Garage 56 ‘Most Realistic’ for ’28 Hydrogen Le Mans Debut

ACO President Pierre Fillon has conceded that a Garage 56 entry is the most realistic option for a hydrogen-powered car to contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time as soon as 2028, which remains the governing body’s target date.

Plans to introduce a class for hydrogen cars at Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship have been pushed back multiple times amid slower-than-expected progress towards finalizing safety protocols and concrete technical regulations.

There was no mention of any further delay to the introduction of hydrogen cars in this year’s annual ACO press conference ahead of the French endurance classic, meaning that the class’s debut is theoretically only three years away.

However, amid manufacturer reservations to commit before the regulations are finalized, Fillon conceded that a Garage 56 entry — a slot last used for the modified NASCAR Cup car of 2023 — was more likely than a fully-fledged class in 2028.

“There is no delay, it will be open in 2028,” Fillon told Sportscar365. “But I don’t know when the manufacturers will be ready. It’s up to them to come.”

Asked if the first hydrogen-powered car at Le Mans could potentially come in the form of a Garage 56 entry, Fillon replied: “Maybe.”

Pressed further on whether this was the most realistic option for a hydrogen-powered car to be on the grid as early as 2028, he added: “Yes.”

Toyota remains the obvious candidate to become the first manufacturer to race at Le Mans using hydrogen power, having unveiled the liquid hydrogen-powered Toyota GR LH2 Racing Concept at Le Mans last month (pictured top).

The car is based on the existing GR010 Hybrid LMH and uses technology derived from Toyota’s hydrogen program in Japan’s Super Taikyu series.

Toyota Gazoo Racing’s director of global motorsport Masaya Kaji said preparations are ongoing at the Japanese marque to be able to race at Le Mans with hydrogen in future, but did not want to put any firm timescale on the brand’s ambitions.

“We want to be as prepared as possible,” Kaji told Sportscar365. “So we are focused not only on car development but also on the hydrogen aspect and how to refuel.

“It’s not just Toyota doing this alone, but also we have to continue working with the ACO and [Mission H24 partner] TotalEnergies. But we can’t say anything about when we’ll start competing with hydrogen at the moment.”

However, Kaji also hinted that a Garage 56 slot was the most likely path for a fully-fledged race car based on the GR LH2 Racing Concept to make its competitive debut.

“I think we have to consider that as an option,” said Kaji.

Not long Toyota revealed the GR LH2 Racing Concept, it was announced by the ACO that the marque had also entered into a partnership with the governing body to further develop the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Mission H24 Concept car.

Explaining the background to the move, Kaji said Toyota felt that working with the ACO on the project would be mutually beneficial.

“We had a request from the ACO to support their hydrogen project,” said Kaji.

“We thought it would be beneficial to work together to try and expand the possibilities of using hydrogen in racing, so we agreed to support them.

“In terms of targets, we are not looking at years so much. We want to contribute to the performance of the Mission H24 car, which is important, and we’ll support them using the knowhow that Toyota has gained. That’s the objective.”

John Dagys contributed to this report