Entry List: 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans

This weekend, the FIA World Endurance Championship has their marquee event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  The 8.469-mile Circuit de la Sarthe will be alive with activity all week.  The activity will be focused on the 60 teams that are entered.

The headlining LMP1 class is a bit smaller in 2017.  Audi pulling out of the WEC in the wake of the ongoing Dieselgate scandal means that there are only two factory programs (Porsche and Toyota) left out there.  Toyota has a part-time third car entered that Jose Maria Lopez, who started the season in the full-time No. 7, has been exiled to.  Stéphane Sarrazin, who drove the No. 9 Toyota at Spa last month, replaces Lopez in the No. 7.  Regardless, based on pace from the Test Day, Toyota seems to be the favorite as of now to bring Japan their first overall victory at Le Mans since 1991.

The ByKolles Racing Team No. 4 is the only non-hybrid team entered in the class.  In practice, they are likely to fight it out among the LMP2 teams.

In LMP2, there are 25 teams entered.  Testing has shown that the ORECA 07-Gibsons have a visible advantage over the other three cars in the class.  ORECA 07s (or ORECA 07-based entries) were the top 13 cars during the Test Day.

Riley Motorsports, dubbed Keating Motorsports for Le Mans due to rules that prohibit manufacturers in LMP2, will field the sole Riley Mk. 30-Gibson in the field for IMSA GT Daytona point leaders Jeroen Bleekemolen and Ben Keating, along with Ricky Taylor.  The team was 10 seconds off of the fastest drivers during the Test Day, but more time on the track will help.

GTE-Pro once again has a heavy IMSA presence.  Five of the nine full-time GT Le Mans teams (both Corvette Racing C7.Rs, both Ford GTs and Risi Competizione’s Ferrari 488 GTE) are in the field and should play a role.  Sébastien Bourdais was supposed to be in the No. 68 Ford, but his injuries at Indianapolis have ruled him out.  Tony Kanaan will take his place.

Since the race weekend began, there has been one major driver change.  Former Audi factory racer Lucas di Grassi was scheduled to make his GTE debut in AF Corse’s No. 51 Ferrari 488 GTE alongside regular drivers James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi.  However, di Grassi suffered a broken fibula during last weekend’s Berlin e-Prix that has ruled him out of the race.

I'll sadly miss this year's #LeMans24 with a broken fibula that requires surgery. This was a hard decision but I'm following medical advise.

— Lucas di Grassi (@LucasdiGrassi) June 14, 2017

Veteran Ferrari racer Michele Rugolo has been tapped to take di Grassi’s place in the No. 51.

GTE-Am also has quite a bit of American influence.  California-based Scuderia Corsa won the class last year with Townsend Bell, Jeff Segal and Bill Sweedler.  This year, Bell and Sweedler are back with Cooper MacNeil bringing his WeatherTech sponsorship to the team.  The team earned a second entry by virtue of winning the GT Daytona championship as well.  Championship drivers Alessandro Balzan and Christina Nielsen are joined by Bret Curtis.

Porsche factory racer Patrick Long is back at Le Mans in a third Proton entry, the No. 93 Porsche, along with Pirelli World Challenge regular Mike Hedlund.  Tracy Krohn is also back in a Ferrari, racing the No. 83 DH Racing 488 GTE along with longtime co-driver Nic Jonsson.

Entry List: 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans

About the author

Phil Allaway

Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.

Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.

• Phil Allaway

  https://frontstretch.com/author/phila/

  Entry List: IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
• Phil Allaway

  https://frontstretch.com/author/phila/

  Couch Potato Tuesday: FOX Hits Rock Bottom with Ignored Fire, Clint Bowyer's Silence
• Phil Allaway

  https://frontstretch.com/author/phila/

  William Byron Apologetic After Last-Lap Contact with Ross Chastain
• Phil Allaway

  https://frontstretch.com/author/phila/

  Lawless Alan Finishes 11th, Continues to Show Improvement