LE MANS, France — The 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans June 10-14) promises a weekend of suspense. Sixty-two cars are entered for the next edition of the famous French race.
As usual, the list comprises a host of well-known brands and talented drivers.
There is a new name in the Hypercar class this year. South Korean manufacturer Genesis joins the line-up and means business! The major-league driver crews of the two GMR-001-Hypercars entered by Genesis Magma Racing are both experienced and talented.
Three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2011, 2012 and 2014) André Lotterer is teamed with Luis Felipe “Pipo” Derani and promising young driver Mathys Jaubert at the wheel of the No. 17. The No. 19 sister car will be in the hands of Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet and Daniel Juncadella.
Together, the three boast 17 Le Mans starts. The South Korean candidate is not to be underestimated.
Expert onlookers will be scrutinizing the new Toyota TR010 Hybrid this June. The Japanese manufacturer has decided to update the 5-year-old prototype that won Le Mans in 2021 and 2022 and dominate the 18-car category once more.
Toyota Racing can count on its experienced Le Mans drivers Sébastien Buemi (four-time winner) and Brendon Hartley (three-time winner).
The entry list includes four Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs.
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 second season of WEC Hypercar competition with Cadillac as a works team. Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais, Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens will be the drivers.
The No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R will compete at Le Mans for the second time. Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque will be the drivers.
Rising French star Doriane Pin, nicknamed the Pocket Rocket, is back at Le Mans this year. She is once again in the LMP2 class, this time at the wheel of the Duqueine Team Oreca 07 – Gibson. Since her first Le Mans in 2023 she has triumphed in the F1 Academy, having come second in 2024, and made a name for herself on world circuits. She recently joined Mercedes-AMG as the team’s Formula One development driver. Her talent will no doubt make her the centre of attention. Another Frenchwoman, Lilou Wadoux is set to compete in her fourth 24 Hours of Le Mans, having recently prolonged her contract with Ferrari.
The GT field at Le Mans is well-known for its palpitating chases and the LMGT3 class introduced in 2024 continues to produce epic battles. Last year, six of the eight championship rounds were won by a different team and at Le Mans the first four cars finished in the same lap. With nine makes entered this year, it is safe to bet on another exciting race in LMGT3. The driver line-up includes stars such as 2021 Le Mans winner José María López in the Akkodis ASP Team No. 87 Lexus, and Richard Lietz at the wheel of team The Bend Manthey’s No. 92 Porsche for his 20th Le Mans.
This year’s driver line-up includes several young hopefuls. Several come from Formula One and Formula Two. Alpine Endurance Team has picked 2022 Formula Three winner Victor Martins, who also won a Formula Two race last year. Equally talented, 2023 Formula Two champion Théo Pourchaire is a member of the Peugeot TotalEnergies team. Logan Sargeant takes his Formula One experience to Proton Competition in the LMGT3 class, in preparation for the Ford Hypercar entry. All three men are under 28 and likely to be part of the face of endurance racing in the near future.
LMP2 always has its fair share of surprises. In the past few years, the race has gone to the wire. The first two cars finished in the same lap once again last year and the top nine crossed the line within three laps. This year the successful European Le Mans Series team Panis Racing is a serious contender once again. However, with two wins since 2023, Inter Europol Competition will put up a fight, as will AO by TF who can count on the speedy Louis Delétraz. Another notable entry is that of RD Limited, recently formed by Romain Dumas, who has two 24 Hours of Le Mans wins to his name (2010 and 2016). He will be back in the cockpit for the first time since 2023. All in all, this year’s field promises another exciting race.
