Siegel, Jarvis among United Autosports lineup for Le Mans

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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | May 2, 2024 11:20 AM ET

United Autosports has completed its driver roster for the 2024 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, with Indy NXT standout and part-time DCR IndyCar driver Nolan Siegel joining the team to race alongside former Audi and Bentley factory driver Oliver Jarvis and VP Racing SportsCar Challenge title holder Bijoy Garg.

The trio will share the team’s No. 22 ORECA 07 Gibson in the LMP2 class, which forms part of the team’s four-car Le Mans effort that includes a second ORECA in LMP2 Pro/Am and a pair of McLaren GT3 EVOs in LMGT3.

Siegel joins the effort following his third-place finish in the 2023 Indy NXT championship and a strong start to the 2024 campaign with HMD Motorsports.

“I’m extremely excited to join United Autosports for the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Siegel. “It’s one of the most famous races in the world and to be joining a team with a history of success like United is a huge honor. I’ve known Bijoy since we were kids, so racing with him and Oliver will be a lot of fun. We have all the ingredients to fight for the win.”

In addition to his single-seater success, Siegel has prototype experience to draw from including two LMP2 class victories in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship (Six Hours of the Glen and Petit Le Mans) and a podium finish at the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona (LMP3).

Jarvis, meanwhile, brings the most Le Mans experience to the line-up. This will be his 13th start in the French classic and his third in a row with United. He hopes to add to his tally of four Le Mans podiums and a class win (2017).

“Every opportunity to race at this incredible event is a privilege,” said Jarvis. “This year I head there with two new teammates in Bijoy and Nolan. Having seen Bijoy’s speed so far this season, I have no doubt that he will be straight on the pace. Nolan has also had an impressive start to the season, racing in Indy NXT. I am confident that, together with United Autosports, we have a team capable of fighting for the win.”

For Garg, Le Mans adds to his programs in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and European Le Mans Series with the team.

“I’ve been watching Nolan since he came into LMP2,” said United Autosports CEO, Richard Dean. “His progression has been seriously impressive through to Indy NXT and now IndyCar.

“Bijoy has been an exciting addition to our IMSA and ELMS teams in 2024 – and following on from his podium finish in Sebring, I’m looking forward to seeing him take on his first Le Mans. And then we have Olly Jarvis – a proven winner at Circuit de la Sarthe and many times with United Autosports in LMP2. He knows what it takes. Together, I am sure they will do an excellent job for us.”

United Autosports’ second ORECA will be driven by the previously confirmed crew of Ben Keating, Filipe Albuquerque and Ben Hanley.

 

Updated Le Mans entry list revealed

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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | May 6, 2024 11:30 AM ET

An updated 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours entry list has been published today, featuring complete driver crews for all 62 cars set to contest the race next month.

There are a number of additions to the previous version of the list in each class, which now features 186 drivers, including a handful of new names following the flurry of announcements in recent days. There has, however, been no need for the ACO to utilize any of the cars on the reserve list, which now comprises five cars.

In Hypercar, Penske’s third Porsche – the No. 4 – will see Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr join forces to race with Mathieu Jaminet, making it an all-IMSA GTP crew. This is notable because the No. 4 was tipped to feature Sebastien Vettel for the race following his recent 963 test with the German brand. But a Le Mans drive with Penske for Porsche’s push for a 20th overall Le Mans win in 2024 has not come to fruition.

“After announcing the entry of a third car in Le Mans, we still had two driver positions available. The decision was not easy for us given our very strong and equally skilled squad,” said Porsche’s director of factory motorsport LMDh, Urs Kuratle. “Ultimately, one of the deciding factors was having Le Mans experience. Nick Tandy has competed there eleven times and won with Porsche in 2015. Felipe Nasr has four races at the Sarthe under his belt. Moreover, the trio impressed us with strong lap times and great teamwork during their joint campaign at Le Mans in 2023.”

Notably, there has been no change to Alpine’s driver roster for the race. Ferdinand Habsburg, who missed the WEC race at Imola and will not take part in this weekend’s action at Spa due to an injury, is still listed at Alpine in the No. 35 A424. Jules Gounon, the team’s nominated reserve, has been standing in for the Austrian during his recovery period.

Elsewhere, F2 champion and ELMS LMP2 racer Felipe Drugovich will race alongside Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken in the No. 311 Action Express Cadillac V-Series.R. This move, confirmed earlier today, follows a recent test with the GM brand for the Brazillian, who will now make his Hypercar race debut at La Sarthe.

That has had a knock-on effect at Vector Sport for its LMP2 lineup, which now features Porsche factory driver Patrick Pilet alongside Ryan Cullen and Stephane Richelmi.

That is one of several changes to the LMP2 field.

At Proton Competition, Bent Viscaal and 18-year-old Formula Regional driver Maceo Capietto will join Jonas Ried in the No. 9 ORECA, while Alex Quinn has been confirmed at AO by TF in the Pro/Am lineup which features IMSA regular PJ Hyett and Acura GTP driver Louis Deletraz.

At Nielsen Racing, David Heinemeier Hansson will be joined by 2023 Le Mans LMP2 winner Fabio Scherer and Ganassi IndyCar driver Kyffin Simpson, who also won the 2023 ELMS title.

This tweak to the lineup follows the news last week that Albert Costa, who competes with the team in the ELMS, would no longer be part of the driver crew for Le Mans.

“I was down to drive for Nielsen at Le Mans this year specifically with David (Heinemeier Hansson),” Scherer, who currently drives full-time with United Autosports in the ELMS, told RACER, when asked about the late switch.

“I was set to drive with Nielsen as he was my 2022 teammate at Inter Europol when we had the pace to get a podium but were unlucky with a failure on the car.“After that race, I was always in touch with him and when he moved to Nielsen one of his key points was that he would drive with me at Le Mans. We worked well as teammates and Sven (Thompson, the Nielsen team principal) was pleased to have me.”

Costa meanwhile (who won Le Mans last year with Scherer) has been unable to find a seat elsewhere so far.
Roman De Angelis will complete Algarve Racing pro’s lineup. JEP/Motorsport Images

Algarve Pro Racing’s driver-crew is now set, with Heart of Racing IMSA GTD regular Roman De Angelis take the third seat in the No. 25 alongside Olli Caldwell and Matthias Kaiser. This is the seat usually filled in the ELMS by Cadillac WEC Hypercar driver Alex Lynn.

“I’m lucky enough to have had the opportunity to test with Algarve Pro last month in Barcelona,” said 23-year-old Canadian De Angelis. “I’ve never raced an LMP2 prototype before, but the transition from GTs wasn’t bad, especially as I had the support of a great team and teammates.

“I grew up as an endurance racing fan. I would always choose to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans over Formula 1 races and my ambition was to compete in all the big endurance events. I’ve been fortunate to hit a lot of my targets, among other things winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona and an IMSA title.”

Duqueine Team had one further name to reveal too. The French team switches to LMP2 Pro/Am with the addition of Nielsen ELMS driver John Falb in its No. 30 ORECA.

“I could not be happier to be back with Duqueine,” Falb said. “We had some great racing in the Asian LMS and I worked really well with the team. I think through that partnership it was clear that we should continue together. The 24 hours of Le Mans is the biggest race in the world and after four times I can’t wait for my fifth appearance on the circuit!”

The No. 65 from Panis Racing is now also in Pro/Am, with Rodrigo Sales named as the Bronze driver alongside the newly confirmed pairing of Mathias Beche and Scott Huffaker. As is DKR’s ORECA, which will race with Alexander Marrschull, Rene Binder and Laurents Horr.

The LMGT3 list also features a number of driver changes.

Proton Competition’s No. 44 Ford Mustang is listed with Le Mans rookies Ben Tuck and Ford factory driver Chris Mies and team principal Christian Ried.

Of note, Tuck still features on the reserve list against Kessel Racing’s No. 74 Ferrari, while Ried (who retired from professional racing at the end of the 2023 season) told RACER at Paul Ricard last weekend that he does not intend to drive at Le Mans.

JMW’s Ferrari previously featured two open seats, which have been filled by two-time Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup champion Larry Ten Voorde and Salih Yoluc, who will make his sixth start in the race.

GR Racing’s 296 also had two spaces alongside Mike Wainwright, now filled by ELMS teammate Riccardo Pera and two-time GTE Pro Le Mans class winner Daniel Serra.
Jordan Taylor was a surprise addition. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

The final addition comes at Spirit of Race, which has seen its driver lineup completely overhauled in recent days. Out is the ELMS crew of Duncan Cameron, David Perel and Matt Griffin, in are Formula Racing ELMS duo Johnny and Conrad Laursen, joined by the surprise addition of Acura GTP driver Jordan Taylor.

Taylor completes the crew for what will be his ninth start in the Le Mans 24 Hours. It will also be his first appearance in the race for a team other than Corvette Racing.

During his previous eight trips to La Sarthe with the GM factory outfit Taylor accrued a GTE Pro class win in 2015 and three further podium finishes in the category.

The race will also be Taylor’s first start in a purpose-designed (ignoring the converted C8 GTE Corvette that competed in GTD Pro) GT3 car since 2017, when he campaigned a title-winning Cadillac ATS-V.R in Pirelli World Challenge in SprintX GT alongside Michael Cooper.

Ahead of the Le Mans Test Day and 24 Hours itself, Taylor will test with the team and his new teammates. Johnny Laursen confirmed to RACER that he will travel to Europe for a test at Circuit Paul Ricard this week after the second round of the European Le Mans Series season on Sunday.

2024 LE MANS ENTRY LIST

 

Porsche Penske Motorsports doing its part in Penske’s big year

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emailBy Richard S. James | May 28, 2024 8:33 AM ET

It’s certainly been a good couple of weeks to be a Penske driver. First Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy took the second win of the season for Porsche Penske Motorsports in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. That victory was also the 100th for Penske in sports car racing and the 600th for Porsche in IMSA competition. The following Sunday, Team Penske locked out the front row for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, and Joey Logano won the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Then Josef Newgarden, who drove with PPM for its 2024 Rolex 24 At Daytona win, scored his second consecutive Indy 500 victory.

With all those other wins, adding triumphs for PPM Porsche 963s in the Rolex 24 and the World Endurance Championship season opener at Qatar, it’s shaping up to be a very good year for the sports car teams. Focus for now is on the 1h40m race on the streets of Detroit, but it will shift immediately to the biggest prize in sports car endurance racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Should the team claim victory in the famed French race, it would be Porsche’s 20th overall win.
Before his Indy 500 heroics Josef Newgarden was part of Porsche Penske Motorsports’ first triumph of 2024 for the organization, sharing the winning Porsche 963 GTP at the Rolex 24 with Matt Campbell, Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Bolstering its opportunities, in addition to its two regular cars for WEC, PPM is adding a third for IMSA regulars Felipe Nasr, Tandy and Jaminet. Of course, the manufacturer could get that 20th win from one of the other teams running the 963, JOTA and Proton Competition, as JOTA showed at Spa. A customer team taking a victory in WEC shows the strength of Porsche’s program at the moment.

“Last year, we all know the results … and we did a lot of hard work on both sides of the Atlantic, both teams, we worked on operation, we worked on the reliability — probably it was the biggest change from last year to this year,” explains Urs Kuratle, Porsche’s Motorsport Director of Factory Racing. “And third parties, the performance as well. So we worked on all those areas. If you participate in the Porsche family, Penske, in the championship, either IMSA or WEC, it doesn’t matter … but you’re there to win and you have to win — that was the expectation. Yes, we’ve come a long way if you want, but all the work, now it pays off. And the two teams and the customers, they’re making progress. All those things are coming together now and starting to pay off.”

Laurents Vanthoor — who races in WEC in the No. 6 963 with Andre Lotterer and Kevin Estre and joined Jaminet, Tandy and Estre in the No. 6 for a fourth-place finish at Daytona — agrees everything is moving in the right direction for the team.

“I think we are clearly on a very different path last year, which I think is normal. And I do have the confidence that this will carry on,” Vanthoor says. “I think we’ve been to a track which we knew favored us, where obviously the result was good; then we went to a track where we maybe were a little bit more worried, and nevertheless, the result was good as well. And we had a race [at Spa] where there were some troubles thrown our way, despite things going all right later on. Nevertheless, we performed and we executed. So that gives me the confidence that we’re going the right way, that we currently are making the right decisions.

“But we’re obviously not the only ones. The others will continue to work to try and catch us and there will be plenty of other competitors in Le Mans fighting for the same thing. But I’m having quite a lot of confidence going into Le Mans that we that we will be good — and also for the rest of the year.”

The same is true of the IMSA squads. Nasr and Dane Cameron lead the standings, while Tandy and Jaminet are fifth in a very tight points race. PPM Competition Director Travis Law is focused on the Detroit battle this weekend, but knows that each race builds on the next.

“It’s been a lot of success within the organization, which we really enjoy,” he says of Team Penske’s good days recently. “It’s great to see everyone’s else success — not that you need more motivation, but it’s definitely great. You want to be the next person to bring home another successful day and build on the the ones that you’ve seen. Across the PPM 963 organization, we’ve been working really hard on both sides to make sure we’re successful every weekend. We’re obviously looking forward to Le Mans and want to come back stronger than we were last year and hopefully have a similar result as Daytona.”
Expectations of excellence are shared across all the Penske teams and their crews. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Cameron, back in the IMSA fold after a season competing full-time in WEC, won’t be competing at Le Mans this year. But as the sports car driver with the most history in the Penske organization, he’ll be watching and rooting for the other teams competing at Indy and Charlotte this weekend as he prepares to get a second season victory for the No. 7 963 at Detroit.

“There’s not a lot of crossover between some of these programs unless there has to be, which you’ve seen in some of the personnel over the last few weeks,” Cameron explains. “On one hand it is it is a big family and we’re supportive of all the other divisions of Team Penske. But on the other side, our world is IMSA sports car at the moment and global Porsche 963 programs, so that’s kind of our focus....to avoid IMSA screwing us like they do everyone else. There’s really not much we can we can do or interact with the rest of it. But it was a good road over the weekend — the [IndyCar team] guys have got fast cars at the Speedway, so that’s always great, that makes me happy. Things are operating really well, I think, in every program at the moment, in terms of results as of late, so we just keep doing what we’re doing.”

It’s going to be a busy June for the Porsche Penske Motorsport squad and some of its personnel as the team has Detroit immediately followed the next weekend by Le Mans test day, then the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and culminating with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen a week after Le Mans. It will certainly be a challenge keeping the whirlwind moving on the right trajectory.

 

Official scrutineering launches Le Mans week

Team WRT photo The group shouts en masse: We'vce been Scrutineered!"
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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | June 7, 2024 3:00 PM ET

The build-up toward the Le Mans 24 Hours got underway today in the city center, with just over half of the field passing through the traditional scrutineering route in front of the public. Held in bright sunshine and in front of a sizeable crowd, day one of scrutineering saw many key teams and drivers get a first taste of the pre-race atmosphere.

Team WRT attracted the most attention in the opening hours, as its quartet of BMWs paraded through town, three of them in new-for-Le Mans liveries, including the No. 20 M Hybrid V8 “art car.”

In the Hypercar ranks, just three of the team’s full-season WEC drivers were present — Rafaelle Marciello, Robin Frijns and Dries Vanthoor — due to the clash with the DTM round at Zandvoort this weekend.

That scheduling conflict will be tricky to manage, with Marco Wittmann, Sheldon van der Linde and Rene Rast set to make the 435-mile journey to Le Mans on Sunday directly after the second race of the weekend which is due to finish at 2:30pm.

Nevertheless, all three here in France were keen to speak ahead of what is a hugely significant week for the Bavarian brand at La Sarthe, which is celebrating 25 years since it took its famous win in 1999 with the V12 LMR.

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For Marciello, the initial goal is to finish well and get points on the board for the first time this season. The former Mercedes-AMG factory driver, who made a high-profile move to BMW in the off-season, is yet to hit his stride in Hypercar since his debut at the start of the season in Qatar, and is hopeful that things will turn around soon.

“We are going to try to ensure the car can handle 24 hours,” he told RACER. “It’s difficult to predict the level of performance because Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota and Cadillac are very strong. But we have a new (two-stage) BoP here (which provides the rule-makers with two levels of power control, below and above 250 kph) so you never know what will happen.”

 

In general, the entire team is expecting to take a step forward in performance terms for Le Mans. WRT boss Vincent Vosse told RACER that its pre-Le Mans test at Paul Ricard was successful. He also hinted that minor upgrades on the software and systems side of the M Hybrid V8 should see it emerge more in the fight.

“We were not happy with Qatar, but the step was quite big in Imola. We made another step in Spa too but we didn’t put that on paper with the result of the race,” he said. “We qualified P6 with Robin, which is good.

“To me, the season is starting now we are at Le Mans. We are expecting to have made a good step, but we don’t know what the others have done or if they have been hiding things. We won’t know until Thursday night.

“We tested recently at Ricard, then did a roll-out in Spa and both went well. We had some rain like we have at I think every test so far, but we expect to be stronger now. It will be a different challenge here for the car compared to Rolex, but progress has been made. We have updates here and we will have to see where we are after Le Mans.”

WRT’s pair of M4 LMGT3s were also present today in their new color schemes. After a disastrous outing at Spa — where both cars retired as victims of multi-car incidents not of their making — the team is looking to secure a strong result at Le Mans and regain ground in the title battle.

For MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who shares the No. 46 M4 with Ahmad Al Harthy and Maxime Martin in the WEC, a podium is the target for his Le Mans 24 Hours debut. It wouldn’t be his first trip to the podium on the full Circuit de la Sarthe though, as last year he scored a famous victory with WRT in the Road to Le Mans support races.

“I’m very excited because the atmosphere is so special,” he said. “Last year’s drive was very important, so for me, this year is not the first time (on the Circuit de la Sarthe) and last year I really enjoyed it.

“It’s difficult to (have expectations) because the class is different from track to track. This season we have been quite competitive though so hope to fight for the podium, we hope to be fast and after we will see.”

WRT wasn’t the only LMGT3 team that generated buzz during the morning, as the Aston Martins were present and TF Sport passed through with its pair of Corvettes. Tom Ferrier, the TF Sport team owner, is hoping that the team will be in the mix during the race after a successful recent test at Silverstone.

“Speed-wise we are getting there,” he said. “At Silverstone, we completed engine development stuff which everyone was positive about. It concerned torque controls and software.”


While TF is still waiting for its first standout result since its partnership with Corvette began, Ferrier made it clear to RACER that his team has been extremely impressed with the factory support it has received so far.

He also revealed that the team has taken delivery of its third car from Corvette, which is on-site at the circuit in France and will be on display in the fan village. After this event, the team is looking to put that car to use in an expansion of its Corvette effort, with programs in both the Asian Le Mans Series over the winter and the European LMS next season both under evaluation.

Later in the day, two of the key French factories made their way through Le Pesage – Alpine Endurance Team and Peugeot TotalEnergies.

For Alpine, it’s almost a year to the day since it launched the A424 in public at the circuit on the eve of the centenary race. Reflecting on the journey the Signatech team that operates the program has been on, boss Phillipe Sinault told RACER that he feels a huge amount of pride to bring Alpine’s new challenger to the bumper Hypercar class.

As for expectations, they are modest at this stage. “Getting to the finish with both cars is the number one priority — it has to be — then we will see where we are,” he said. “It’s crucial to the project. We have to focus on reliability.

“The Sunday test will be crucial to evaluate the car, as it will be the first time we will run the car with a low-downforce profile.”

One of the storylines within that effort to follow this week is the performance of the returning Ferdinand Habsburg. The Austrian is back in the lineup after missing Imola and Spa due to injuries suffered in an accident during testing.

Jules Gounon, who filled in for Habsburg, is listed for the Test Day on Sunday but according to Sinault will not drive.

“Ferdi is here because he is ready, no doubt. It’s our responsibility and his responsibility to make sure he is OK,” Sinault said. “We have made a common decision that he is ready and we are focused on getting him laps here.”

It appears that Gounon will not be the only driver listed against a Hypercar he will not drive on the Test Day, as when COOL Racing passed through Scrutineering, 20-year-old Peugeot reserve Malthe Jakobsen explained to RACER that he is unlikely to drive either 9X8.

“The plan at the moment is to focus on LMP3 and COOL Racing, which makes sense,” he said. “I feel confident going into this race, more than last year because I have so much more experience.”

Jakobsen expects to be fighting for overall honors in LMP2 this year with Ritomo Miyata and Lorenzo Fluxa, who he competes with full-time in the ELMS this year. He is one of a number of ELMS contenders in the LMP2 ranks hoping to impress at the biggest race of the year.

Another is IMSA GTP racer Louis Deletraz, who is driving the beautifully presented AO by TF ORECA dressed in “Spike the LMP2 Dragon” colors. With no WTRAndretti or Acura/Honda at Le Mans, he is gunning for the LMP2 Pro/Am victory with PJ Hyett and Alex Quinn.


“To be able to do this and the six ELMS races alongside my IMSA program is very important,” said Deletraz. “The level in P2 Am is so high now because the quality of Bronze drivers is the same and we have factory drivers from IMSA like Filipe (Albuquerque) in the class too.

“The dream program, though, is to do WEC and IMSA together. I hope there are no clashes next year because I’d love to do both. The more races you do, the better — imagine doing all the IMSA and WEC races in the same car!”

Towards the end of the day, it was Cadillac’s turn to pass through the tunnel, the pair of Ganassi V-Series.Rs and the single example from Action Express. They generated, as expected, plenty of attention from V8-loving locals.

While Alex Palou (who is a guest driver in the No. 2 WEC entry alongside Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn) was unable to take part in today’s festivities due to his IndyCar commitments this weekend, newly-minted reserve driver Tristan Vautier was on site, as was Action Express’ new third driver Felipe Drugovich.

Aston Martin F1 reserve Drugovich, who has been honing his prototype racing skills this year in the ELMS with Vector Sport, heads into Le Mans with a test at Laguna Seca under his belt with Cadillac. At the California circuit, his performance was evaluated after a run of some 30 laps in the car.

“There were not many laps because it was really a test for Pipo (Derani) and Jack (Aitken), but I think I did well in my two outings,” related Drugovich. “I was good enough to fill in for this race. It wasn’t good enough to get fully up to speed, but it was enough to show what I could do.”

Scrutineering continues tomorrow when the remaining cars will complete their inspections ahead of Test Day. Porsche Penske Motorsport, Ferrari AF Corse and Toyota Gazoo Racing are among the teams that will be present.

 

62-car field for Le Mans Test Day

 

62-car field for Le Mans Test Day

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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | June 7, 2024 7:43 AM ET

The entry list for Sunday’s Le Mans Test Day has been revealed ahead of Scrutineering today and tomorrow in the city center. It features all 62 cars entered in the race from the three classes.

As usual, the list of drivers differs from the full entry list for the race itself next weekend, as reserve drivers are called into action for factory teams and drivers with clashing commitments are scratched. As such, in Hypercar there are a number of names in the fourth and fifth driver columns, as the teams gunning for overall victory look to maximize track time and rotate drivers.

At Porsche Penske Motorsport, Dane Cameron is listed for all three 963s. The American is the nominated reserve for Porsche at this event following the selection of Mathieu Jaminet, Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy from its IMSA stable in the third car.

Meanwhile, Toyota’s roster sees Ritomo Miyata (who will race in LMP2 with COOL Racing) placed against both GR010 HYBRIDs for his first Hypercar run in public. The Toyota team is also making use of the fifth driver column for its entries as full-season drivers Mike Conway and Sebastien Buemi are listed against both cars too.

The BMW’s M Hybrid V8s will be steered by IMSA RLL drivers Nick Yelloly and Jesse Krohn in addition to WRT’s regular WEC sextet. Notably, Sheldon van der Linde, Rene Rast and Marco Wittmann are all expected to take part in the DTM round at Zandvoort this weekend too.

Lamborghini, like Toyota and BMW, has also nominated five drivers for each car for the first day of track action ahead of its first Le Mans with the SC63. Andrea Caldarelli, Jordan Pepper, Edoardo Mortara and Daniil Kvyatt are named against both the No. 19 and No. 63.

While Ferdinand Habsburg is down to make his return to Alpine for the first time since the opening round at Qatar after recovering from his injury sustained in testing before Imola, reserve Jules Gounon is set to feature. After filling in for the team at Imola and Spa, Gounon is down as a fourth driver for the No. 35 A424.

And finally, 20-year-old Peugeot reserve Malthe Jakobsen is named against both 2024 Peugeot 9X8s as well as the No. 37 COOL Racing ORECA which he is set to share with Lorenzo Fluxa and Ritomo Miyata for the race.

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There are also some notable blank spaces on the entry due to the clashing IndyCar Series round at Road America this weekend.

In the full-season WEC Chip Ganassi Racing-run Cadillac Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn will drive without their guest third driver Alex Palou. IndyCar teammate Scott Dixon is also not available to drive the No. 3 IMSA Ganassi Cadillac, so Tristan Vautier will replace him after being nominated as a reserve for the event.

“We are pleased to have Tristan join us as a reserve driver for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Tristan has been part of the Cadillac family in the past and has been friends of CGR for quite some time,” said Mike O’Gara, Chip Ganassi Racing director of operations. “With a race as important as Le Mans, you can never be over-prepared. Having Tristan on stand-by will only make our program stronger.”

In LMP2, Kyffin Simpson will also not be present to test the No. 24 Nielsen Racing ORECA he will share with Fabio Scherer and David Heinemeier Hansson and the No. 22 United Autosports ORECA is down to two drivers due to Nolan Siegel’s absence.

Three cars remain on the reserve list, all with a driver named. These are the No. 79 Proton Porsche 963, and two LMP2 ORECAs from Inter Europol and Staysail, with Gianmaria Bruni, Clement Novalak and Michael Dinan nominated to drive.

 

McLaren flying under the radar in Le Mans return with United Autosports

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McLaren flying under the radar in Le Mans return with United Autosports

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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | June 7, 2024 9:11 AM ET

Next year McLaren will commemorate 30 years since its one and only Le Mans victory, earned with the F1 GTR back in 1995. And with any luck it will have a presence in the 2025 edition of the 24 Hours as part of the LMGT3 class with the GT3 EVO and a shot at another victory on the Circuit de la Sarthe.

But that’s a storyline to revisit in 12 months, because right now celebrations surrounding the Woking, UK-based manufacturer’s heritage at the Grand Prix d’Endurance are already underway. Next week with United Autosports it will make its long-awaited return to the great race for the first time since the F1 GTR program’s final ride with Gulf Team Davidoff in 1998, and everyone involved is pushing hard to ensure it’s a memorable occasion.

Right now, few would point straight to UA as one of the favorites for an LMGT3 class win. However, this is an effort that deserves real attention and shouldn’t be counted out for a strong finish.

Yes, next year is arguably the more important one for the brand and its increasing efforts to recognize past achievements. But United Autosports’ staff has been working overtime to ensure the team is ready for the task at hand in year one of what it hopes will be a long and successful program.

The start to life in LMGT3 has been far from easy for Richard Dean and Zak Brown’s Yorkshire-based team. The program came together “three months late” in October, leaving it with a mountain to climb over the winter.

Signing drivers and organizing a test program was complicated, getting its head around the GT3 EVO was never going to be the work of a moment and the new LMGT3 ruleset — while widely accepted as a step forward for the Balance of Performance-governed formula — has only added to the task list with the addition of torque sensors, mandated power curves and virtual energy tanks.

On top of that, it also shouldn’t be ignored that United Autosports’ is far from just an FIA World Endurance Championship team. Alongside its new-look WEC campaign, it continues to run its title-winning ELMS LMP2 program, a new multi-car LMP2 effort in IMSA’s WeatherTech Championship and a wide-ranging historic restoration and race arm.
United Autosports continues its long run of LMP2 success in IMSA as well as Le Mans, but had to start fresh in LMGT3 to maintain its foothold in the FIA WEC. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Scaling up for 2024 has been a colossal task but over more than a decade the Anglo-American team has been building itself into a powerhouse in prototype racing at a steady pace, enabling it to accommodate high-level efforts in three major championships at the same time without stretching itself too thin.

This is in part because it now boasts high-level facilities on both sides of the Atlantic, giving the team the capacity to make this big step. Its Wakefield facility serves as a base for its WEC, ELMS and historic programs, while the new shop in Mooresville, N.C. houses its IMSA team via a partnership with Jr III Racing. The impact this has had on both its capabilities and image cannot be understated.

Behind the scenes, the selection process at McLaren headquarters for a WEC partner team last year proved both lengthy and tricky to navigate. Four highly credible teams were understood by RACER to have been in the mix, all boasting previous success in the sport. Yet after much deliberation, United was chosen.

On the face of it, due to Zak Brown’s roles as a co-owner of United and CEO of McLaren Racing, it may look like the obvious choice. But there was so much more to it than that. UA offered something that none of the other teams in the room could: a laundry list of major race and title wins in European and global competition and a longstanding association with ACO racing.

The latter part was crucial, because getting space on the LMGT3 grid was never a guarantee for McLaren, as it was unable to gain priority via a Hypercar program. It therefore needed to put together the case that United Autosports — which had come close to securing a factory Hypercar deal more than once over the past two years — deserved to remain in the WEC for a fifth season in the wake of the LMP2 class being removed. It was an edgy few weeks as everyone waited for the final entry list to be published, but in the end, McLaren’s pitch paid off. Since then, it’s been all-systems-go.

In a technical sense, since receiving its first chassis last October, getting to grips with the nuances of LMGT3 has taken the most time. Jakob Andreasen, United’s technical director — whose background prior to joining the team includes stints in Formula 1 with Force India, McLaren and Williams and in the FIA WEC with Toyota Gazoo Racing — says the team has relished the challenge.

“It’s been intense as we have new technology to contend with,” he tells RACER. “The power and energy management from the torque sensors is new and as a concept is fantastic. But as with any new technology, there’s uncertainty and added complexity that we’ve had to work with McLaren on. And it’s been even tougher for us because many of the manufacturers in the class are already in Hypercar and therefore had previous insight into torque sensors going in, because they’re part of that ruleset too.

“Thankfully, we are happy and the drivers have been happy with the car’s base setup and handling characteristics. That’s enabled us to exploit the car’s performance well. It has also allowed us to focus on software development in the background. This is an area of GT3 racing that is rarely talked about. It has open software so there is potential for developing systems on the car.

“With torque sensors, virtual energy and mandated power curves, there’s nothing really you can do to make the car faster in terms of downforce, power and energy yourself. But there is potential for driver aids in order to make their life easier with more information being shown on the driver display. For instance, this helps drivers manage tires and car temperatures over a stint so we are always in the right performance window.”

As the team has become more familiar with the finer details of operating a WEC GT program, strides forward have been taken consistently. The Prologue test and opening race at Qatar were a baptism of fire, though, the two GT3 EVOs coming home 13th and 14th on their race debut.

“We were all a bit overwhelmed,” team co-owner Richard Dean admits. “In Qatar, there was so much happening in a short period and having the first race in the Middle East, with all the shipping requirements was so difficult.“A big part of it was kit. When you’re in a category for years and years you build up kit and spares, so you can go testing while shipping cars to races. This time we were sending cars off while we were still trying to gear up.”

 

Along with learning about its McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo, UA has been exploring the nuances of the LMGT3 ruleset. JEP/Motorsport Images

Since then, progress has been steady. Imola saw the No. 95 of Josh Caygill, Nico Pino and Marino Sato score the team its first points, then at Spa — the red-flagged and extended Le Mans dress rehearsal — the No. 59 of James Cottingham, Nicolas Costa and Gregoire Saucy finished just shy of the podium in fourth.

“It was two significant steps in a row,” Dean says, “and if you’d have said to us in Qatar that by the time we were at the third race, we’d be capable of qualifying on the front row and leading the race, I’m not sure I’d have believed it. It’s a credit to the team.”

The team’s WEC sporting manager Charlie Kemp also feels the hard work is paying off.

“There have been curveballs thrown at us at all three races so far, but we’ve taken them in our stride because we are always looking at areas where there is for room for improvement,” he tells RACER. “The jump we made through the issues we had at Qatar, to fighting for a podium at Spa, has been massive. The car can do the job. We know that. We’ve just had to strengthen our knowledge to get the most out of it.

“There is just so much new with the ruleset that’s alien to McLaren and the team. But we have moved through this very quickly and we feel focused on getting a result at Le Mans rather than surviving it.

“The task has been big for us because you’d be surprised how different a GT3 and an LMGT3 car are. And for McLaren too — we’ve had to work closely with them. They’ve been very consistent in their level of support.”

LMGT3 as a whole has been gradually heating up. Spa produced the best race for the new formula so far, with door-to-door action all the way to the last lap when the two Manthey Porsches exchanged positions for the win. So while most of the attention will be paid to the 23-car Hypercar class at Le Mans, there’s a good chance that LMGT3 gets more than its fair share of air time.

There’s very little GT3 data on the circuit for the teams to refer to going in. There should also be an opportunity to truly stretch the envelope on tire life with Goodyear’s F1 Eagle Super Sports for the first time, experimenting with triple and quad stints overnight. It will all be fascinating to track.

“At Le Mans, you can extend stints and buy yourself strategic time, but you have to be careful,” Andreasen explains. “You need to maintain temperatures because you cannot change compounds like you can in Hypercar. You can’t go soft at night and high during the day, so everyone will need to be careful not to drop out of the window, despite the fact that deg is low.

“We’ll need to be clever during the track time throughout the week so we make the right calls.”
McLaren connections are on full display at UA’s Wakefield, UK shop.

Strolling through United Autosports’ Wakefield base with the GT3 EVOs in their final stages of preparation underscored that nothing about United’s WEC commitment with McLaren screams “one-year wonder.” This is a team that does nothing by half measures and takes great pride in its work.

“To represent McLaren in motorsport is a privilege. It’s a name that has many victories in different categories,” Dean says when asked how it feels to be handed the responsibility of representing a brand with so much heritage in such an important event. “The focus for us, of course, is to replicate the famous victory at Le Mans. That lands on our shoulders, and there’s a lot of expectation around the brand going back after such a successful period in the mid-’90s.

“We are not here to make any definitive claims that we are going to win right now, but we are going to give it a good go. There’s natural pressure because McLaren is doing so well in motorsport, winning in F1, and finishing on the podium in IndyCar and Formula E recently. So all eyes are on us. But thankfully we are working with a partner that is realistic.”

Over the years United has proven time and time again in LMP competition that it is capable of beating anyone. It has LMP2 titles in the WEC, European and Asian Le Mans Series and a Le Mans class win on its résumé. Now, with the support of McLaren for a fight against teams representing seven other blue-chip manufacturers, we will find out if it can deliver the goods yet again in GT3 racing at the highest level.

“With this effort, we’re taking on the motorsport departments at BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and General Motors,” Dean concludes. “It’s a big deal. And we know that if we are successful we can grow everything. We can grow our team and McLaren’s motorsport side in sports car racing. It’s an exciting time.”

 

Toyota’s Conway withdraws from Le Mans after recycling accident

Alexander Trienitz/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Stephen Kilbey | June 7, 2024 11:18 AM ET

Toyota Gazoo Racing driver Mike Conway has been forced to withdraw from the Le Mans 24 Hours on short notice after suffering fractures to his ribs and collar bone in a recycling accident on Thursday.

The double FIA World Endurance Championship’s driver’s champion and 2021 overall Le Mans winner will be replaced for the race by long-time teammate José María López, who has been drafted in on short notice. The Argentine’s driving duties will begin on Sunday where he will take part in the Test Day and share the No. 7 with Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries.

Lopez was due to compete with AKKODIS "Dik Ass" ASP in its No. 87 Lexus RCF LMGT3, after stepping back from a full-time FIA WEC Hypercar seat with the Japanese brand on his butt at the end of the 2023 season. His move to LMGT3Q with sister brand Lexus paved the way for de Vries to join the Toyota team after leaving Formula 1 in disgrace.

“Toyota Gazoo Racing shares Mike’s heartfelt disappointment at this situation and will continue to give close support throughout his journey back to full fitness. All team members are looking forward to seeing Mike — part of the team family since 2014 — back in the cockpit at the earliest opportunity,” the team said in a statement.

AKKODIS ASP, meanwhile, confirmed to RACER that Jack Hawksworth will stand in for López at Le Mans. It will be the first Le Mans start for the Vasser Sullivan Lexus driver and former indyCar racer.

This marks the second straight race that the French team has been forced to tweak its lineup at the last minute, as last time out at Spa its No. 78 entry competed with Clemens Schmid and Ritomo Miyata alongside full-season driver Arnold Robin after Kelvin van der Linde was summoned to Formula E and Timur Boguslavskiy fell ill.

We found him face down in a Hungry Howies pizza. We took that as a suicide message.....not necessarily being face down, but eating a POS "Hungry Howies, greasetrap special". The para medics all ran out and barfed in the bushes. Later that night Howies employees were scraping the bushes off to recycle the barfed grease before it hardened up.

For Sunday’s Test Day, Miyata — the team’s nominated reserve driver — was listed on the entry list against both Toyota Hypercars. With López getting the call-up, the Japanese racer looks set to focus on the LMP2 class with COOL Racing.

Ahh so! F Joe Biden!