62-Car Le Mans Entry List Released

Photo: MPS Agency

The ACO has revealed a 62-car entry for this year’s postponed 24 Hours of Le Mans on Aug. 21-22, featuring large grids of LMP2 and GTE-Am machinery alongside the debut of the Le Mans Hypercar class in the race.

Released on Tuesday, the grid consists of full-season FIA World Endurance Championship teams, a number of automatic entries awarded from the continental ACO-run series, as well as IMSA’s at-large entries, plus individual selections to complete the field.

The new-for-2021 LMH category features a five-car class with no additions beyond the full-season WEC entries.

Both Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG 007s are entered as well as the pair of factory Toyota GR010 Hybrids that will give the new platform its debut in the French endurance classic.

They will be joined by a single Alpine A480 Gibson despite rumors of a second entry being prepared for the race.

LMP2 features a 25-car grid, predominately made up of Oreca 07 Gibson machinery, although featuring a few surprises.

It includes an Oreca entered by longtime Ferrari GTE entrant Risi Competizione, for Oliver Jarvis and Ryan Cullen. The team does not have an entry in the production-based ranks.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports will make its debut with IMSA Trueman Award winner Patrick Kelly so far the only announced driver.

Only two Ligier JS P217 Gibsons are entered, for ARC Bratislava and Racing Team India Eurasia, with no Dallara P217 Gibson cars on the list.

Eleven of the LMP2 entries will compete in the new Pro-Am subclass that mandates at least one Bronze-rated driver per lineup.

A total of seven cars are slated to do battle in GTE-Pro, including the expected return of Corvette Racing and the Le Mans debut of its Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

The pair of Corvettes join the full-season WEC entries from AF Corse and Porsche as well as fellow IMSA competitor WeatherTech Racing with its Proton Competition-run Porsche 911 RSR-19.

GTE-Am makes up the second-largest class with 24 entries, including newly crowned Asian Le Mans Series GT champions Herberth Motorsport with a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo and not a Porsche as expected.

A Garage 56 entrant is confirmed for the 2021 edition with Fred Sausset’s Association SRT41 effort for disabled drivers Takuma Aoki and Nigel Bailly in a specially adapted Oreca LMP2 car.

Of note, the ACO did not release a list of reserve entries, with a two-week registration period set to open from March 12-26 for competitors wishing to join the list.

ACO President Pierre Fillon said this year’s race enters a “new era” with the debut of the LMH machinery.

“The introduction of Hypercars promises to bring even more spine-tingling action to the endurance racetrack,” said Fillon. “Sixty-two cars will line up for this 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“In these challenging times, this number is a strong signal that our discipline is more appealing than ever before.

“We are eager to welcome fans once again to the racetrack to experience this historic edition together.”

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