85th 24 Hours of Le Mans Approaching
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is an iconic name in world motorsport; a test of endurance for drivers and machines that dates back to 1923. This year sees the 85th edition of the famed 384-lap race, and the object will be to test both the speed and reliability of the cars in addition to the skill of the drivers, just as it has been at every Le Mans since it started.
It has inspired many other endurance races around the world, but the 24 Hours of Le Mans remains the jewel in the FIA’s World Endurance Championship crown. Part of its mystique lies in the mixed conditions at Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, which combines a specialised racing circuit with a network of closed-off public roads to create a unique driving challenge.
The 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans will start at Circuit de la Sarthe at 3pm Central European Summer Time on 17 June, and continue until 3pm on 18 June. As usual, each team will have three drivers, to ensure that the cars stay on the circuit and racing for the full 24 hours.
Entry List of 60 Announced
There are almost twice the usual number of cars on the 2017 Le Mans starting grid, with 60 accepted in the race’s four categories. All teams have also nominated their three drivers for the race, with the exception of the Proton Competition team, who have yet to find a third driver to join Stephane Lemeret and Nick Yelloly in their Le Mans debuts.
There are six entries in the LMP1 category: two from Germany’s Porsche LMP Team, three from Japan’s Toyota Gazoo Racing, and one from Austria’s ByKolles Racing Team. There are 25 teams entered in LMP2, most of them with a single car. However, China’s CEFC Manor TRS Racing and Jackie Chan DC Racing, along with France’s Graff and Signatech Alpine Matmut teams, each have two LMP2 cars racing.
The LMGTE Pro division has also expanded to almost twice its size for the 2017 race, with 13 entries. The final 16 cars in the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans will be competing in the LMGTE Am category.