24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 Access Checklist Introduced: 9 Hypercar Marques in File-Breaking Box
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) has released the provisional entry list for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, which features the most diverse top category field in more than 30 years.
In total, 23 vehicles will compete in the LMH category, with entries from nine different manufacturers – the most in the premier class since the chicanes were introduced to the Hunaudieres — as the Hypercar class continues to grow, with more on the way.
Of course, defending champion Ferrari will return with two of its 499Ps and the 2023-winning driver lineup of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #50.
Defeated five-time champion team Toyota also returns with the GR010 and five of its six drivers, hoping to reclaim the title it has held since 2018 — winning every round of the World Endurance Championship last season except Le Mans.
The most prevalent appearance on the LMH grid will be Porsche, which performed well in the race last year. In total, there will be six 963s: three from the factory Porsche Penske squad, two from Hertz squad Jota, and one from Proton Competition, which will be making its class debut. Proton also has a second car on its reserve list.
Cadillac is bringing another pair of LMDh V-Series.R machines, hoping to improve its podium position from 2023, while home favourite Peugeot will again enter a pair of 9X8s, promising significant upgrades over the famously wingless car from last season.
Only two brands are not returning this year: Glickenhaus has chosen not to join, and Vanwall’s entry was rejected by the ACO. However, this has definitely not resulted in a shortage of teams, as another four new cars will make their Le Mans debut.
The most important for home supporters will be the Alpine A424. Alpine missed 2023 after racing the grandfathered A480 – a Rebellion R13 LMP1 — in 2021-22, but has already constructed their LMDh machine for the current season.
Another car making its debut this season is the Lamborghini SC63, another LMDh machine, with two entries from the factory-backed Iron Lynx squad. This will be Lamborghini’s maiden outing in the premier category at Le Mans, following a colorful history with the race.
BMW is also poised to return, 25 years after winning its only overall race with the V12 LMR in 1999. Its M Hybrid V8 has already been race-proven, with five podium places in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship, including a victory at the Six Hours of The Glen.
There is one more entry that we believe may be a secret favorite (or at least a second pick) among many fans. The Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-C revives a 124-year-old brand with a full LMH manufactured in accordance with the original rules: the company has already produced a roadgoing, “Stradale” example of the automobile for limited production!
Aside from the Hypercar field, a major alteration in the GT classes has resulted in a bumper crop of entries, with nine distinct cars from 23 competing for victory.
Renamed LMGT3, the category is understandably available to GT3 machinery rather than the superficially comparable GTEs of recent memory, providing many more manufacturers the opportunity to compete.
This has allowed some historic battles to resume, but instead of rotating over several years, they are all in one race. The all-new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 will compete against the mid-engined Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Porsche’s 992-generation 911 R will face the Ferrari 296 GT3, and BMW will return with the M4 GT3 to challenge a trio of Ford Mustangs.
If that wasn’t enough, there are two Lamborghini Huracans from Iron Lynx and Iron Dames, two Lexus RC Fs, and three McLaren 720S GT3s as the British manufacturer returns to the location of its incredible 1995 overall victory after a 26-year hiatus.
That nearly makes the extremely competitive LMP2 category an afterthought, but there will still be 16 cars — including six Pro-Ams — vying for a class win in what has typically been the tightest racing around.
The race entry list is tentative, with seven reserve spaces and various holes in the driver list. However, there are now 14 ex-F1 drivers in the LMH cars, including 2009 world champion Jenson Button, who will return from his Garage 56 drive in 2023. Gamers should also look out for the #155 Spirit of Race Ferrari 296 GT3, which is driven by GTPlanet member David Perel.
For 2024, the race will begin at 3 p.m. local time (1300 UTC) on Saturday, June 15, and terminate just over 24 hours later, on Sunday, June 16.
