawksworth found a seat in the #87 Lexus lineup after José María López moved to the #7 Toyota in Hypercar after Mike Conway's injury. Hawksworth won the IMSA GTD Pro championship last year, and he won the GTD Pro class in the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier this year. The #87 Lexus has finished 16th, 15th and 14th in the first three WEC races.

#88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3

Drivers: Dennis Olsen (3rd), Mikkel O. Pedersen (3rd), Giorgio Roda (3rd)

Test Day: 19th

About This Team: Olsen returns to Le Mans for the first time in three years. Pedersen's entry has not finished in his first two Le Mans appearances. Roda last appeared at Le Mans in 2019 and, like Pedersen, neither of Roda's first two entries have finished the race.

#91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)

Drivers: Richard Lietz (18th), Morris Schuring (1st), Yasser Shahin (1st)

Test Day: 22nd

About This Team: The most recent winners at Spa-Francorchamp, Lietz is looking for his fifth Le Mans class victory. Shahin is a two-time GT World Challenge Australia champion and he won the Pro-Am class in the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this year. Schuring was fourth in Porsche Supercup last year.

#92 Manthey Pure Rxing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)

Drivers: Klaus Bachler (4th), Alex Malykhin (1st), Joel Sturm (1st)

Test Day: 23rd

About This Team: After finishes of first, third and second, the #92 Porsche leads the LMGT3 championship on 72 points, 35 points ahead of the competition. The Pure Rxing group won the Asian Le Mans GT championship this past winter.

#95 United Autosports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo

Drivers: Hiroshi Hamaguchi (1st), Nico Pino (2nd), Marino Sato (1st)

Test Day: 7th

About This Team: Hamaguchi joins this team for Le Mans replacing Josh Caygill, who runs the remainder of the WEC season. Pino was third in LMP2 last year at Le Mans while Sato was second in the ELMS LMP2 championship in 2023 with United Autosports. 

#155 Spirit of Race Ferrari 296 GT3

Drivers: Conrad Laursen (1st), Johnny Laursen (2nd), Jordan Taylor (9th)

Test Day: 20th

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About This Team: Taylor makes his first Le Mans appearance in something other than a Corvette. He won the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier this year driving a Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura. The Laursens won the ELMS season opener in the GT3 class at Barcelona. Johnny Laursen's first Le Mans appearance was in 2016. 

#777 D'station Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo

Drivers: Erwan Bastard (1st), Satoshi Hoshino (5th), Marco Sørensen (10th)

Test Day: 17th

About This Team: Bastard spent last season in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Silver Cup class. D'station has failed to finish in the previous two years at Le Mans. Sørensen won in the GTE Am class at Le Mans two years ago.

Wednesday Recap

BMW was the surprise fastest in the Hypercar qualifying session as the #15 BMW had the fastest lap at 3:24.465. The #3 Cadillac was second only 0.177 seconds off the leading BMW. The #50 Ferrari was third while the #35 Alpine was in fourth. 

The #2 Cadillac rounded out the top five, only 0.056 seconds ahead of the #51 Ferrari. The #6 Porsche was another 0.002 seconds behind the Ferrari in seventh. The #7 Toyota brought out a red flag and had all of its lap times deleted, meaning the Japanese manufacturer will not have a representative in Hyperpole session. With the #7 Toyota knocked out of the top eight, the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche took the final Hyperpole spot. However, the #12 Porsche suffered an accident in Wednesday night practice and the team will be changing over to a spare chassis ahead of Thursday’s sessions.

The #36 Alpine will be starting ninth ahead of the #5 Porsche and #8 Toyota. The #83 Ferrari will start 12th while the best Lamborghini will be the #63 entry in 13th. Proton Competition's #99 Porsche takes 14th on the grid ahead of the #93 Peugeot, #20 BMW and #38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche.

Whelen Cadillac Racing has the #311 Cadillac starting 18th, just ahead of the #4 Porsche. The #94 Peugeot rounds out the top twenty ahead of the #19 Lamborghini and the #11 Isotta Fraschini. With the lap times deleted, the #7 Toyota will start 23rd on race day.

Cool Racing led the LMP2 qualifying session with the #37 Oreca running a lap at 3:32.827, over three tenths faster than the #14 AO by TF Oreca. United Autosport put the #23 Oreca third in the session with the #65 Panis Racing exactly one second off the top time.

The #28 IDEC Sport Race rounded out the top five ahead of the #10 Vector Sport Oreca. DKR Engineering was a surprise in seventh while the #22 United Autosport Oreca took the final spot in the LMP2 Hyperpole session.

Seven different manufacturers took the eight Hyperpole spots in LMGT3, starting with the #77 Proton Competition Ford, which ran a lap at 3:55.263. Inception Racing had the #70 McLaren in second, 0.143 seconds off the top with the #82 TF Sport Corvette in third, 0.842 seconds from the #77 Ford. The #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini was in fourth.

Manthey Pure Rxing had the #92 Porsche in fifth ahead of the #27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin by 0.054 seconds. JMW Motorsport had the #66 Ferrari in seventh while D'Station Racing took the final spot with the #777 Aston Martin 0.030 seconds ahead of the #85 Iron Dames Lamborghini and 0.061 seconds clear of the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus.

Thursday begins with a three-hour practice at 9:00 a.m. ET. Hyperpole qualifying will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET before a one-hour night practice at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

There will be a 15-minute warm-up at 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday June 10 with the 91st 24 Hours of Le Mans beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET.

2024 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 Preview

Though absent from the FIA World Endurance Championship, the LMP2 class will remain present at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sixteen entries fill the secondary prototype class meant for gentlemen drivers. Fourteen of the 16 entries come from the European Le Mans Series while the other two cars come from IMSA. All of the entries are Oreca 07 chassis. 

 

#9 Proton Competition Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Macéo Capietto (1st), Jonas Ried (2nd), Bent Viscaal (3rd)

Test Day: 15th

About This Team: While running full-time in ELMS, Viscaal has also sampled IMSA's GTP class this season. At 19 years old, Ried is in his second year of LMP2 competition. Capietto's first two sports car races were earlier this year in ELMS with Ried as his co-driver. 

#10 Vector Sport Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Ryan Cullen (6th), Patrick Pilet (16th), Stéphane Richelmi (4th)

Test Day: 8th

About This Team: This is the fifth consecutive year Pilet is competing in LMP2 at Le Mans. Richelmi returns for the first time since 2019. He won in LMP2 in 2016 and he was second in 2019. Cullen's best class finish at Le Mans was seventh last year. 

#14 AO by TF Sport Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Louis Delétraz (6th), P.J. Hyett (2nd), Alex Quinn (1st) 

Test Day: 3rd

About This Team: Delétraz was one of the best-kept secrets in sports car racing until Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti signed him for a full IMSA season. Deletraz has been second in LMP2 the last two years at Le Mans. Hyett is leaping up from GTE Am competition. He ran a full Asian Le Mans Series season and the first two IMSA races in LMP2. Quinn spent most of 2022 on the sidelines but won all three U.S. F2000 races he started. Last year, he was an IMSA Endurance Cup driver for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports. 

#22 United Autosports Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Bijoy Garg (1st), Oliver Jarvis (12th), Nolan Siegel (1st)

Test Day: 2nd

About This Team: Jarvis ended up second in the ELMS championship last year with three victories. His lone class victory at Le Mans was seven years ago in LMP2 when it also netted an overall runner-up finish. Garg is a rookie in ELMS after winning the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge championship last year. Siegel has been splitting his time between Indy Lights and IndyCar in 2024, but he won two races in IMSA's LMP2 class last year as an Endurance Cup driver for CrowdStrike Racing by APR. Siegel was not at the test day due to his IndyCar start with Juncos Hollinger Racing, but the #22 Oreca was second fastest on the test day. 

#23 United Autosports Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Filipe Albuquerque (11th), Ben Hanley (8th), Ben Keating (10th)

Test Day: 6th

About This Team: Albuquerque enters Le Mans as the most recent winner in IMSA at Detroit. Hanley is currently second in the ELMS championship while also running in IMSA while Keating. Keating has won at Le Mans the last two years in GTE Am. This is his first appearance in an LMP2 car since 2017, but he won the IMSA LMP2 championship last year.

#24 Nielsen Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: David Heinemeier Hansson (11th), Fabio Scherer (5th), Kyffin Simpson (1st)

Test Day: 14th

About This Team: Scherer was a part of the Le Mans-winning Inter Europol Competition entry last year. Simpson won the ELMS championship last year and has been having a respectable IndyCar rookie season. Heinemeier Hansson is ten years removed from his Le Mans class win in GTE Am. In LMP2 competition, he has never finished better than tenth in class. 

#25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Olli Caldwell (2nd), Romain De Angelis (1st), Matthias Kaiser (2nd)

Test Day: 9th

About This Team: Caldwell and Kaiser were second in the ELMS round from Barcelona. De Angelis comes over in place of Alex Lynn, who is driving for Cadillac in Hypercar. The Canadian has finished third, first and second in IMSA's GTD championship the previous three years. This is De Angelis' first LMP2 start.

#28 IDEC Sport Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Reshad de Gerus (3rd), Paul Lafargue (8th), Job van Uitert (6th)

Test Day: 1st

About This Team: The #28 IDEC Oreca led the test day at 3:37.044. IDEC has finished fourth in each of the first two ELMS races this year, and it started on pole position for the second race at Circuit Paul Ricard. Lafargue has finished fifth, sixth, sixth, eighth and sixth in his last five Le Mans starts. Van Uitert's best class finish at Le Mans was sixth in LMP2 as a rookie in 2019.

#30 Duqueine Team Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: James Allen (7th), John Falb (3rd), Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (1st)

Test Day: 12th

About This Team: Simmenauer is making the step into LMP2 racing after spending the last few years in GT competition. He and Allen are co-drivers in ELMS. Allen is coming off the ELMS championship in 2023, and he has been in the top LMP2 Pro-Am entry the last two years at Le Mans. Falb last ran at Le Mans in 2020. Both of his previous two starts have been in LMP2.

#33 DKR Engineering Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: René Binder (8th), Laurents Hörr (3rd), Alexander Mattschull (1st)

Test Day: 16th

About This Team: Binder was third in LMP2 last year at Le Mans while Hörr is in his second season of ELMS LMP2 competition. Mattschull has run regularly in the 24H Series lately. This was the slowest car on the test day, 6.768 seconds off the #28 IDEC Sport Oreca.

#34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca-Gibson    

Drivers: Vladislav Lomko (2nd), Clémenet Novalak (1st), Jakub Śmiechowski (6th)

Test Day: 4th

About This Team: Lomko is leading the ELMS championship through two races and won at Circuit Paul Ricard last month. Novalak is in his first season of sports car racing. Šmiechowski won at Le Mans last year in LMP2, his first victory in five seasons of LMP2 competition across ELMS and WEC.

#37 Cool Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Lorenzo Fluxá (1st), Malthe Jakobsen (2nd), Ritomo Miyata (1st)

Test Day: 7th

About This Team: This trio won the ELMS season opener at Barcelona. Miyata has had a trying season in Formula Two with only three points finishes in the first ten races. Jakobsen did win the Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 championship over the winter. Fluxá only started racing sports cars this year.

#45 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Colin Braun (3rd), Nicky Catsburg (6th) George Kurtz (2nd)

Test Day: 10th

About This Team: Braun is coming off an exceptional IMSA season in 2023 where he won the 24 Hours of Daytona and Petit Le Mans. He and Kurtz have been paired in GT World Challenge America competition and regularly are competing at the front. They were tenth in LMP2 last year at Le Mans, but were the top Pro-Am entry. Catsburg won last year in GTE Am, but he will be making his LMP2 debut this year.

#47 Cool Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Matt Bell (2nd), Naveen Rao (1st), Frederik Vesti (1st)

Test Day: 13th

About This Team: Vesti was second in the Formula Two championship last year, and along with ELMS competition, he has been keeping busy as a Mercedes-AMG Formula One reserve driver. Bell's only Le Mans start was two years ago. Rao has competed in only five races over the last three years, one GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup race, two Porsche Carrera Cup North America races and two Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America races.

#65 Panis Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Mathias Beche (10th), Scott Huffaker (2nd), Rodrigo Sales (2nd)

Test Day: 5th

About This Team: Beche and Sales are together again and running last year at Le Mans. Unfortunately, they only completed 18 laps in last year's race. They are currently leading the ELMS LMP2 Pro-Am championship standings. Huffaker was a regular winner in IMSA's LMP2 class. He spent last year in GTE competition driving for Kessel Racing. 

#183 AF Corse Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Ben Barnicoat (4th), François Perrodo (12th), Nicolás Varrone (3rd)

Test Day: 11th

About This Team: Barnicoat and Perrodo remain together for another year at Le Mans. This year, Varrone joins the Anglo-Franco duo a year after the Argentine won in GTE Am. Barnicoat has been one of the best drivers in IMSA's GTD Pro category for the last three years. Perrodo won at Le Mans in GTE Am three years ago, but he was third in LMP2 in 2019. 

Practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans will begin today at 8:00 a.m. ET and last for three hours. Qualifying practice will be for one-hour at 1:00 p.m. ET with night practice lasting two hours and beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

Thursday begins with a three-hour practice at 9:00 a.m. ET. Hyperpole qualifying will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET before a one-hour night practice at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

There will be a 15-minute warm-up at 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday June 15 with the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET. 

2024 24 Hours of Le Mans Hypercar Preview

For the 92nd time, the town of Le Mans will host a 24-hour race through its streets to determine who has built the best machine for endurance. This year's race will have 62 entries, but we are seeing another year of regulation changes, as this will be the first year with GT3 regulations and this is the first time since 2010 the LMP2 class is competing in a non-championship form. 

Hypercar is back with 23 entries, matched for the most with LMGT3. In Hypercar, nine manufacturers are represented with four cars making their Le Mans debut this year. Out of the 69 drivers in the top class, 13 of them are past Le Mans overall winners while ten drivers entered in Hypercar this year will be making their Le Mans debut. 

Ferrari enters as the defending race winners and it will have three entries looking for the Italian manufacturers' 11th Le Mans triumph. Porsche has a half-dozen cars as it shoots for it 20th Le Mans victory. Toyota is looking to get back on top after its five-year winning streak ended last year. Peugeot is going for its fourth Le Mans victory while BMW is looking to add its second Le Mans victory, its first since 1999. 

Cadillac has three cars entered in hopes of being the first American manufacturer to win the race since 1969. Along with Cadillac, Alpine, Lamborghini and Isotta Fraschini are all competing for their first Le Mans victory.

This year's race marks the fourth of eight rounds in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship.

#2 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R

Drivers: Earl Bamber (8th), Alex Lynn (8th), Álex Palou (1st)

Test Day: 16th

About This Team: The #2 Cadillac will have a five-spot grid penalty after Bamber caused an accident at Spa-Francorchamps. Bamber and Lynn were on the podium last year and Cadillac showed good reliability but didn't have the pace to compete with Ferrari and Toyota. Bamber has been on the overall podium in all three years he has competed in the top class. This will be Palou's second race in the Cadillac, but he is an otherworldly talent. 

#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R

Drivers: Sébastien Bourdais (17th), Scott Dixon (6th), Renger van der Zande (7th)

Test Day: 19th

About This Team: Bourdais is the most experienced driver in the Hypercar class and an overall victory would give him the record for most starts before a first overall Le Mans victory. This lineup was fourth last year and it was second at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March. Cadillac will be carrying more weight at Le Mans after a six-kilogram increase in the Balance of Performance ahead of the test day. 

#4 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963

Drivers: Mathieu Jaminet (3rd), Felipe Nasr (5th), Nick Tandy (12th)

Test Day: 2nd

About This Team: Porsche looks to be the manufacturer to beat entering Le Mans. It has won two of three WEC and it has won two of five IMSA races, including the 24 Hours of Daytona. Nasr was a member of the Daytona winning team. Jaminet and Tandy won at Laguna Seca. This lineup only completed 84 laps last year at Le Mans due to a fuel pressure issue. This car was 0.235 seconds off the best time on the test day, which was set by one of its sister cars, the #6 Porsche.

#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963

Drivers: Matt Campbell (6th), Michael Christensen (10th), Frédéric Makowiecki (14th)

Test Day: 4th

About This Team: Campbell had a stellar race at Daytona in January as the endurance driver. The #5 Porsche has started on pole position in two of the first three WEC races with a pair of third-place finishes. Last year, Christensen and Makowiecki did not get on the podium once. All three factory Porsches were within a second of one another on the test day.

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963

Drivers: Kévin Estre (10th), André Lotterer (13th), Laurens Vanthoor (9th)

Test Day: 1st

About This Team: The #6 Porsche leads the World Endurance Drivers' Championship through three races with 74 points, and it was fastest on the test day with its best lap at 3:26.907. This team has finished first, second and second in the first three races. Lotterer has three overall Le Mans victory, but the most recent was a decade ago. Estre and Vanthoor were co-drivers in the 2018 Le Mans GTE Pro winning entry with Christensen.

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid

Drivers: Kamui Kobayashi (10th), José María López (8th), Nyck de Vries (5th)

Test Day: 9th

About This Team: Mike Conway suffered an injury in a cycling accident and has been removed. López has been drafted in from the Lexus LMGT3 program to fill this vacancy. The #7 Toyota won at Imola and is currently third in the championship. Prior to last year's retirement, the #7 Toyota had been on the overall podium in five consecutive years and in six of the previous seven. This is de Vries first year at Le Mans in the premier class.

#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid

Drivers: Sébastien Buemi (13th), Brendon Hartley (11th), Ryō Hirakawa (5th)

Test Day: 3rd

About This Team: The #8 Toyota has not finished better than fifth this year in WEC. This is the longest podium drought for this entry since a 14-race stretch that started in May 2015 and went through October 2016. This car has been first or second in six consecutive years at Le Mans. The #8 Toyota was within 0.708 seconds of the top time on the test day. Buemi could become the sixth driver with at least five Le Mans victories. Hartley could become the tenth driver with at least four Le Mans victories.

#11 Isotta Fraschini Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6-C

Drivers: Carl Bennett (1st), Antonio Serravalle (1st), Jean-Karl Vernay (2nd)

Test Day: 23rd

About This Team: Isotta Fraschini was 2.583 seconds off the next slowest car on the test day. It is three seconds away from being three seconds away. Its best finish in class through three races is 15th. Vernay's only other Le Mans appearance was in 2013, where he won in the GTE Am class.

#12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963

Drivers: Callum Ilott (2nd), Norman Nato (7th), Will Stevens (9th)

Test Day: 10th

About This Team: Hertz Team Jota ride a high into Le Mans after its victory in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps last month. Combined with a finish of second in Qatar, Ilott and Stevens are second in the championship, 22 points off the #6 Porsche. Jota has three class victories at Le Mans, all in LMP2, including two years ago with Stevens as one of its drivers.

#15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8

Drivers: Raffaele Marciello (1st), Dries Vanthoor (5th), Marco Wittmann (1st)

Test Day: 15th

About This Team: The #15 BMW has failed to score a point through three races. Marciello and Wittmann are still brand new to prototype racing let alone Le Mans debutants. Vanthoor won on his Le Mans debut in the GTE Am class seven years ago. He competed the previous two years in the LMP2 class.

#19 Lamborghini Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63

Drivers: Matteo Cairoli (8th), Andrea Caldarelli (1st), Romain Grosjean (2nd)

Test Day: 18th

About This Team: This is the IMSA Endurance Cup team, which has only competed at the 12 Hours of Sebring, where they finished seventh and on the lead lap, but was not much of a contender. Grosjean make this first Le Mans appearance since 2010 when he drove a Ford GT1 for Match Competition. Caldarelli dabbled in some LMP2 action last year ahead of this move into a prototype. Cairoli has only ever competed in the GTE Am class at Le Mans prior to this year.

#20 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8

Drivers: Robin Frijns (4th), René Rast (6th), Sheldon van der Linde (1st)

Test Day: 6th

About This Team: Sixth on the test day and only 1.165 seconds from the top time was a little bit of a surprise for the #20 BMW. The Art Car does have a past Le Mans class winner in Frijns at the wheel, as well as a driver who has five starts, all in prototype classes including a run in an Audi R18 e-tron quattro, in this race in Rast. This could be the sleeper for the 2024 race.

#35 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424

Drivers: Paul-Loup Chatin (10th), Ferdinand Habsburg (5th), Charles Milesi (5th)

Test Day: 20th

About This Team: Alpine has not shown the pace to be a race contender. The team has scored 11 points through the first three races. Habsburg is back after missing the last two races due to injuries suffered in a test at Aragón. Habsburg and Milesi won the LMP2 class at Le Mans three years ago. Chatin's first nine Le Mans appearances came in the LMP2 class. 

#36 Alpine Endurance Team  Alpine A424

Drivers: Nicolas Lapierre (16th), Mick Schumacher (1st), Matthieu Vaxivière (8th)

Test Day: 17th

About This Team: The #36 Alpine has not scored a point this season. Lapierre has four class victories at Le Mans. He and Vaxivière were third overall in a grandfathered LMP1 car. Schumacher makes his Le Mans debut 33 years after his father Michael's only Le Mans start. Michael Schumacher ran the fastest lap in the 1991 race as he was fifth overall in a Team Sauber Mercedes.

#38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963

Drivers: Jenson Button (3rd), Phil Hanson (8th), Oliver Rasmussen (3rd)

Test Day: 11th

About This Team: The second Hertz Team Jota entry has not had the same pace as the #12 Porsche through the first three races, but the #38 Porsche was right in line with its teammate on the test day. Though this is an experienced lineup, it is quite green in comparison to the other Hypercar lineups. Hanson did win in the LMP2 class in 2020, but he finished tenth or worse the last three years in LMP2 at Le Mans.

#50 Ferrari - AF Corse Ferrari 499P

Drivers: Antonio Fuoco (4th), Miguel Molina (8th), Nicklas Nielsen (5th)

Test Day: 5th

About This Team: Though this was not the winning team at Le Mans last year, the #50 Ferrari was the more celebrated entry for the entire 2023 season. It is currently the best Ferrari in the championship, tied for fourth on 40 points, and it was third at Spa-Francorchamps. This group is still looking for its first WEC victory. It was on pole position last year at Le Mans. It will be a factor in this race.

#51 Ferrari - AF Corse Ferrari 499P

Drivers: James Calado (10th), Antonio Giovinazzi (3rd), Alessandro Pier Guidi (9th)

Test Day: 12th

About This Team: Since winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year, the #51 Ferrari has not finished on the podium in its last six starts. It was fourth at Spa-Francorchamps last month. This was the slowest of the three Ferraris on the test day. 

#63 Lamborghini Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63

Drivers: Mirko Bortolotti (3rd), Daniil Kyvat (2nd), Edoardo Mortara (1st)

Test Day: 7th

About This Team: The full-time WEC Lamborghini has not scored a point this season. Bortolotti and Kyvat were co-drivers last year in LMP2, but retired after completing 113 laps. Bortolotti is a two-time class winner in the 24 Hours of Daytona, both in the GTD class. Mortara has spent the last seven seasons competing in Formula E.

#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P

Drivers: Robert Kubica (4th), Robert Shwartzman (1st), Ye Yifei (4th)

Test Day: 8th

About This Team: The privateer Ferrari is ahead of the #51 Ferrari in the championship, but the #83 Ferrari has finished eighth in the last two races. Kubica won the LMP2 championship last year in WEC and he was runner-up in LMP2 the last two years at Le Mans. Shwartzman was the 2019 Formula Three championship and runner-up in the 2021 Formula Two championship to Oscar Piastri. Ye and Kubica were leading the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class three years ago before the car broke down on the final lap and the car was not classified. Ye made his Hypercar class debut last year driving for Hertz Team Jota.

#93 Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8 2024

Drivers: Nico Müller (3rd), Mikkel Jensen (5th), Jean-Éric Vergne (6th)

Test Day: 21st

About This Team: Peugeot is bringing an updated 9X8 with a rear spoiler. Results have not been much better with the new car. The #93 Peugeot has finished ninth and tenth in the last two races. None of these three drivers have ever finished better than fifth in class at Le Mans.

#94 Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8 2024

Drivers: Loïc Duval (12th), Paul di Resta (6th), Stoffel Vandoorne (3rd)

Test Day: 13th

About This Team: The #94 Peugeot has yet to finish better than 14th this season in WEC competition. Duval won overall 11 years ago with Audi. Di Resta won in the LMP2 class four years ago. This is Vandoorne's first Le Mans appearance since 2021. He was third overall in 2019 and second in LMP2 in 2021.

#99 Proton Competition Porsche 963

Drivers: Julian Andlauer (7th), Neel Jani (14th), Harry Tincknell (11th)

Test Day: 22nd

About This Team: Andlauer and Jani were fifth in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps as Tincknell was unable to compete due to IMSA commitments. All three drivers have won at Le Mans before. Jani won overall in 2016 with Porsche. Tincknell has two class victories, on debut in 2014 with Jota in LMP2 and in 2020 with Aston Martin in GTE Pro. Andlauer won on debut in 2018 in GTE Am.

#311 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R

Drivers: Jack Aitken (3rd), Pipo Derani (9th), Felipe Drugovich (1st)

Test Day: 14th

About This Team: Action Express was runner-up in the 24 Hours of Daytona in January from pole position, and a promising Sebring was ended after an untimely accident. Aitken has settled in as a full-time driver of the Cadillac in IMSA. Derani is a great leader, but Drugovich has two sports car races to his name. 

Practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans will begin at 8:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday June 12 and last for three hours. Qualifying practice will be for one-hour at 1:00 p.m. ET with night practice lasting two hours and beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

Thursday begins with a three-hour practice at 9:00 a.m. ET. Hyperpole qualifying will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET before a one-hour night practice at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

There will be a 15-minute warm-up at 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday June 15 with the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET. 

2023 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Am Preview

There are 21 GTE Am cars entered for this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the final Le Mans will the GTE specifications. The class moniker dates back to the 2011 season, but the actual set of regulations date back to 1999, first known as Group GT before becoming GT2 in 2005. Starting in 2024, GT3 specifications will be used for the GT participants at Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship.  

This year's race will see four manufacturers compete, all past winners of this race. This year's race also features something different, a Garage 56 entrant that is more an invitation than an innovation, but one that still is turning heads. 

#16 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Ryan Hardwick (1st) Jan Heylen (2nd), Zacharie Robichon (2nd)

About This Team: Hardwick and Heylen were second in the IMSA GTD championship last year with a victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona. They were also co-drivers in Michelin Pilot Challenge in 2021. Heylen won the championship while Hardwick missed a few races due to injury. Together they sell won two races. Robichon was the 2021 IMSA GTD champion and he was 16th in class last year in his Le Mans debut. Hardwick and Robichon won the European Le Mans Series season opener at Barcelona in April.

Test Day: 18th

Qualifying: 17th

#21 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Simon Mann (2nd), Ulysse de Pauw (1st), Julien Piguet (2nd)

About This Team: Mann and de Pauw have finished fourth and fifth in the last two WEC races. Piguet is a a stunt driver, but he won the FFSA GT Pro-Am championship last year. Piguet competed in the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans with Team Project 1, the final classified car completing 313 laps.

Test Day: 8th

Qualifying: 7th

#25 ORT by TF Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Drivers: Ahmad Al Harthy (1st), Michael Dinan (1st), Charlie Eastwood (4th)

About This Team: The #25 Aston Martin was third in the most recent WEC race at Spa-Francorchamps. Al Harthy is a double GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Pro-Am champion, and he won the 2019 title with Eastwood. Eastwood won in his most recent Le Mans appearance, 2020 in GTE Am with TF Sport. Dinan won twice in class in GT World Challenge America last year

Test Day: 9th

Qualifying: 4th

#33 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R

Drivers: Nicky Catsburg (5th), Ben Keating (9th), Nicolás Varrone (2nd)

About This Team: Corvette leads the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am drivers after two victories and a second in the first three races. Keating is the defending class champion and he won in this class last year with TF Sport. This is Castsburg's third Le Mans with Corvette. He was second in GTE Pro in 2021. Varrone was 17th in this class year with Iron Lynx. He won in the LMP3 at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January. 

Test Day: 15th

Qualifying: 3rd

#54 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Francesco Castellacci (8th), Thomas Flohr (7th), Davide Rigon (9th)

About This Team: This is the seventh consecutive year Castellacci and Flohr have run together at Le Mans. Their best class finish was second in 2018 with Giancarlo Fisichella. Rigon had run exclusively in GTE Pro prior to this year. Rigon's best class finish was second in 2015, and he was third in GTE Pro last year. 

Test Day: 2nd

Qualifying: 2nd

#55 GMB Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Drivers: Gustav Birch (1st), Jens Reno Møller (3rd), Marco Sørensen (9th)

About This Team: Sørensen won this race last year with TF Sport and his co-drivers Ben Cheating and Henrique Chaves, as the American-Danish-Portuguese trio took the WEC championship as well. Møller is making his first Le Mans appearance since 2006 when he drove a Lister Storm LMP Hybrid in LMP1. Birch and Møller are competing full-time in ELMS this year. Birch competed the last two seasons in the TCR Denmark Touring Car Series. 

Test Day: 21st

Qualifying: 6th

#56 Project 1 – AO Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Matteo Cairoli (7th), P.J. Hyett (1st), Gunnar Jeannette (9th)

About This Team: Hyett and Jeannette are competing full-time in WEC and IMSA this year. A practice accident forced a withdrawal from the Spa-Francorchamps round. Hyett and Jeannette were second at Bahrain last year. This is Jeannette's first Le Mans appearance since 2012. He was second in GT in 2001 driving with Romain Dumas and Philippe Haezebrouck. He was third in LMP900 in 2023 driving a Panoz LMP01 Evo-Élan with Olivier Beretta and Max Papis. Cairoli has retired from four of his six Le Mans appearances. 

Test Day: 16th

Qualifying: 15th

#57 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Scott Huffaker (1st), Takeshi Kimura (5th), Daniel Serra (7th)

About This Team: The #57 Ferrari was third at Sebring in March. Huffaker has found great success in IMSA's LMP2 class with five victories in 13 starts, all coming in endurance races, three of which have been the 12 Hours of Sebring. Serra has two class victories and two class runner-up finishes at Le Mans. Kimura's best class finish was fifth in 2019.  

Test Day: 3rd

Qualifying: 5th

#60 Iron Lynx Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Matteo Cressoni (6th), Alessio Picariello (3rd), Claudio Schiavoni (5th)

About This Team: The #60 Ferrari has only one top ten finish this season in WEC, sixth at Sebring. Cressoni was third in this class in 2021. Schiavoni was fourth that year. Picariello's best Le Mans class finish was seventh in 2021.

Test Day: 11th

Qualifying: 13th

#66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Thomas Neubauer (2nd), Giacomo Petrobelli (1st), Louis Prette (3rd)

About This Team: Neuabuer won the Dubai 24 Hour last year and he was the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Silver Cup champion last year. Petrobelli was out of motorsports from 2014 to 2020 but returned in the British GT Championship. Last year, he was full-time in ELMS' GTE class, where his best finish was third in Barcelona. Prette has spent the last two seasons competing in the Asian Le Mans Series.

Test Day: 1st

Qualifying: 19th

#72 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Drivers: Valentin Hasse-Clot (1st), Arnold Robin (2nd), Maxime Robin (2nd)

About This Team: This is a full-time ELMS entry. The Robins competed together in 2021 driving an LMP2 car and finishing 14th in class. Hasse-Clot competed primarily in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. He competed in the Asian Le Mans Series earlier this year. 

Test Day: 19th

Qualifying: 14th

#74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Kei Cozzolino (3rd), Yorikatsu Tsujiko (1st), Naoki Yokomizo (1st)

About This Team: Cozzolino was fifth in class in 2019 and this is his first Le Mans start since 2020. Yokomizo has competed in Super GT's GT300 class since 2007. He was the 2012 champion with Kyosuke Mineo. Tsujiko is the CEO of PONOS, a video game company based in Japan. He currently drives in GT World Challenge Asia and he won a race last season in that series.

Test Day: 10th

Qualifying: 8th

#77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Julien Andlauer (6th), Christian Ried (14th), Mikkel O. Pedersen (2nd)

About This Team: Andlauer won on his Le Mans debut in 2018 with Ried as one of his co-drivers, and Andlauer was second in class last year. Ried was second in GTE Am in 2020. Pedersen retired from last year's race but he picked up his first WEC victory in last year's finale in Bahrain.

Test Day: 6th

Qualifying: 9th

#83 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Luis Pérez Companc (8th), Alessio Rovera (3rd), Lilou Wadoux (2nd)

About This Team: The #83 Ferrari won the most recent WEC race at Spa-Francorchamps. Rovera won in GTE Am in 2021. Last year, he competed in LMP2, as did Wadoux. Pérez Companc makes his first Le Mans appearance since 2019. His best class finish is third, in LMP2 in 2012 and in GTE Am in 2014. 

Test Day: 12th

Qualifying: 1st

#85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Sarah Bovy (3rd), Rahel Frey (6th), Michelle Gatting (5th)

About This Team: This is the third consecutive year this trio is competing together at Le Mans. They were ninth in 2021 and seventh in 2022. They were third in the ELMS GTE championship last year with a victory in Portimão. They were third at Portimão in the WEC race in April.

Test Day: 20th

Qualifying: 12th

#86 GR Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Ben Barker (8th), Riccardo Pera (3rd), Michael Wainwright (8th)

About This Team: This trio was fourth last year, the best finish for Barker and Wainwright, who have been co-drivers in all seven of their prior appearances. Pera was second in GTE Am on debut in 2020. Barker and Wainwright have never won in WEC competition despite competing full-time since 2016. They have started 46 races. 

Test Day: 4th

Qualifying: 10th

#88 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Jonas Ried (1st), Harry Tincknell (10th), Don Yount (1st)

About This Team: Ried is the son of Christian Ried, meaning father will compete against son for the class victory. Jonas Ried has spent the previous two years competing in Formula 4, but he made his ELMS in April driving an LMP2 car was sixth amongst the pro-am teams. Tincknell was Christian Ried's co-driver last year. A two-time Le Mans class winner, Tincknell won in LMP2 in 2014 and GTE Pro in 2020. Yount makes his Le Mans debut having not won in IMSA competition since Watkins Glen 2018.

Test Day: 5th

Qualifying: 20th

#98 NorthWest AMR Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Drivers: Ian James (3rd), Daniel Mancinelli (1st), Alex Riberas (1st)

About This Team: James, Mancinelli and Riberas took over this entry after Paul Dalla Lana abruptly retired from competition in April. Riberas has four IMSA victories, including two last year at Long Beach and Watkins Glen. James returns to Le Mans for the first time since 2006 when he was third in LMP2 driving a Courage C65-AER LMP2 entry with Andy Lally and John Macaluso on Kumho Tires. James won in the GTD class at the 24 Hours of Daytona this January. Mancinelli was a race winner in Pirelli World Challenge and has spent recent years competing in the Italian GT Endurance Championship.

Test Day: 17th

Qualifying: 18th

#100 Walkenhorst Motorsport Ferrari 488 GTE Evo

Drivers: Andrew Haryanto (3rd), Chandler Hull (1st), Jeff Segal (6th)

About This Team: Haryanto has finished seventh and 11th in his two Le Mans appearances. Segal won in GTE Am in 2016. He has three class podium finishes at Le Mans, but did not finish in his last trip to Le Mans in 2020. Hull won the Asian Le Mans Series GT championship this year with Walkenhorst.

Test Day: 13th

Qualifying: 11th

#777 D'Station Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Drivers: Tomonobu Fuji (3rd), Satoshi Hoshino (4th), Casper Stevenson (1st)

About This Team: This team's best finish this season is tenth at Sebring and Spa-Francorchamps. Fuji and Hoshino's best finish was sixth in class in 2021. Stevenson spent last season competing in the GT World Challenge Europe series, competing in the Silver class. 

Test Day: 7th

Qualifying: 21st

#911 Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR-19

Drivers: Michael Fassbender (2nd), Richard Lietz (17th), Martin Rump (2nd)

About This Team: Lietz picked up his fourth Le Mans class victory last year in GTE Pro. It was his first class victory since 2013. Rump was 11th on his Le Mans debut last year and Fassbender was 16th. Lietz and Fassbender were co-drivers in ELMS last year as well as being co-drivers again this year.

Test Day: 14th

Qualifying: 16th

Garage 56

#24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Drivers: Jenson Button (2nd), Jimmie Johnson (1st), Mike Rockenfeller (11th)

About This Team: The invitational entry to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in partnership with NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports, a modified NASCAR Cup Series car is included in this year's race. It features Johnson, a seven-time Cup Series champion, with 2009 World Drivers' Champion Button and 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winner Rockenfeller. The entry is unclassified and will start at the rear of the field regardless of its qualifying time. 

This is not the first time NASCAR entries have participated in Le Mans. In 1976, two entries were in the race. a Dodge Charger with Hershel and Doug McGriff completed only two laps while a Ford Torino with Dick Brooks, Dick Hutcherson and Marcel Mignot completed 104 laps but retired after 11 hours. 

Test Day: 41st overall, ahead of the fastest GTE Am entry.

Qualifying: 37th overall

Wednesday Recap

The first official practice day for the 91st 24 Hours of Le Mans set the participants for the Hyperpole session in each class. 

Ferrari went 1-2 with the #50 Ferrari 499P topping the charts with a lap at 3:25.213, 0.199 seconds quicker than the #51 Ferrari. Toyota took the next two spots on the timesheet. The #7 Toyota was third, 0.272 seconds off the #50 Ferrari with the #8 Toyota 0.536 seconds slower.

The #5 Porsche was sixth, just over 6/10th of a seconds back with the #3 Cadillac and #2 Cadillac each making it through. The #75 Porsche took the eighth and final Hyperpole spot, 1.376 seconds off the #50 Ferrari, but over 3/10th of a second quicker than the #6 Porsche in ninth.

The rest of the grid is set in class. Peugeot has its #93 entry starting tenth and the #94 Peugeot in 11th. Glickenhaus had its #708 entry take 12th on the grid ahead of the #311 Action Express Racing Cadillac with the #709 Glickenhaus in 14th. The #4 Vanwall will occupy 15th. The #38 Team Jota Porsche was not able to participate in qualifying due to a hybrid issue. 

The good news for Jota is its #28 Oreca topped the LMP2 session at 3:34.751, 0.002 seconds faster than the #41 Team WRT Oreca with the #63 Prema Racing Oreca 0.042 seconds back. There was tie for the fourth-fastest time between the #10 Vector Sport Oreca and the #48 IDEC Sport Oreca. Both cars had a time of 3:34.985. Both cars advance to Hyperpole but for technical purposes, the #10 Vector Sport entry is classified in fourth. 

Cool Racing had its #47 Oreca advance, 0.354 seconds slower than Jota's top time. Prema had its #9 Oreca advance as well while the #14 Nielsen Racing Oreca took eighth, 0.702 seconds off Jota but 0.125 seconds quicker than the #45 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca. 

United Autosport could not get either of its cars through to Hyperpole. The #22 Oreca will start 10th while the #23 Oreca will start 14th. 

The #13 Tower Motorsports Oreca was unable to participate in qualifying after Steven Thomas ran into the stationary #777 D'Station Racing Aston Martin of Casper Stevenson in the opening practice. Both drivers were fine after the incident. The #777 Aston Martin was also unable to participate in GTE Am qualifying. 

The #83 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari led the session at 3:51.877 with the #54 AF Corse Ferrari second, 0.037 seconds off. The #33 Corvette suffered a practice-ending accident early in the team but the team repaired the car in time for qualifying and wound up third, 0.351 seconds off the #83 Ferrari. 

The #25 ORT by TF Aston Martin was fourth, 0.554 seconds off the top, but 0.028 seconds ahead of the #57 Kessel Racing Ferrari. The #55 GMB Motorsport Aston Martin was only 0.025 seconds behind the #57 Ferrari. The #21 AF Corse Ferrari and the #75 Kessel Racing Ferrari rounded out the top eighth. 

Porsche will not have any participants in the GTE Am Hyperpole session. The top Porsche was in ninth, the #77 Dempsey-Proton Racing entry was 0.218 seconds off advancing. The #86 GR Racing Porsche rounds out the top ten. 

The Garage 56 entry, the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ran an impressive 3:47.976 lap in qualifying. It was 37th fastest overall, but 3.901 seconds faster than the #83 Ferrari's top time in GTE Am. 

Thursday begins with a three-hour practice at 9:00 a.m. ET. Hyperpole qualifying will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET before a one-hour night practice at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

There will be a 15-minute warm-up at 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday June 10 with the 91st 24 Hours of Le Mans beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET.

2023 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 Preview

While Hypercar is rightfully garnering attention, the largest class on the grid for the 91st 24 Hours of Le Mans will be LMP2. Twenty-four cars are entered in the pro-am prototype category with many notable drivers, from IMSA and DTM champions, past overall Le Mans winners, an Indianapolis 500 winner champion, a grand prix winner and plenty of other top tier drivers combined with some hopeful amateurs filling out the field. 

A dozen debutants are in the 72-driver LMP2 pool while nine drivers will be in double figures for Le Mans appearances in this class. 

#9 Prema Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Juan Manuel Correa (1st), Filip Ugran (1st), Bent Viscaal (2nd)

About This Team: Correa is splitting 2023 between Formula Two and LMP2 in WEC. He won the 2022 European Le Mans Series season finale at Portimão with Prema. Ugran is in his first year in sports cars. Viscaal spent last year in ELMS with Algarve Pro Racing and drove at Le Mans in LMP2 with ARC Bratislava. 

Test Day: 7th

#10 Vector Sport Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Gabriel Aubry (6th), Ryan Cullen (5th), Matthias Kaiser (1st)

About This Team: Bottom in WEC's LMP2 championship, Vector Sport's best result was ninth at Sebring. Aubry has not finished the last two years at Le Mans. Cullen's best class finish is 14th. Kaiser spent the previous two years competing in ELMS where his best finish was third on two occasions. 

Test Day: 9th

#13 Tower Motorsports Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: René Rast (5th), Ricky Taylor (9th), Steven Thomas (2nd)

About This Team: Tower Motorsports earned this spot after John Farano won IMSA's LMP2 championship. Unfortunately, Farano is missing this race after suffering an accident at Laguna Seca last month. Replace Farano is Thomas, who was in the top LMP2 pro-am entry last year. Taylor's best Le Mans result was fifth in class on debut in 2013 driving in GTE Am. Rast was second in LMP2 in 2016 with G-Drive Racing. Rast won two races last year in WEC driving for Team WRT.  

Test Day: 11th

#14 Nielsen Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Mathias Beche (9th), Ben Hanley (7th), Rodrigo Sales (2nd)

About This Team: Beche was third overall in 2018 and lost a third overall finish in 2017 after his Rebellion Racing entry was disqualified for illegally modified bodywork. Hanley and Sales drove together at Le Mans last year and were 16th in class. This trio is full-time in ELMS. 

Test Day: 20th

#22 United Autosports Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Filipe Albuquerque (10th), Philip Hanson (7th)), Frederick Lubin (1st)

About This Team: The LMP2 championship leaders, the #22 United Autosport entry won at Sebring and was second at Portimão. Albuquerque and Hanson won at Le Mans in LMP2 in 2020. Lubin is in his first sports car season. 

Test Day: 18th

#23 United Autosports Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Tom Blomqvist (3rd), Oliver Jarvis (12th), Josh Pierson (2nd)

About This Team: Portimão winners, Jarvis and Pierson are fourth in the championship and they were second at Spa-Francorchamps and started on pole position in two of the three races. They were sixth in class last year. Blomqvist won the 24 Hours of Daytona for the second consecutive year this January, though his Meyer Shank Racing was guilty of manipulating tire pressure sensors.

Test Day: 6th

#28 Jota Sport Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Pietro Fittipaldi (2nd), David Heinemeier Hansson (10th), Oliver Rasmussen (2nd)

About This Team: Fittipaldi made his Le Mans debut last year with Heinemeier Hansson as one of his co-drivers. Rasmussen was third in class last year on debut. Jota Sport has three Le Mans class victory, including last year. 

Test Day: 1st

#30 Duqueine Team Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: René Binder (5th), Neel Jani (13th), Nico Pino (1st)

About This Team: Duqueine leads the ELMS LMP2 championship. Jani won Le Mans overall in 2016 with Porsche. Binder's best class finish was eighth in 2019. Pino was runner-up in the ELMS LMP3 championship last year. He won three of six races. 

Test Day: 14th

#31 Team WRT Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Robin Frijns (3rd), Sean Gelael (3rd), Ferdinand Habsburg (4th)

About This Team: This team has finished sixth in all three races this WEC season after having won three times in WEC last season. Frijns and Habsburg won at Le Mans in LMP2 in 2021 on their way to the class championship. Habsburg was ELMS champion last year. Gelael was second in LMP2 at Le Mans in 2021 to Frijns and Habsburg. 

Test Day: 2nd

#32 Inter Europol Competition Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Anders Fjordbach (4th), Mark Kvamme (2nd), Jan Magnussen (25th)

About This Team: Fjordbach spent last year competing in IMSA full-time and had one podium finish. Kvamme made his Le Mans debut last year in a GTE Am entry. Magnussen returns after missing the 2022 race. He and Fjordbach were co-drivers in 2021 in LMP2 and were 17th in class. Magnussen has four class victories at Le Mans, the most recent in 2009.

Test Day: 24th

#34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca-Gibson    

Drivers: Albert Costa (1st), Fabio Scherer (4th), Jakub Śmiechowski (5th)

About This Team: With two third-place finishes this season, the #34 Oreca is sixth in the championship. This is Costa's first year in prototypes after success in GT racing. Scherer has not won since 2021. Šmiechowski has not won in LMP2 competition, a class he has regularly competed in since 2019. 

Test Day: 17th

#35 Alpine Elf Team Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Olli Caldwell (1st), André Negrão (7th), Memos Rojas (8th)

About This Team: Negrão has four class podium finishes in six Le Mans appearances, including third overall in 2021. His worst class finish is fifth. Rojas' best class finish is fifth. This team's best finish in WEC competition this season was eighth at Spa-Francorchamps. 

Test Day: 4th

#36 Alpine Elf Team Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Julien Canal (14th), Charles Milesi (4th), Matthieu Vaxivière (7th)

About This Team: Canal won in class his first three years at Le Mans. He hasn't won since but he has three more class podium finishes, including third in 2020 with Vaxivière in LMP2. Milesi won in LMP2 in 2021 with Team WRT. 

Test Day: 5th

#37 Cool Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Alexandre Coigny (2nd), Malthe Jakobsen (1st), Nicolas Lapierre (16th)

About This Team: Jakobsen won the ELMS LMP3 championship last year with Cool Racing. Lapierre has four class victories at Le Mans, all in LMP2. Lapierre drove for Cool Racing in 2020 with Coigny as one of his co-drivers. They were eighth in class. 

Test Day: 13th

#39 Graff Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Giedo van der Garde (6th), Roberto Lacorte (6th), Patrick Pilet (15th)

About This Team: Van der Garde won at Portimão with United Autosports filling in for Blomqvist who had IMSA responsibilities. Van der Garde has never finished better than seventh in class at Le Mans. This is Lacorte's first Le Mans appearance without Giorgio Sernagiotto as one of his co-drivers, and Lacorte has also never finished better than seventh in class at Le Mans. This is Pilet's fourth Le Mans start in LMP2. Pilet has two class podiums at Le Mans but he has yet to win on Circuit de la Sarthe.

Test Day: 23rd

#41 Team WRT Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Rui Andrade (3rd), Louis Delétraz (4th), Robert Kubica (3rd)

About This Team: The most recent WEC winners in LMP2, Team WRT is second in the championship. Delétraz has won the ELMS championship the previous two years and won this year's ELMS season opener overall at Barcelona. He and Kubica were runner-up in this class last year at Le Mans with Prema Racing. 

Test Day: 16th

#43 DKR Engineering Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Maxime Martin (8th), Tom van Rompuy (1st), Ugo de Wilde (1st)

About This Team: Martin is making his first LMP2 appearance since 2013. He won in 2020 in GTE Pro with Aston Martin. That is his only top five class finish at Le Mans. De Wilde spent 2022 racing in LMP2 in ELMS. Van Rompuy spent much of the last two seasons competing in ELMS' LMP3 class.

Test Day: 22nd

#45 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: James Allen (6th), Colin Braun (2nd), George Kurtz (1st)

About This Team: Sixteen years after making his Le Mans debut, Braun is back for his sophomore appearance. Braun was second in GT2 that year driving with Tracy Krohn and Niclas Jönsson. He was only 18 years old. Braun and Kurtz have been co-drivers in IMSA LMP3 competition and in GT World Challenge America. Allen won the 24 Hours of Daytona in LMP2 this past January with Proton Competition, defeating Kurtz's team in a photo finish. 

Test Day: 19th

#47 Cool Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Reshad de Gerus (2nd), Vladislav Lomko (1st), Simon Pagenaud (5th)

About This Team: De Gerus and Lomko compete with Toyota's José María López in ELMS competition. They were fourth in the Barcelona season opener. Pagenaud is making his first Le Mans appearance since he was second overall in 2011 driving for Peugeot with Sébastien Bourdais and Pedro Lamy as his co-drivers. 

Test Day: 3rd

#48 IDEC Sport Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Paul-Loup Chatin (9th), Laurents Hörr (2nd), Paul Lafargue (7th)

About This Team: This is the sixth consecutive year Chatin and Lafargue are co-drivers at Le Mans. They have finished fifth, sixth, sixth and eighth in class the last four years. They won at Monza last year in ELMS. Hörr made his Le Mans debut last year but he raced primarily in LMP3 competition until the start of this season.

Test Day: 12th

#63 Prema Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Mirko Bortolotti (2nd), Daniil Kvyat (1st), Doriane Pin (1st)

About This Team: Runner-up at Sebring, the #63 Oreca is fifth in the championship. After making his Le Mans debut last year, Bortolotti is full-time in LMP2 this year in companionship with his Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters role. Kvyat is full-time in sports cars after sampling NASCAR last year. Pin ended 2022 as a GTE class winner in ELMS and has quickly adapted to LMP2 racing. 

Test Day: 21st

#65 Panis Racing Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Tijmen van der Helm (2nd), Manuel Maldonado (2nd), Job van Uitert (5th)

About This Team: The Panis Racing entry was runner-up in LMP2 at the ELMS season opener at Barcelona. Van der Helm made his IMSA GTP debut at Laguna Seca last month with the JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche. Maldonado returns to prototypes after racing in LMP2 in 2021. he spent last year in GT3 competition. Van Uitert was sixth in class on his Le Mans debut in 2019, still his best finish in the race. 

Test Day: 15th

#80 AF Corse Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Ben Barnicoat (3rd), Norman Nato (6th), François Perrodo (11th)

About This Team: Barnicoat spent the previous two years racing in GTE Am at Le Mans. Prior to 2023, his only LMP2 experience was the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series season driving for Carlin. Nato was second overall in 2020. His best finish in LMP2 is tenth. Perrodo won the GTE Am class in 2021. Last year, he was 19th in class in his third LMP2 start in the race. 

Test Day: 10th

#923 Racing Team Turkey Oreca-Gibson

Drivers: Tom Gamble (2nd), Dries Vanthoor (4th), Salih Yoluç (5th)

About This Team: The winners of the 2023 ELMS season opener at Barcelona, Yoluç is the only carry over from that entry. Yoluç's most recent Le Mans appearance was 2020 when he won in GTE Am. He also won the Asian Le Mans Series championship earlier this year. Gamble's only time at Le Mans was 2021 in GTE Am with GR Racing. Vanthoor won on debut in 2017 in GTE Am, and he is a three-time defending GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup champion.

Test Day: 8th

Practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans opens today at 8:00 a.m. ET and will last for three hours. Qualifying practice will be for one-hour at 1:00 p.m. ET with night practice lasting two hours and beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

Thursday begins with a three-hour practice at 9:00 a.m. ET. Hyperpole qualifying will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET before a one-hour night practice at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

There will be a 15-minute warm-up at 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday June 10 with the 91st 24 Hours of Le Mans beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET.

2023 24 Hours of Le Mans Hypercar Preview

This is a historic year for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Not only is it the centennial anniversary for the historic endurance race, this year sees 62 entries, 16 in the premier class with seven different manufacturers represented on the grid. Each class would be a strong race on its own and due to the breakdown of the classes, this year for Le Mans we will look at each class individually. 

In Hypercar, Toyota has won the first two editions at Le Mans with this class and Toyota has won five consecutive years. This year will be Toyota's toughest test since 2017 when Porsche won a chaotic race. Porsche is back and is aiming for its 20th overall Le Mans victory. Ferrari is back, and the Maranello outfit is looking for its first overall victory since 1965. Cadillac returns for the first time since 2002 and could become the first American manufacturer to win overall since 1969. Peugeot returns after a soft-launch in the second half of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship seaosn, as the French brand chases its fourth Le Mans triumph.

While the new manufacturers received all the attention, Vanwall and Glickenhaus round out the Hypercars grid. 

Of the 48 drivers in Hypercar, only one is a Le Mans debutant, and the other 47 drivers have a combined 300 Le Mans appearances. 

#2 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R

Drivers: Earl Bamber (7th), Alex Lynn (7th), Richard Westbrook (13th)

About This Team: Bamber is a two-time Le Mans winner and has won the only two times he has competed in the premier class. This is Lynn's first time in the top class and he won the GTE Pro class at Le Mans in 2020. Westbrook was third overall last year with Glickenhaus. Westbrook has four class podiums at Le Mans, all of them are third-place finishes. The #2 Cadillac has been fourth, fourth and fifth through the first three races of the 2023 WEC season. 

Test Day: 8th

#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R

Drivers: Sébastien Bourdais (16th), Scott Dixon (5th), Renger van der Zande (6th)

About This Team: Bourdais is competing in Le Mans' top class for the first time since 2012. He is a three-time runner-up, but won in GTE Pro in 2016 with the Ford GT program. This is Dixon's first time competing in the top class at Le Mans. Van der Zande retired from the 2018 and 2019 races driving for DragonSpeed. Bourdais and van der Zande won the most recent IMSA race at Laguna Seca. 

Test Day: 14th

#4 Floyd Vanwall Racing Team Vanwall Vandervell 680

Drivers: Tom Dillmann (4th), Esteban Guerrieri (1st), Tristan Vautier (2nd)

About This Team: Dillmann has run three times at Le Mans, all with the ByKolles/Floyd Vanwall Racing Team. All three races ended in retirement. Guerrieri spent the better part of the last six years competing in touring cars. Vautier replaced Jacques Villeneueve in this entry. Vautier's only Le Mans start was last year in LMP2. Vanwall has retired from the last two races.

Test Day: 12th

#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963

Drivers: Dane Cameron (2nd), Michael Christensen (9th), Frédéric Makowiecki (13th)

About This Team: Cameron was fifth in LMP2 last year in his Le Mans debut. Cameron could become the first American overall winner since Davy Jones in 1996. Christensen won in GTE Pro in 2018. Makowiecki scored his first Le Mans class victory last year in GTE Pro. The #5 Porsche was fourth at Spa-Francorchamps, the most recent WEC round. 

Test Day: 6th

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963

Drivers: Kévin Estre (9th), André Lotterer (12th), Laurens Vanthoor (8th)

About This Team: Estre and Vanthoor won in GTE Pro in 2018 with Christensen. Estre and Vanthoor have been co-drivers at Le Mans five times previously, including in their debuts in 2015 with Chris Cumming in an LMP2 entry for OAK Racing. Lotterer is a three-time overall Le Mans winner and makes his return for the first time since 2019.

Test Day: 2nd

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid

Drivers: Mike Conway (10th), Kamui Kobayashi (9th), José María López (7th)

About This Team: The #7 Toyota has finished on the podium the last five years at Le Mans and in six of the last seven years. This entry has won two of the first three races this season in WEC, the 1000 Miles of Sebring and Spa-Francorchamps. The 2021 overall Le Mans winners were also twice world champions in the 2019-20 and the 2021 seasons. 

Test Day: 3rd

#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 Hybrid

Drivers: Sébastien Buemi (12th), Brendon Hartley (10th), Ryō Hirakawa (4th)

About This Team: Buemi has won at Le Mans four of the last five years, the last two of his victories were shared with Hartley, who also won in 2017 with Porsche. Hirakawa won in his premier class debut last year. The defending world championship, the #8 Toyota won at Portimão in April and currently lead the world championship. Buemi could become the sixth driver with at least five Le Mans overall victories. 

Test Day: 9th

#38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963

Drivers: António Félix da Costa (6th), Will Stevens (8th), Ye Yifei (3rd)

About This Team: Da Costa and Stevens won in LMP2 last year at Le Mans as they also won the LMP2 championship with Jota Sport. The team received delivery of its Porsche just ahead of the Spa-Francorchamps round and the #38 Porsche was sixth overall in that race. Stevens also won in the GTE Am class at Le Mans in 2017. Yifei had his Team WRT Oreca breakdown on the final lap in the 2021 race while leading in LMP2.

Test Day: 11th

#50 Ferrari - AF Corse Ferrari 499P

Drivers: Antonio Fuoco (3rd), Miguel Molina (7th), Nicklas Nielsen (4th)

About This Team: The #50 Ferrari won pole position at Sebring and was third in that race. Fuoco and Molina were third in GTE Pro last year at Le Mans. It is Molina's only class podium at Le Mans. Nielsen won in GTE Am in 2021 and he was in LMP2 last year. 

Test Day: 4th

#51 Ferrari - AF Corse Ferrari 499P

Drivers: James Calado (9th), Antonio Giovinazzi (2nd), Alessandro Pier Guidi (8th)

About This Team: Calado and Pier Guidi have been co-drivers for seven consecutive years at Le Mans, all in GTE Pro. Their finishing positions the last four years were first, second, first and second. They won the last two World Endurance GT Drivers' championships. Giovinazzi's lone Le Mans appearance was in 2018 sharing a Ferrari with Toni Vilander and Pipo Derani. They were fifth in GTE Pro. There has not been an Italian to win overall at Le Mans since Rinaldo Capello in 2008.

Test Day: 1st

#75 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963

Drivers: Mathieu Jaminet (2nd), Felipe Nasr (4th), Nick Tandy (11th)

About This Team: Jaminet's only Le Mans appearance was in 2019 with GTE Pro. He and Nasr won in GTD Pro at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2022 and Jaminet and Matt Campbell won the GTD Pro championship that year. Jaminet and Tandy currently lead the IMSA GTP championship after finishing on the podium in the last three races and winning at Long Beach. Tandy won overall with Porsche in 2015. All three of Nasr's previous Le Mans starts were in LMP2. Nasr could become the first Brazilian to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall. 

Test Day: 5th

#93 Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8

Drivers: Paul di Resta (5th), Mikkel Jensen (4th), Jean-Éric Vergne (5th)

About This Team: Di Resta won in the LMP2 class at Le Mans in 2020 with United Autosports. Jensen spent the previous two years competing in GTE Am. This is Vergne's first Le Mans appearance since 2020. He was first on the road in 2018 with G-Drive Racing, but his entry was disqualified after it was found the team used illegally modified re-fueling equipment. 

Test Day: 7th

#94 Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8

Drivers: Loïc Duval (11th), Gustavo Menezes (6th), Nico Müller (2nd)

About This Team: Duval was the overall winner in 2013 with Audi and he won the world championship that year with Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen. Menezes was second overall in his most recent Le Mans appearance in 2020. He was third overall in 2018 and won in LMP2 in 2016. Müller was 22nd in LMP2 last year. 

Test Day: 10th

#311 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R

Drivers: Jack Aitken (2nd), Pipo Derani (8th), Alexander Sims (5th)

About This Team: Action Express Racing won the 12 Hours of Sebring in March. Derani has won the 24 Hours of Daytona once and the 12 Hours of Sebring four times. Derani spent the last two years competing for Glickenhaus Racing in the Hypercar class. Derani was second in GTE Pro with the Ford GT program. Aitken was 20th in LMP2 last year. Like Nasr, Derani could become the first Brazilian overall winner. Sims has failed to finish in three of his four Le Mans appearances.

Test Day: 16th

#708 Glickenhaus Racing Glickenhaus 007 LMH

Drivers: Ryan Briscoe (9th), Romain Dumas (23rd), Olivier Pla (16th)

About This Team: Dumas is the most experienced Le Mans driver in Hypercar and he has won twice overall with an additional class victory. Briscoe and Dumas were co-drivers in 2021 and Pla and Dumas were co-drivers in 2022. Briscoe was third overall last year. Pla was fourth overall the last two years and his only class podium was second in LMP2 in 2013. 

Test Day: 13th

#709 Glickenhaus Racing Glickenhaus 007 LMH

Drivers: Nathanaël Berthon (8th), Esteban Gutiérrez (2nd), Franck Mailleux (9th)

About This Team: Berthon drove for Rebellion Racing in LMP1 in 2019 and 2020 with his best result being fourth in 2020. Gutiérrez was 13th last year in LMP2. Mailleux was third overall last year.

Test Day: 15th

Practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans will begin at 8:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday June 7 and last for three hours. Qualifying practice will be for one-hour at 1:00 p.m. ET with night practice lasting two hours and beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

Thursday begins with a three-hour practice at 9:00 a.m. ET. Hyperpole qualifying will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET before a one-hour night practice at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

There will be a 15-minute warm-up at 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday June 10 with the 91st 24 Hours of Le Mans beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Best of the Month: June 2022

The halfway point of 2022 is here. Six months down, six month remain and the motorsports season is just picking up. 

Every championship is taking shape and the next few weeks will be critical in determining who will be competing silverware and who will be hoping for a better shot next year. 

Before we can worry about the championships, let's consider what was seen this month, and some of that was done in person. 

LED Necessity

After attending the Belle Isle weekend and seeing IMSA and IndyCar race in consecutive days, I can say IndyCar must find a way to bring the LED panels back to the cars. 

I am not one of these LED panels obsessives, who believe it is the greatest sin in the world IndyCar took them away. I understood why IndyCar removed them because they were causing electric issues with the cars. We can't have cars being knocked out of the races because the LED panel caused the electrical system to short circuit. IndyCar would never hear the end of it if the Indianapolis 500 lead slowed due to a glitch related to the LED panel. IndyCar was smart to make the decision it did over three years ago. 

However, I am not sure there has been a more fan-friendly item put on a race car than the LED panel. Especially at a road/street course where you could be seated without any video broad in eye sight or out of ear shot of a speaker with the race broadcast, the LED panel keeps you completely informed without mental gymnastics to figure out the running order. It prevents the attendee from losing track of the race and possibly following the wrong car that they think is the leader or in contention for the lead. 

The one issue with the LED panel IndyCar had been the series wanted it to have all these features. Become the flag of the driver's nationality, sponsors, etc. Keep. It. Simple. Stupid. 

All a viewer needs is position in the race, and pit stop time during pit stops. We don't need it to light up into the Stars & Stripes or the Union Jack or the Tricolour. Let us know who is leading, the rest of the running order and a pit stop time. 

Again, not an LED obsessive, but I think IndyCar looks pretty bad for having the LED panels for a nearly five-year period and then to not have them for the last three years. It is like if the NBA decided to take the shot clock down from the top of the backboard. That would significantly change the viewing experience in the arena and on television. 

I hate to be blunt but if the new car, whenever that arrives, does not have LED panels, it will be a massive failure for the series.

No pressure, guys! Have fun!

Castroneves to Daytona

With Hélio Castroneves' victory in the Superstar Racing Experience season opener at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, a deal unbeknownst to nearly everyone came to light in the post-race interview. 

SRX CEO Don Hawk had made a deal with Castroneves that if Castroneves won an SRX main event this season, Hawk would get Castroneves an entry for the Daytona 500. 

Castroneves won the season opener and was immediately looking to get his reward in victory lane that Saturday night in the Florida Panhandle. 

The good news is Hawk is working on it, and it sounds like many are interested in Castroneves having a ride. 

We have heard many similar deals before, or heard many other top drivers say they would love to drive in a certain race only for it never to happen. How many times did we hear Tony Stewart was looking to return to the Indianapolis 500 or how many times did we hear Jeff Gordon say he wanted to run the 24 Hours of Le Mans? Neither have happened. 

There is a lot of time between now and February 2023, and it comes down to sponsorship. Someone has to fund this ride and I don't think Hawk is doing it out of his own pocket. I know Castroneves isn't going to pay for this, but this is the type of entry we should see at an event such as the Daytona 500 each year. 

Castroneves is one of the top IndyCar drivers of his generation. He has since added a sports car championship and two 24 Hours of Daytona victories. The Daytona 500 has a long history of attracting top talent from other forms of motorsports. 

Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt each won the race. 

The Daytona 500 has drawn one-off entries from Indianapolis 500 winners: Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Al Unser, Jr. Parnelli Jones, Gordon Johncock, Tom Sneva, Troy Ruttman... 

Grand prix winners: Dan Gurney, Innes Ireland, Pedro Rodríguez... 

Sprint car champions: Sammy Swindell, Steve Kinser, and...

Sports car champions: Al Holbert, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Christian Fittipaldi, Jo Schlesser, David Hobbs, Vic Elford, Mark Donohue, Boris Said, Dorsey Schroeder.

Big races draw big names. Jacques Villeneuve returned this year nearly 15 years after missing the Daytona 500 just to get in the field and say he did. 

In Castroneves' case, it is a chance for history, to join Andretti and Foyt as the only drivers to win both the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500, but it is also a chance to join this list of drivers just to start the race. He is more than worthy of it and this should be a near yearly thing. Scott Dixon should have made a Daytona 500 start by now. The same could be said for Will Power. Josef Newgarden is a part of that group now. Fernando Alonso toyed with it but he should absolutely give it a go. Toyota should bring Kamui Kobayashi to the event. There is plenty of time left in the Formula One offseason for Daniel Ricciardo to run Daytona. Chevrolet should get Jordan Taylor and Nick Tandy entries. 

The restrictor plate nature of the race doesn't allow driver talent to standout above others, but it is still a major race and a thrill to participate in. It is unlike the other great races in the world from how the race unfolds to how the starting grid is set. 

I hope Castroneves gets a shot at it and in a good car. I am not sure he would be able to snag a Chartered entry and have to avoid qualifying, but he deserves at least something competitive. 

Ben Keating: Le Mans Winner

There were a lot of popular winners at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, but Ben Keating probably earned the most praise. 

Winning in GTE-Am with Henrique Chaves and Marco Sørensen in the #33 TF Sport Aston Martin, Keating had been on the top step of the podium three years ago, but when his Ford GT found to exceed the permitted fuel capacity, the victory was stripped. It was a tough break for Keating, who has been nothing but an outstanding sportsman. His passion for driving and pushing himself is admirable, jumping between GT cars and prototypes and sometimes doing it in the same race. He is clearly a man making the most of abilities. 

As hard as a driver tries, you cannot will a Le Mans victory. In a pro-am class it is likely even harder. There are more variables and the class is larger. Keating has had good drivers, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Felipe Fraga, Ricky Taylor and Luca Stolz to name a few. This year Chaves and Sørensen were two entirely new co-drivers. Sørensen is a world champion, but Chaves was a rather unknown, competing on his grandest stage of his career. None of the three put a wheel wrong. This time the victory stood for Keating and company.

How does Keating back it up? He won the 6 Hours of the Glen two weeks later in the LMP2 class and he already won the 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class earlier this year. For the near future, Keating will go for the Endurance Trophy for GTE Am Drivers in the FIA World Endurance Championship, but I wouldn't be surprised if Keating has his sights on something bigger, perhaps an LMDh entry and cracks at overall triumphs in sports cars greatest races. Either way, it is a pleasure to watch and Keating is one who makes this sport more enjoyable.

July Preview

Somehow July is here. I thought May went by quickly. June was a blink. 

There really isn't one standout event in July. There is the Spa 24 Hours at the end of the month, but it doesn't quite grab the motorsport world's attention like some other events. 

Other than MotoGP, everyone will be competing. There will be a notable debut later this month. 

At the WEC Monza round on July 10, the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar will contest its first race. Paul di Resta, Mikel Jensen and Jean-Éric Vergne will drive the #93 Peugeot while Loïc Duval, Gustavo Menezes and James Rossiter will be in the #94 Peugeot.

This will be Peugeot's first appearance in the top level of sports car racing since 2011. The last time Peugeot competed was the 6 Hours of Zhuhai, the final round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup ever, as WEC debuted the following year. Peugeot went 1-2 in that race was Sébastien Bourdais and Anthony Davidson taking the victory ahead of Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin.

There were nine LMP1 entries in that Zhuhai race, including two Audi R18s, a Lola-Toyota for Rebellion Racing, two OAK Racing Pescarolo 01-Judds, a Lola-Aston Martin and a Courage-Oreca-YGK Hybrid that the Japanese Tokai University fielded, the only hybrid entered in that race. 

Mika Häikkinen competed in that race driving a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. Rossiter was driving a Lotus Evora in the GTE Pro class with David Heinemeier Hansson and Johnny Mowlem. There was one Le Mans Prototype Challenge Oreca FLM09 in the race. Christian Ried won in GTE-Am and Ried is the only driver who has competed in every WEC race since the inception of the series.

Other events of note in July:

The aforementioned Spa 24 Hours.

Formula E has five races between Marrakesh, Brooklyn and London.

IndyCar has five races between Mid-Ohio, Toronto, Iowa and the IMS road course.

Formula One has four races, including a sprint round in Austria. 

Supercars will be in Townsville and Taliem Bend. 

The Norisring is back in July for the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.

NASCAR will visit five tracks for the one and only time this month. 

Superstars Racing Experience will close out its season with four races. The final two will be dirt races.