On Saturday, June 10th, the French flag will be waved to herald the start of the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship. Once again, there will be 62 cars competing on the track. The line-up comprises 16 Hypercars, 24 LMP2s, 21 LMGTE Am cars, and one Innovative Car. It is the world’s oldest active endurance racing event, celebrating 100 years of Le Mans in 2023. Unlike fixed-distance races, whose winner is determined by minimum time, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is won by the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours. The cars on this track can go up to 366 km/h (227 mph), and, in prior events, reach 405 km/h (252 mph) before track modifications. See the entry list for this historic event. It will be formatted the same as the Rolex 24 article I did earlier this year.

Automatic Entries:

The World Endurance Championship (WEC) organizers send invites to teams that won championships in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS), and the Michelin Le Mans Cup (MLMC) to compete in the 24 hours of Le Mans. The drivers who finished second place in the 2022 ELMS in LMP2 and LMGTE championships also are sent invites to race.

Three (3) participants from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship were chosen by the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest (English: Automobile Club of the West)) as automatic entries, regardless of performance or category.

Teams earning automatic entries in LMP2 were allowed to change their cars from the previous year. ELMS LMGTE and ALMS GT teams earning automatic entries were allowed to use them in LMGTE Am only. The European and Asian LMP3 (Le Mans Prototype 3) champion is required to field an entry in the LMP2 class, and the Michelin Le Mans Cup Group GT3 (GT3) champion was limited to the LMGTE Am category.

Also, the 38 full-time 2023 WEC teams are automatically entered into the race.

Hypercar – 16 cars

7 manufacturers will have their eye on the prize in the premier class: Ferrari, Porsche, Peugeot, Cadillac, Vanwall, Glickenhaus, and Toyota. The Japanese marque will aim for a 6th consecutive overall win but will have its work cut out against some iconic and highly experienced rivals. Porsche will be aiming for its 20th overall victory, while Ferrari returns to the top tier at Le Mans after a 50-year hiatus. The luxury Italian carmaker can draw on almost 75 years of expertise in the discipline and will be keen to add a 10th Le Mans victory to its list of achievements. After a promising start on the other side of the Atlantic, Cadillac will line up three cars, hoping to maintain its momentum. Peugeot, which made its Hypercar debut at Monza last year, followed by races at Fuji and in Bahrain, will be looking to add a 4th Le Mans victory to its record. Glickenhaus stepped onto the Le Mans podium for the first time in 2022 and will benefit from the experience garnered over the last two years. Finally, Vanwall is a newcomer to this level at Le Mans and will no doubt hope to cause a stir. So, who will lift the unique trophy created especially for the Centenary?

02 Cadillac Racing – Cadillac V-Series.R – Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Richard Westbrook

03 Cadillac Racing – Cadillac V-Series.R – Sebastien Bourdais, Renger Van Der Zande, and Scott Dixon

04 Floyd Vanwall Racing Team – Vanwall Vandervell 680 – Tom Dillmann, Esteban Guerrieri, and Tristan Vautier

05  Porsche Penske Motorsport – Porsche 963 – Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen, and Frédéric Makowiecki

06  Porsche Penske Motorsport – Porsche 963 – Kevin Estre, André Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor

07 Toyota Gazoo Racing – Toyota GR010 Hybrid – Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Jose Maria Lopez

08 Toyota Gazoo Racing – Toyota GR010 Hybrid – Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa

38 Hertz Team JOTA – Porsche 963 – Antonio Felix Da Costa, Will Stevens, and Yifei Ye

50 Ferrari AF Corse – Ferrari 499P – Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen

51 Ferrari AF Corse – Ferrari 499P – Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi

75  Porsche Penske Motorsport – Porsche 963 – Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Mathieu Jaminet

93 Peugeot TotalEnergies – Peugeot 9X8 – Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, and Jean-Eric Vergne

94 Peugeot TotalEnergies – Peugeot 9X8 – Loic Duval, Gustavo Menezes, and Nico Müller

311 Action Express Racing – Cadillac V-Series.R – Luis Felipe Derani, Alexander Sims, and Jack Aitken

708 Glickenhaus Racing – Glickenhaus 007 LMH – Romain Dumas, Ryan Briscoe, and Olivier Pla

709 Glickenhaus Racing – Glickenhaus 007 LMH – Franck Mailleux, Esteban Gutiérrez, and Nathanaël Berthon

LMP2 – 24 cars

There will be 24 teams on the LMP2 grid, 8 of which will be driven by a mix of professional and amateur drivers. This class is highly competitive and, year after year keeps spectators on tenterhooks right up to the final moments of the race. Many of the teams have a real chance of winning. Due to return to the premier class next year, Alpine will launch a two-prong attack to try and claim the crown back from JOTA.

Note: Bold represents Pro/Am entry

9 Prema Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson Bent Viscaal, Juan Manuel Correa, and Filip Ugran

10 Vector Sport – Oreca 07-Gibson – Ryan Cullen, Gabriel Aubry, and Matthias Kaiser

13 Tower Motorsports with TDS Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson – John Farano, Ricky Taylor, and Rene Rast

14 Nielsen Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson – Rodrigo Sales, Mathias Beche, and Ben Hanley

22 United Autosports – Oreca 07-Gibson – Philip Hanson, Filipe Albuquerque, and Frederick Lubin

23 United Autosports – Oreca 07-Gibson – Joshua Pierson, Tom Blomqvist, and Oliver Jarvis

28 JOTA – Oreca 07-Gibson – David Heinemeier Hansson, Oliver Rasmussen, and Pietro Fittipaldi

30 Duqueine Team – Oreca 07-Gibson – Neel Jani, René Binder, and Nicolas Pino

31 Team WRT – Oreca 07-Gibson – Sean Gelael, Robin Frijns, and Ferdinand Habsburg

32 Inter Europol Competition – Oreca 07-Gibson – Anders Fjordbach, Mark Kvamme, and Jan Magnussen

34 Inter Europol Competition – Oreca 07-Gibson – Jakub Smiechowski, Albert Costa, and Fabio Scherer

35 Alpine Elf Team – Alpine A470-Gibson – André Negrão, Memo Rojas, and Olli Caldwell

36 Alpine Elf Team – Alpine A470-Gibson – Matthieu Vaxiviere, Charles Milesi, and Julien Canal

37 COOL Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson – Nicolas Lapierre, Alexandre Coigny, and Malthe Jakobsen

39 Graff Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson – Francois Heriau, Giedo van der Garde, and Patrick Pilet

41 Team WRT – Oreca 07-Gibson – Rui Andrade, Robert Kubica, and Louis Deletraz

43 DKR Engineering – Oreca 07-Gibson – Tom van Rompuy, Maxime Martin, and Ugo de Wilde

45 Algarve Pro Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson – George Kurtz, James Allen, and Colin Braun

47 Cool Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson – Reshad de Gerus, Vlad Lomko, and Simon Pagenaud

48 IDEC Sport – Oreca 07-Gibson – Paul Lafargue, Paul-Loup Chatin, and Laurents Horr

63 Prema Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson – Doriane Pin, Mirko Bortolotti, and Daniil Kvyat

65 Panis Racing – Oreca 07-Gibson – Manuel Maldonado, Tijmen van der Helm, Job van Uitert

80 AF Corse – Oreca 07-Gibson – Francois Perrodo, Ben Barnicoat, and Norman Nato

923 Racing Team Turkey – Oreca 07-Gibson – Salih Yoluc, Dries Vanthoor, and Tom Gamble

LMGTE Am – 21 cars

The LMGTE Am grid at the 24 Hours of Le Mans features 21 cars. This class will run in the French endurance classic for the final time this year before it is replaced by LMGT3 in 2024. It is open to amateur drivers teamed with professionals. Four prestigious marques will battle it out on the track: 8 Porsche 911 RSR-19s, 7 Ferrari 488 GTE-EVOs, 5 Aston Martin Vantage AMRs, and 1 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. They will all be keen to make history by becoming the final name on the winners’ roster. The Iron Dames, an all-female trio, will be competing again this year in their Porsche 911.

16 Proton Competition – Porsche 911 RSR-19 – Ryan Hardwick, Zacharie Robichon, and Jan Heylen

21 AF Corse – Ferrari 488 GTE – Stefano Costantini, Simon Mann, and Ulysse de Pauw

25  ORT by TF – Aston Martin Vantage – Ahmad Al Harthy, Michael Dinan, and Charlie Eastwood

33 Corvette Racing – Corvette C8.R – Ben Keating, Nicky Catsburg, and Nicolas Varrone

54 AF Corse – Ferrari 488 GTE – Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci, and Davide Rigon

55 GMB Motorsport – Aston Martin Vantage – Gustav Birch, Kasper H. Jensen, and Jens Reno Moller

56 Project 1 – AO – Porsche 911 RSR-19 – PJ Hyett, Gunnar Jeanette, and Matteo Cairoli

57 Kessel Racing – Ferrari 488 GTE – Takeshi Kimura, Gregory Huffaker II, and Daniel Serra

60 Iron Lynx – Porsche 911 RSR-19 – Claudio Schiavoni, Matteo Cressoni, and Alessio Picariello

66 JMW Motorsport – Ferrari 488 GTE – Thomas Neubauer, Giacomo Petrobelli, and Louis Prette

72 TF Sport – Aston Martin Vantage – Arnold Robin, Maxime Robin, and Valentin Hasse-Clot

74 Kessel Racing – Ferrari 488 GTE – Kei Cozzolino, Naoki Yokomizo, and Yorikatsu Tsujiko

77 Dempsey-Proton Racing – Porsche 911 RSR-19 – Christian Ried, Julien Andlauer, and Mikkel Pedersen

83 Richard Mille AF Corse – Ferrari 488 GTE – Luis Perez Companc, Lilou Wadoux, and Alessio Rovera

85 Iron Dames – Porsche 911 RSR-19 – Rahel Frey, Sarah Bovy, and Michelle Gatting

86 GR Racing – Porsche 911 RSR-19 – Michael Wainwright, Riccardo Pera, and Ben Barker

88 Proton Competition – Porsche 911 RSR-19 – Harry Tincknell, Brendan Iribe, and Oliver Millroy

98  NorthWest AMR – Aston Martin Vantage – Ian James, Nicki Thiim, and Axcil Jefferies

100 Walkenhorst Motorsport – Ferrari 488 GTE – Chandler Hull, Jeff Segal, and Andrew Haryanto

777 D’station Racing – Aston Martin Vantage – Satoshi Hoshino, Tomonobu Fujii, and Charlie Fagg

911  Proton Competition – Porsche 911 RSR-19 – Michael Fassbender, Richard Lietz, and Martin Rump

Innovative Car – 1 car

Garage 56, reserved for an innovative car running outside the official classification, will host a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entered by the Hendrick Motorsports team, on its maiden appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This will be a modified version of the NASCAR Next Gen car that competed in the 2022 Cup Series, NASCAR’s main championship. This is NASCAR’s first presence at Le Mans since 1976 when a Dodge Charger and Ford Torino competed. The vehicle is a sign of the ever-closer friendship between France and the United States in endurance racing and will be entrusted to an all-star team: a former Formula One (F1) World Champion, a 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours overall winner, and a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, respectively.

24 Hendrick Motorsports – Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 – Jenson Button, Mike Rockenfeller, and Jimmie Johnson

The race will be broadcasted on MotorTrend TV starting at 9 am. Who is your pick to win?

My picks are 07 Toyota Gazoo Racing (LMPh), 22 United Autosports (LMP2), and 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing (LMGTE AM).