Lemans 2019 coverage starts here:

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12-04-2018 | 03:32 AM

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Lemans 2019 coverage starts here:

Two-phased reveal for 2019 Le Mans entry list

Image by Ashleigh Hartwell/LAT

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By: Stephen Kilbey | November 29, 2018 7:30 AM The 2019 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours will not have its entry list finalized until March, the ACO has revealed.Due to the change to the FIA WEC’s calendar this year, which sees the season run from May until the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, the ACO has made a revision to the way in which the entry list will be announced. Instead of the list being released on one day, it will be revealed in two phases. On February 11 the first batch of entries will be released including 50 of the 60 cars in the field. Then month later on March 1, the final 10 entries, plus 10 reserves, will be announced.Among the 60 competitors that will start the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours will be the full-season WEC teams, plus all the teams with automatic invites through results racing in the European Le Mans Series (4), the Michelin Le Mans Cup (1), the Asian Le Mans Series (4), the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (2), and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this year.

INSIGHT: A nearly-full LM24 entry list means some tough decisions for the organizers

Teams wishing to take up one of the remaining places on the 2019 Le Mans grid will be able to apply from December 20 until January 31, 2019.

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12-08-2018 | 10:46 PM

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Porsche confirms 2019 Le Mans, IMSA programs

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By: RACER Staff 12 hours ago Porsche Motorsport once again used its “Night of Champions” gala in Weissach as the backdrop to confirm its 2019 racing programs, including confirmation of its factory GT line-ups.For the 87th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours next June, Porsche will again field four works cars. The two Porsche GT teams from the FIA WEC and the IMSA Weathertech Championship each campaign a pair of entries. The No. 91 911 RSR will be shared by Gianmaria Bruni, Richard Lietz and Frederic Makowiecki. The No. 92 will be driven by the title defenders Kevin Estre, Michael Christensen and Laurens Vanthoor.Patrick Pilet, Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber will race at Le Mans in the No. 93 car. Sharing driving duties in the No. 94 911 RSR are the youngsters Sven Muller, Mathieu Jaminet and Dennis Olsen.Porsche will again tackle the IMSA WeatherTech Championship with two 911 RSR entries in 2019. The collaboration with CORE Autosport has been extended for another three years. No. 911 will again be shared by Tandy and Pilet. They will be joined at the endurance races in Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans by Makowiecki. The No. 912 sister car is manned by the regular crew of Bamber and Vanthoor. These two will be assisted at the endurance classics by Mathieu Jaminet.All factory drivers who were part of the team in 2018 are also under contract for 2019. The same applies to all Porsche Young Professionals. The only newcomer to the group is Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans. The 22-year-old New Zealander is the reigning champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia and came out on top at a shootout against ten other talented youngsters from international one-make cup series. A total of 24 drivers make up the squad for 2019.Porsche continues its intensive support of customer teams in worldwide GT3 racing series, where a new 911 GT3 R featuring upgraded aerodynamics and significantly improved driveability will be fielded for the first time. Porsche Motorsport has sold 45 units of this customer sport racer. In 2019, three-man crews will contest all rounds of the Intercontinental GT Challenge and the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup: Romain Dumas, Sven Muller and Mathieu Jaminet as well as Dirk Werner, Dennis Olsen and Matt Campbell.In the Blancpain GT World Challenge America and the ADAC GT Masters, Porsche also supports at least two vehicles run by customer squads in the pro category. Customer support will also be given at a number of national series and selected events.

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12-25-2018 | 10:17 AM

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Aurora Straus: Glickenhaus partners with Straus, ‘Girls With Drive’

Glickenhaus partners with Straus, ‘Girls With Drive’

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By: RACER Staff December 23, 2018 7:52 AM Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has announced a strategic partnership with Girls With Drive and driver Aurora Straus (pictured above) to promote women in the automotive industry.Straus, 19, has raced in IMSA’s Continental Tire Challenge series as well as the Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup. Her foundation, Girls With Drive, aims to inspire, identify, and support girls driven with interest and talent in male-dominated careers or sports. In partnership with Girls With Drive, Glickenhaus intends to hire as many qualified women as possible for its upcoming Danbury factory and Le Mans Hypercar project. The factory and team will also engage women for SCG’s customer car program in the United States, and to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA WEC in 2020-21.“We have a long history of standing up for the right thing,” said Jim Glickenhaus. “Glickenhaus and Company became the first Wall Street firm to adopt a non-discrimination policy based on sexual orientation. Now, we want to take the next leap forward.”

Glickenhaus on expanding GT racing footprint

Glickenhaus confirms 2020/21 ‘Hypercar’ program

“I am extremely grateful to Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus for encouraging women in the racing industry the right way. There’s no shortage of female talent, but women still represent less than one percent of the motorsports industry,” said Straus. “Women in racing don’t need to be treated differently or segregated. I envision a world soon without ‘female engineers’ or ‘female drivers’ — just great engineers and great drivers. I look forward to assisting SCG with achieving this shared vision by recruiting a powerhouse team of women that will help propel SCG to the pinnacle of the racing industry.” Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus became the first team to confirm a 2020/21 FIA WEC ‘Hypercar’ program last month.

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12-25-2018 | 10:19 AM

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Lemans 2019 2020 Hyper cars Regulations Le Mans
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03-08-2019 | 08:15 AM

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Why are there only 42 confirmed Le Mans entries?

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By: Stephen Kilbey | February 12, 2019 4:52 PM Yesterday’s 42-car provisional entry list for the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours oddly leaves more questions than answers. With no explanation, the first tranche announcement was shortened by eight cars from the planned 50. And,

remarkably, race organizers have thus far not confirmed any members of the IMSA GTLM pack that have joined the FIA WEC GTE Pro teams to varying degrees over the past three years, or, in the case of the factory Corvette team, the past 19 years!This means that a number of

teams from IMSA, as well as from the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series paddocks hoping to gain entry to the French endurance classic, will have to wait until March 1st when the final entries are due to be confirmed to see if they made the cut. That’s a full month less than usual for the teams concerned to plan their campaigns at Le Sarthe.More Le Mans/WEC!

Major update to 2020 'Hypercar' regulations announced

Di Resta completes United WEC and Le Mans line-up

The Week in Sports Cars, March 1

But why was this? Why 42? With no public-facing explanation from the organizers, speculation is the inevitable result. And once you delve into the numbers game, and the bout of musical chairs going on behind the scenes ahead of the second phase of the entry reveal next month,

there’s plenty to consider.Yesterday’s announcement included eight automatic entries and the 34 ever-present FIA WEC entries – all of which were known prior – with no major surprises outside of the TRSM Ginetta G60-LT-P1s being an omission. RACER understood that Ginetta filed

entries for both (now AER-powered) cars after gaining control of the entry from its original customers, but has (thus far at least) been refused a slot on the grid. It’s a surprise, considering the ACO’s pressing need to keep LMP1 alive and well through to the start of the new regulation

cycle in 2020/21.So, in what is now an increasingly unpredictable process, who is still in play for an entry, and which direction will the ACO go with the tough decisions that lie ahead?

(Photo by LAT Images)

As it stands the entire IMSA GTLM contingent has been made to wait, and it begs the question: Is it those entries causing the issue here? With four automatic invites still to be handed out from the conclusion of the Asian Le Mans Series season later this month, three of which

look set to be won by ELMS regulars, is the ACO just waiting it out, seeing who they don’t need to cater for in the remaining 18 slots?That way the ACO can make a choice. Does it bring in additional factory cars from IMSA (RACER understands that both Porsche and Ford are

hoping for two extra cars apiece and that Risi has put in an entry) and gain the additional punch and marketability that a class stacked full of factory entries brings, or be loyal to customers in Europe and Asia?With just 18 slots left, and 33 cars in with a shout (as the ACO revealed

that 75 cars total were applied for), there will be lots of disappointed parties next month. And, to be fair, there were plenty of stakeholders left disappointed and confused yesterday also. Corvette Racing for instance, the race’s longest-serving current team, set for a big 20th

anniversary year and its last with the C7.Rs, wasn’t part of yesterday’s batch. Now one would assume by looking back in the history books that Corvette will, of course, receive two entries. If that’s the case though, why didn’t the ACO just hand the entries out?

(Photo by LePage/LAT)

So just how many of the IMSA entries will get a place? If things take an unexpected turn at Sepang in the Asian Le Mans finale, will the ACO cut the IMSA factories to just one apiece? Will Risi get in? At present they have not ticked the box of making a full-season commitment

anywhere, a proviso for a Le Mans entry in normal circumstances.It would be easy to discount the importance of privateer cars and assume that the ACO wouldn’t ever turn down factory entries, but that, in the long run, maybe wouldn’t be such a smart move. With uncertain times

over the horizon (particularly at the top of the tree with the 2020 Hypercar regulations), and privateers constantly proving to be the ever-present backbone to ACO sports car racing, turning them away isn’t easy.Almost the entire European Le Mans Series LMP2 and GTE fields are in

the running for an entry, aside from automatic invitees RLR, JMW, Proton and G-Drive Racing — with the LMP2 teams in particular eyeing the numbers game with no little interest. They’ll be encouraged by one other factor: the ACO’s recent attempts to balance the entry at Le Mans 50/50 — or rather 30/30 — between their combined LMP grid and combined GTE grid.

(Photo by JEP / LAT Images)

Look at loyal teams like United Autosports (which fields 11 cars across three series plus a limited IMSA program and a 2019/20 WEC entry planned), and Algarve Pro (also fielding multiple cars in Europe and Asia), that are yet to have entries guaranteed through merit (though the

Asian Le Mans finale will come into play) and could, depending on the ACO’s preference, end up with no cars on the list at all.Then you have to factor in teams that don’t enter multiple cars in multiple series, but have performed well recently such as French LMP2 teams Panis

Barthez Competition and IDEC Sport, and that’s without mentioning teams like High Class Racing and Cetilar Racing that are investing heavily into ACO championships – the former buying new cars for 2019, and the latter opting to step up from the ELMS to the WEC in

2019/20.Add into the mix other wild-card entries, such as the potential for an all-female LMP2 entry from Michael Shank Racing (albeit serviced by an existing ELMS team) and it only gets tougher to decide who to put on the reserve list.It’s therefore more understandable for the

ACO to decide to wait it out until March to reveal which of the remaining applicants won’t be making the list. The nature of the last-minute decision to change the new two-phase format with no explanation, though, is strange and for those most closely involved, rather jarring.It

leaves more questions than answers, and at this point all we do know, beyond the 42 cars that we already figured would be at Le Mans, is that Part 2’s reveal will provide the answers to some very pressing questions.

Le Mans, Insights & Analysis, Le Mans/WEC

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03-15-2019 | 11:09 AM

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Keating confirms Wynn’s backing for Ford GT at Le Mans

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By: Stephen Kilbey 23 hours ago
The Keating Motorsports GTE-Am entered Ford GT is set to run a retro Wynn’s livery at the Le Mans 24 Hours this June, adding to the Wynn’s-backed Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 program he runs in IMSA (pictured).

Team boss Ben Keating, who’s effort is the first customer program for the GT, has high hopes for his first race with his new car, and is excited by the prospect of running a standout paint scheme in the race.

“Wynn’s has a big presence in France — it’s a big market for them, so it’s great to bring that to the race,” said the Texan. “The reception from the livery in IMSA has been huge — everyone loves it, so I can’t wait to see what the fans think of it in France — the purple, the pink, the orange are going to look great on the GT.”

Because his team is the only team running a GT in GTE Am this year, Keating says this year’s trip to La Sarthe will feel very different.

More Le Mans/WEC!

INSIGHT: Are Aston Martin, Toyota losing patience with the 'Hypercar' rules?

Alonso smashes Sebring lap record to claim pole

Lopez fastest as Dalla Lana has big off in final WEC practice

“This will be my fifth Le Mans. But it will be a unique experience. Before I’ve been in an LMP2 car and most fans don’t have a connection with a Gibson engine or Ligier for example, and even in a Ferrari, there were loads on the grid. This year I’ll be in the only Ford in the GTE Am class. I actually have a big connection to Ford through my dealerships, and the GT having so much history at Le Mans, makes it special. It’s like when I went with a Viper, the fan reception was so good.

“I could have gone back to Le Mans this year in a Ferrari, but I don’t sell those — I want to race what I sell.”

Keating has already tested the car at Sebring, and had a very positive first run. The car — which is the 2016 IMSA Ganassi chassis that won the car’s first race globally at Laguna Seca that year — will now be shipped to Europe for Le Mans; no further testing is planned before the Le Mans Test Day itself.

“The next time I drive it I’ll be at Le Mans!” he told RACER. “When we tested three weeks ago, we (Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Felipe Fraga) all drove and spent time own the Ford simulator in North Carolina. We did a full day and it was awesome. I’ve driven a lot of types of GT cars and usually they feel similar in the GT3 specification box, but it is drastically different.

“It doesn’t have much power, it has a low center of gravity. It’s a momentum car, rather than a point and shoot. It drives more like a formula car — which is why I understand why drivers get so angry if we hold them up!”

Beyond Le Mans, Keating says there’s no plans yet for any additional races with the car.

“We’re talking about lots of different options,” he said. “I can say that I am looking at it, studying it, but we need to get through Le Mans first. Nothing is planned yet, as what we have in June is such a big deal.”

Ben Keating, Le Mans, Wynn's, IMSA, Le Mans/WEC

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03-29-2019 | 11:11 PM

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INSIGHT: Hydrogen takes another step towards Le Mans reality

INSIGHT: Hydrogen takes another step towards Le Mans reality

Images by ACO/Mission H2464 sharessharetweetemailBy: Stephen Kilbey | 11 hours ago
Last October, RACER took a look at the future of the FIA World Endurance Championship, beyond the 2020 ‘Hypercar’ regulations and toward the relevance of the the ‘H24 Project’, which aims to develop hydrogen technology for use in top-class ACO racing from 2024 onwards.

Five months on, there’s been a significant update to the ACO’s joint venture with the H24 team after the alternative-fuel-powered car ran for the first time at Le Mans yesterday.

In a rather symbolic demonstration, the H24 LMPH2G lapped the Bugatti Circuit at La Sarthe as part of a conference about future mobility, and looked to be running faster than it did during its public demonstration at Spa-Francorchamps last year.

More Le Mans/WEC!

Russian limousine maker Aurus set to race at Le Mans

The Week In Sports Cars, March 27, with Graham Goodwin

Segal joins JMW Ferrari for ELMS

When the hydrogen tech becomes eligible for the WEC and Le Mans (slated for 2024/25), the ‘Hypercar’ formula will be either midway through or nearing its end, depending on how things pan out. DPi Gen II will be underway by then too, and prototype racing could well look very different.

But that fact has done nothing to curb the ACO’s ambitions for the future and its drive to showcase zero-emission technology at its crown jewel event: the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The ACO’s sporting director, Vincent Beaumesnil, has stated publicly that the target lap time (during the race, not in qualifying) at Le Mans for hydrogen fuel-cell prototypes is 3m30s, which is significant. Not only does that pose a real task for those involved in developing the technology (the H24 team and other, prospective manufacturers), but it puts them very much in the performance window of the 2020 Hypercars.

With the Hypercar rules set still very much a work in progress (though the latest version of the draft regulations are expected any time now), this poses an interesting prospect. Prototypes featuring manufacturer-relevant styling cues, and race-going versions of road-going hypercars/concept cars are both now permitted, with both hybrid and non-hybrid solutions also an option. So could we see the hydrogen-powered top-class cars race in the same class within just a few years?

That would mean zero-emissions race cars being added to the growing list of eligible solutions for the incoming rules, which crucially, will be governed by Balance of Performance, replacing the Equivalence of Technology that has been used in the current LMP1 era. This change could streamline their transition into the WEC’s next generation of top-class challengers.

That’s not to say this solution would be simple. The many challenges the ACO now faces must be considered, and the increase in resources needed to manage the balancing process for such an array of different technologies and philosophies is surely the most pressing one.

The negatives that arise from the (almost-certain) potential for budget disparity is another aspect that must be considered. Cutting-edge hydrogen-fueled cars racing against the more financially restrained hypercars could lead to aspirant factories spending money on the scale of Porsche and Audi in LMP1 over the past decade, competing against factory teams and privateer efforts expecting results at a fraction of the cost.

That’s not to say that manufacturers won’t want to sign up, though. BMW and Audi are continuing to express interest in the proposed 2024 formula, and other manufacturers will also likely be keeping a close eye as their own road-going ranges evolve from internal combustion to more sustainable technology.

Make no mistake: If done right, a zero-emissions formula with hydrogen fuel cell technology could be the most relevant and marketable form of motorsport for manufacturers by the time we reach 2024.

“Work is progressing well,” Beaumesnil said when asked about the state of the 2024 regulations at Sebring this month. “We have people coming from all around the world for this working group. The last meeting was Thursday (before Sebring) and we are progressing better than I expected on this.”

The 2020 rules are very much designed to get as many manufacturers as possible to come and play at more controlled levels of expenditure, and to see the ACO and FIA through this transition period for the automotive industry.

The 2024 rules model, meanwhile, have a very different aim: bring back manufacturers willing to push the boundaries, and use Le Mans as a test bed.

And the Le Mans 24 Hours could look very different by 2024. Much depends on how the coming months pan out in shaping the FIA WEC’s top class in the short to medium-term. But the race itself could feel very different for another reason: The pit/grandstand complex at the Circuit de la Sarthe is set to be replaced for the 2023 edition, in time for the event’s centenary celebration. The renovations will ensure an up-to-date facility for the teams and drivers in the paddock, and potentially allow for a bigger grid to compete.

The grid size for the 24 Hours has quietly been growing over the past three decades. Gone are the days when the maximum capacity was 46 cars, set by the current complex when it was built in 1991. The grid expanded to 48 cars shortly after, and then 50 in 2002 when the Michel Vaillant movie helped fund additional garages at pit out.

It then jumped to 55 in 2007, 56 in 2010, and 60 in 2016, the pit-out end of pit lane becoming ever more crowded with the annexed pit boxes installed.

Could we see further expansion? Yes. Pressed on the matter at Sebring, both Beaumesnil and ACO President Pierre Fillon acknowledged the desire and potential for additional cars.

Currently, the Le Mans 24 Hours is heavily oversubscribed, leaving the selection committee with increasingly powerful headaches at the end of each calendar year.

While that has become a real problem, particularly ahead of this year’s running due to the number of WEC full-season entries and automatic invitations having left some key players without entries, the ACO hopes the level of interest remains as high, if not higher, going forward.

If more than 60 cars are racing at Le Mans into the next decade, and a considerable number of them are blue-chip manufacturers racing for the overall win, then all the current planning and persistence shown by those in charge to move forward will have been worthwhile.
H24 Project, Le Mans, Insights & Analysis, Le Mans/WEC

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04-05-2019 | 12:30 AM

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Derani joins Risi for Le Mans

Derani joins Risi for Le Mans

Image by JEP/LATsharetweetemailBy: Stephen Kilbey | 14 hours ago
Full-time Action Express IMSA DPi driver Pipo Derani has become the first driver to be confirmed for Risi Competizione’s 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours GTE Pro effort.

It will be the Brazilian’s first time racing with the Texas-based team, as he looks to add a Le Mans class win to an already packed resume which includes a Rolex 24 and multiple Sebring 12 Hours wins.

“We are very pleased to have Pipo join the team for Le Mans this year,” said team principal Giuseppe Risi. “He’s a well-versed racing driver, including in the Ferrari 488, and is mature beyond his young age. His enthusiasm is infectious and we’re looking forward to having him as part of the Risi Competizione family. Le Mans is a classic race and this team is always prepared for it — or any race — and after having finished second and third in recent years, we are more than ready to be back on the top step.”

More Le Mans/WEC!

The Week In Sports Cars, April 3, with Graham Goodwin

INSIGHT: Hydrogen takes another step towards Le Mans reality

Russian limousine maker Aurus set to race at Le Mans

This year’s edition will be Derani’s fifth Le Mans start, and second with the Ferrari 488 GTE after racing with AF Corse last year in the Italian team’s third car, finishing fifth in class. His best result from his previous outings at La Sarthe was a second-place finish in GTE Pro back in 2017, when he drove with Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK with Harry Tincknell and Andy Priaulx.

“I’m really happy to be leading the way and driving for Risi, a great team that has been showing the potential for Ferrari in America, but also at Le Mans,” said Derani. “Hopefully we can do one place better than they did back in 2016 with their second-place finish, and hopefully with my experience at Le Mans I can help lead the way for a great result. I’m really happy to be joining the Risi team and to be back at Le Mans in a Ferrari.”

This year’s entry into the Le Mans 24 Hours is Risi’s first in GTE Pro since 2017 (pictured), after it spent last year’s race running Keating Motorsport’s GTE Am effort.
Ferrari, Le Mans, Pipo Derani, Risi, Le Mans/WEC

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04-05-2019 | 02:46 PM

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Ford preparing for Le Mans GT swansong

Ford preparing for Le Mans GT swansong

Image by JEP/LAT381 sharessharetweetemailBy: Marshall Pruett | March 1, 2019 11:10 AM
The anticipated end to Ford’s four-year commitment to its GT program at Le Mans is coming in June, and with all four of its factory entries, plus the privateer GT owned by Ben Keating, finally confirmed on the entry list, Ford Performance boss Mark Rushbrook expressed his appreciation to the event’s organizers.

“We’d like to thank the ACO for allowing us four GTE-Pro entries for the Le Mans 24 Hours this year,” he said. “The factory Ford GTs have competed as a four-car team the past three seasons, and we believe they have been extremely popular with the fans, so we are thrilled that sports cars fans around the world will get to see them all run together as a team one more year.”

More Le Mans/WEC!

Ginetta hopeful of racing LMP1 car at Spa

Derani joins Risi for Le Mans

The Week In Sports Cars, April 3, with Graham Goodwin

Rushbrook’s comments come after weeks of speculation regarding the full entry list for the 87th running of the French endurance classic. Based on the initial entry list revealed in February, only the two Ford Chip Ganassi Racing FIA World Endurance Championship entries were confirmed; with today’s finalized list, both of Ford’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTs were added to the GTE-Pro invitations.

“It’s an honor to race at Le Mans, and it’s an honor we don’t take for granted,” added Rushbrook, whose four factory entries are expected to feature some form of retro livery. “We can’t wait to get there this year with some special things planned, as well as having our first customer team on the grid with us. It’s going to be a very special race.”

Ford has yet to confirm its sports car racing plans after its GT programs in the FIA WEC and IMSA’s WeatherTech Championship conclude. Despite the lack of an official position on the subject, an IMSA DPi project utilizing the same 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 powerplant found in the road and racing versions of the GT, fitted to a Riley/Multimatic Mk. 30 chassis, has been in development for quite some time.
Ford GT, Le Mans/WEC

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04-08-2019 | 12:49 PM

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Gounon added to Risi Le Mans line-up

Gounon added to Risi Le Mans line-up

Image by Alexander Trienitz/LATsharetweetemailBy: Stephen Kilbey | 5 hours ago
Mazda Team Joest DPi driver Oliver Jarvis (pictured) and Bentley factory man Jules Gounon will complete the roster for Risi Competizione at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. The veterans will join previously announcing Action Express IMSA driver Pipo Derani on the team for this June’s endurance classic.

“Pipo is a fast young driver and has driven the 488 before at Le Mans,” said team principal Guiseppe Risi. “Oliver has driven at Le Mans many times over the past decade and Jules comes from a French racing family and has raced in plenty of endurance races, including an overall win at Spa 24 Hours in 2017.

“We expect good results from our trio. I’m looking forward to the race and wish to thank Jean (Guikas, president of Guikas GTC) for his support in our combined effort.”

More Le Mans/WEC!

Ginetta hopeful of racing LMP1 car at Spa

Derani joins Risi for Le Mans

The Week In Sports Cars, April 3, with Graham Goodwin

35-year-old Jarvis, who has never raced a GTE car, will be making his seventh start in the event and will look to take a second class win after winning the LMP2 class with Jackie Chan DC Racing in 2017.

“I am delighted to be returning to Le Mans with Risi Competizione, after winning the LMP2 class in 2017 and leading the race outright,” said Jarvis . “Having raced at Le Mans in LMP1 and LMP2 it will be a new challenge for me in GTE Pro, but I am confident with such a strong team behind me that I will be able to get up to speed quickly. I can’t wait to start working with my new team and teammates and return to a race I absolutely love!”

Gounon, son of former F1 driver Jean-Marc Gounon, says racing at Le Mans “is a dream come true.” While the Frenchman also has no races under his belt in a GTE car, he has had plenty of success racing in GT3 machinery, winning the German ADAC GT Masters title in 2017 driving a Callaway Competition Corvette C7 GT3.
Le Mans, Oliver Jarvis, Risi, Le Mans/WEC