Magnussen: “A Pity” All-Danish LMP2 Entry Was Rejected

Photo: High Class Racing

Jan Magnussen says it’s “a pity” that High Class Racing’s planned all-Danish crewed LMP2 entry has been placed on the reserve list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The team, which had placed an entry request for its full-season European Le Mans Series Oreca 07 Gibson featuring Magnussen in the lineup, has only received confirmation of its FIA World Endurance Championship car for the 2019-20 WEC season finale.

Plans had been in place for High Class to move its full-time WEC driver Anders Fjordbach into the car alongside Magnussen and a third Dane, should it had received a confirmed entry.

Instead, the entry was placed as the fourth reserve car, as one of several high-profile LMP2 teams to have only received a single confirmed entry.

It will likely result in Magnussen missing his first Le Mans event since 1998.

“Of course, it is a pity that the plan does not succeed,” Magnussen said.

“The team had it all in place and it would have been great to line up in a Danish-liveried LMP2 racer to represent a strong and competitive Danish team in the world’s largest racing race.

“Switching to prototype [racing] will be an interesting step in my career.

“LMP2 has evolved into a tough class with fantastic racing cars and strong teams.

“Coming up to Le Mans with High Class Racing could also be the start of an exciting and ambitious collaboration, which in the future will lead me to the new WEC top class, LMDh.

“But we do will not drop the project. We will postpone it and hope that there will be an opportunity in 2021.”

No official word has been given if the team will pull the car from the reserve list or hold out for possible withdrawals.

Fjordbach is now expected to remain in the team’s full-season WEC entry alongside Kenta Yamashita and Mark Patterson.

Sportscar365 understands that IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship front-runner Ricky Taylor was in line to replace Fjordbach had the team secured both entries for the race.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John