Jarvis Targets Defending LMP2 Win, Not Just Pro-Am Success

Oliver Jarvis says he will be targeting a second consecutive LMP2 victory in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, despite the fact he will be trying to defend the crown at the wheel of United Autosports’ Pro-Am sub-class-entered No. 23 car.

Jarvis will share the No. 23 Oreca 07 Gibson with Ben Hanley and Bronze-rated Daniel Schneider for next week’s French endurance classic, having taken top LMP2 honors last year for United with Bijoy Garg and Nolan Siegel.

But the 41-year-old Briton, who will be making his 14th Le Mans start, believes that the Pro-Am United crew is good enough to target more than just winning its sub-class.

“To be honest, I see us being in the LMP2 class,” Jarvis said. “I know [the class] is split in two, but I don’t see why we can’t fight for the overall win.

“We saw last year several Pro-Am teams were capable of winning it, and if we do as we have suggested and stay on-track, we have a lineup and team capable of winning it.

“First priority of course is to try and win Pro-Am, but I think the way the rules have changed over the last few years, Pro-Am teams are capable of winning the class outright.

“I think either us, or other teams, are more than capable of that. We just hope it’s us at the end of the 24 hours.”

A Pro-Am entry has yet to win outright in LMP2 since the sub-class was introduced in 2021, but the AF Corse Oreca of Ben Barnicoat, Francois Perrodo and Nico Varrone finished fourth last year, the best showing to date by a Pro-Am entry.

Schneider, who is making his Le Mans debut, echoed Jarvis’s thoughts, saying he is not limiting his ambitions to success in Pro-Am.

“I look at this race in reverse order,” said the Brazilian driver. “The first priority is to win LMP2 overall. If it doesn’t happen, maybe we can win in Pro-Am, but I’d like to aim for something higher.

“Of course my pace is not the same [as the pro drivers], but Le Mans is Le Mans: you just have to keep yourself ‘alive’ and see what happens.”

Schneider currently races for United in the European Le Mans Series together with Jarvis and Marino Sato, having made his debut in the series in 2023.

He has gained experience of the Circuit de la Sarthe through four appearances for the Anglo-American team in the Road to Le Mans support race from 2020 to ’23, each time sharing a Ligier JS P320 Nissan with Andy Meyrick.

The 51-year-old said that this experience will be “extremely helpful” as he bids to get up to speed for his first start in the 24 Hours.

“It’s a real privilege to race at Le Mans in an LMP2 car,” said Schneider. “It’s the highest level an Am can achieve, so it’s the pinnacle of my career.

“Basically I am very excited, and having two past winners alongside me, I think we can aim to do more than just be there, and maybe we can even win the race.

“I have now done Road to Le Mans four times, so at least I know the circuit and I am not as nervous as the first time that I went there. Being familiar with the circuit calms me down a lot.

“It’s 24 hours, and now I can have a proper race that I can enjoy, because Road to Le Mans is a sprint race, just a couple of laps and that’s it.”