LE MANS, France — Sixty-two entries were announced Monday for the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the famed Sarthe Circuit.
The 36 cars running the full FIA World Endurance Championship season are automatically invited to compete and another 26 cars will complete the grid for the June 14-15 twice-around-the-clock classic.
Like the grandstands, the grid is at full capacity, with sixty-two cars: 21 Hypercars, 17 LMP2s and 24 LMGT3s. There are six teams on the reserve list. The provisional driver line-up includes 16 former outright winners (15 in Hypercar, one in LMGT3) and five women.
Eight constructors make up the top class: Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche, Toyota – and Aston Martin, back in the premier league this year.
Last year’s winners Ferrari, who can boast 11 Le Mans victories, are already gearing up to face some stiff competition from their classmates aiming to bar the Italian constructor’s way to a third triumph in a row.
Toyota will be looking to find the path to the top step again, while Cadillac, Alpine, BMW and Peugeot are sure to want to cash in on the experience they have banked since last season. Meanwhile, Porsche is on a mission to keep its status as the make with the most Le Mans wins ever.
Back in the race for the outright win, Aston Martin sees the Valkyrie’s V12 as the cat among the pigeons.
In LMP2, there will be 17 cars at the start, including nine pro-am driver crews. The class crown promises to be as hotly disputed as ever. Experience in the European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series could prove vital, as these prototypes no longer take part in the World Endurance Championship.
This new class replaces the LMGTE category. The 24 GTs fielded by nine makes are bound to thrill spectators. Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, McLaren, Porsche and Mercedes-AMG line up side by side.
The all-women Iron Dames team is among the favourites to win the class this year. Among their opponents is motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi. The nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing world champion is to take the wheel of the Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3.
“Once again, the 24 Hours of Le Mans presents a superb grid,” said Pierre Fillon, president de l’Automobile Club de l’Ouest. “The 93rd running of the race is also the fourth round of this FIA WEC season. The greatest carmakers on earth are all aiming to go home with the LMGT3 crown and to lift the trophy presented to the outright winners. The LMP2 prototypes add to the diversity that makes this race so popular. These makes, teams, and our partners are united in their commitment to endurance racing and their vitality is the key element in our discipline’s current golden age.”
The field includes four factory Cadillac V-Series.R race cars.
“We’re thrilled for Cadillac Racing to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with four cars competing for the overall win in the Hypercar class,” said John Roth, vice president, global Cadillac. “After scoring our first podium finish at this iconic endurance race in 2023 and securing a top 10 finish last year, we look to build on that success and showcase the Cadillac V-Series.R’s technology, performance and innovation of our race teams once again.”
The Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R received automatic invitations based on full-season participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). JOTA Sport is in its first season of WEC Hypercar competition as a works team. Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson Button, Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens will be the drivers.
The No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, a full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, will compete at Le Mans for the first time. Ricky Taylor is listed as the primary driver.
The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is a full-season IMSA GTP entry campaigned by Action Express Racing that will return to Le Mans for the third consecutive year. Jack Aitken is listed as the primary driver.
United Autosports will field four cars at the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours this summer, racing in pursuit of endurance glory in the LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am and LMGT3 categories.
“The confirmation of our four-car entry is fantastic news,” says Richard Dean, United Autosports CEO. “We love racing at Le Mans and, following our second LMP2 victory last summer, we are fired up for even more success in 2025. The scale of the operation to run four cars across the LMP2 and LMGT3 classes is hugely impressive and this year, on the 30th anniversary of McLaren’s Le Mans debut and race victory, preparations are already in full flow at United Autosports HQ.”
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