Glickenhaus Not Returning to WEC in 2024

Glickenhaus will not return to the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class in 2024 as the American team winds down its involvement in the championship.

Team owner Jim Glickenhaus confirmed to Sportscar365 that his eponymous outfit will not field the Glickenhaus 007 Pipo in the globe-trotting series next year.

It will mark the end of a three-season run for the American outfit at the top of global sports car racing, debuting at the 2021 8 Hours of Portimao before contesting and finishing three consecutive editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Its most recent race outing came at the 6 Hours of Monza in July, where Nathanael Berthon, Olivier Pla and Romain Dumas finished eighth.

At Monza, Glickenhaus indicated to Sportscar365 that there was a significant chance of the program shutting down, as it would need substantial funding to develop its LMH car to be competitive against the increasing influx of manufacturers in WEC’s Hypercar class.

He has now confirmed that the decision has been made not to return to the series for a fourth season.

“It’s really very simple,” Glickenhaus said.  “When we started, we were told that we had to build a car to certain rules and certain performance figures and we did.

“The idea was that no matter what happened, we would have a fair and equal chance to compete for the entire period that the Hypercar rules were in effect.

“We tried very hard, we spent a lot of money, we did the best we can, we built within the rules, but we felt that there was no fair and equal way forward into the future and so it made no sense for us to continue.”

An early rival to Toyota before the arrival of the likes of Porsche, Cadillac and Ferrari to the Hypercar ranks, the team picked up a run of three consecutive overall podium finishes and two pole positions during the 2022 WEC campaign.

Its peak came with a third-place finish for Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and Franck Mailleux at Le Mans.

“We’re extremely proud,” said Glickenhaus. “We entered Le Mans six times, we finished six times.

“We got a podium at Le Mans, which was the first time in over 50 years that an American team had gotten on the [overall] podium at Le Mans.

“We beat Porsche and Peugeot at Le Mans this year. I mean, that’s an amazing accomplishment and I think it’s fair to say that the fans loved what we were doing.

“But there was no fair way for us to continue. We have no interest in just being cannon fodder for the major manufacturers with a lot more money than us and do whatever they want.

“It just makes no sense. I mean, I don’t know how a private car can do better than to beat Porsche at Le Mans, frankly.”