5. Plenty of North American interest in GTE Am

This year's GTE Am class is 16-strong, across four makes and features some notable names. It could provide some of the best action in the race, with many teams proving evenly-matched, and with factory drivers included in their lineups.
Last year's winner Scuderia Corsa is back, this time with Cooper MacNeil in for Jeff Segal in the team's new Ferrari 488 (BELOW). It's the only All-American lineup in the race, with fellow IMSA regulars Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler looking primed to challenge for the win once again. The team's second car, which features reigning IMSA GTD champions Christina Nielsen and Alessandro Balzan, also has an American driver, Bret Curtis, completing the driver crew.

Another familiar name is Tracy Krohn, who is back in the GTE ranks after two years in LMP2, with longstanding Swedish driving partner Nic Jonsson, the duo about to embark on their 12th consecutive Le Mans together. They'll race with Andrea Bertolini in DH Racing's Krohn-green Ferrari.
Elsewhere, PWC drivers Patrick Long (also a longstanding Porsche factory man) and Mike Hedlund are in the field, teaming up in the No.88 Proton Competition Porsche. The current PWC title holder Alvaro Parente will be in the mix too, racing with last year's head-turners Clearwater Racing. The Singaporean team is racing in the WEC full-time this year and won at Silverstone. It is fielding two cars at Le Mans, and is certainly one to watch out for.
Of the rest, Aston Martin Racing's No.98 Vantage of Canadian Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda will certainly be in the running for the win, after so many years coming close.
And Larbre Competition's Corvette will stand out, the French outfit opting for a striking 'Human' art livery (BELOW), which will surely provide a talking point among the fans. It's the sole American car in Am, and only privateer C7.R on the grid this year.
The 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours is set to run from June 17-18 on the Circuit de la Sarthe, starting at 15:00 local time on the Saturday.


RACER.com coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is presented by Lone Star Le Mans, a six-hour sprint deep in the heart of Texas: September 15-16 at COTA.