Fassbender Among Additional Drivers on Test Day Entry List

Michael Fassbender is among the additional drivers taking part in this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans official test day, according to the latest entry list issued on Thursday.

The Hollywood actor and European Le Mans Series driver is set to pilot the No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19 during Sunday’s pre-race week test, which is returning after not taking place last year.

Fassbender made his ELMS debut with Proton last year in a previous-spec 911 GTE car and remained with the German team for its progression to the latest model in 2021.

The Bronze-rated competitor will gain experience of the Circuit de la Sarthe sharing the No. 77 Porsche with Dempsey-Proton Racing’s FIA World Endurance Championship trio of Matt Campbell, Jaxon Evans and team owner Christian Ried.

Elsewhere on the test day entry list, Sam Bird is shown in the No. 52 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, in the position originally held by Davide Rigon.

Robby Foley has moved from JMW Motorsport to Team Project 1, in a change that is also set to be in effect for the race.

Pirelli GT4 America Pro-Am champion and IMSA GT Daytona front-runner Foley has replaced Max Root in the No. 46 Porsche, while Jody Fannin takes the American driver’s old seat in the JMW-run Ferrari 488 GTE Evo which is also running in GTE-Am.

Emmanuel Collard is set to return to the cockpit of the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari in which the Frenchman won last season’s WEC GTE-Am class title.

Collard, who was left without a full-time WEC seat for 2021, joins as a fourth test driver alongside Francois Perrodo, Alessio Rovera and Nicklas Nielsen.

LMP3 ace Laurents Hoerr will sample an LMP2 car during the test, driving the Duqueine Team Oreca 07 Gibson.

Gustavo Menezes is nominated to drive both Glickenhaus 007 LMH prototypes despite being left out of the American team’s Hypercar class lineup for its Le Mans debut.

Future Peugeot LMH driver Menezes contested the WEC 6 Hours of Monza with Glickenhaus last month, but was not included in its squad which picked out six drivers from a pool of seven signings.

Mike Conway and Sebastien Buemi, who is on Formula E duty in Berlin this weekend, are listed in both Toyota GR010 Hybrids.

Pierre Sancinena is joining the Association SRT41 Innovative-class entry for the test day, while last-minute race weekend signing Matthieu Lahaye is also signed up.