WEC

Nyck de Vries will rejoin the Racing Team Nederland LMP2 squad for this weekend’s Monza FIA World Endurance Championship round. The Dutchman, who also acts as Toyota reserve driver, will be reunited with his teammates from the 2019/20 season, Frits van Eerd and Giedo van der Garde, in RTN’s #29 Oreca 07-Gibson. It follows team regular Job van Uitert testing positive for COVID-19 ahead of last weekend’s Monza European Le Mans Series race. That forced United Autosports to withdraw the car that van Uitert was due to share with Nico Jamin and Manuel Maldonado from that event. De Vries will be making his first WEC start since last year’s Bahrain season finale, having given up his full-time WEC LMP2 driving duties to focus on his Toyota role and his Mercedes Formula E drive. He has also competed in the ELMS for G-Drive Racing this year, but sat out the most recent round at Monza owing to a clash with the New York Formula E round. He is scheduled to race for the Russian squad alongside Roman Rusinov and Franco Colapinto in the Le Mans 24 Hours next month.

WEC promoter the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and IMSA have issued simultaneous statements announcing that they have agreed the final strand in the process of convergence between the two series that began with the announcement of the LMP2-based LMDh class in January 2020. LMDh was announced on the eve of last year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona as a category for both IMSA and the WEC. But it was left open whether the LMH machinery that has come on stream in the WEC this season would be allowed to race against LMDh prototypes at the front of the field in IMSA. Friday’s announcement comes, according to the ACO statement, after “a high-level technical technical meeting bringing together the ACO, the FIA , IMSA and all the manufacturers officially involved in LMDh and LMH programmes”. “The parties came to an agreement that aims to balance the performance of these different types of car, most notably the powertrain and the four-wheel-drive set-up [of LMH], so that LMH cars can compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship,” the statement read. “The specifics for four key technical elements – tyre fitment [size], acceleration profile, braking capability and aerodynamics – were converged and agreed upon by ACO, FIA, and IMSA prior to being approved by the World Motor Sport Council on July 8.” This was referenced in Thursday’s WMSC bulletin, with a line reading: “The WMSC has now approved technical regulations amendment in order to achieve performance convergence of LMH and LMDh.” ACO president Pierre Fillon said: “This major announcement stems from our ambition to forge a common future for endurance racing. “We have all worked together to achieve this landmark agreement and I would like to thank all the stakeholders very sincerely. “The manufacturers dreamed of being able to participate in the greatest endurance races in the world with the same model of a car: this will now be reality.” IMSA boss John Doonan described the move as having the “the potential to revolutionise prototype sportscar racing all over the world”. “The stage is set for a highly-competitive top category that will include many of the world’s greatest automotive manufacturers, showcasing relevant technology in the world’s most prestigious endurance races. “I cannot be prouder of the spirit of collaboration between our IMSA team, our colleagues at the ACO and FIA, and all of our automotive partners.” Toyota and Glickenhaus have expressed an interest in participating in at least some of the big IMSA enduros. Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe team director Rob Leupen said: “We’re passionate about endurance racing and we have made no secret of our wish to take on the challenge of some of the classic races in the USA at some point. “The Daytona 24 Hours, for example, is a legendary event and, when the circumstances allow, we would be excited to participate with our GR010 Hybrid.” Glickenhaus has been more forthright in its ambitions to race the new Pipo-engined 007 LMH in the big IMSA races. “I want to do Daytona and I want to Sebring and why not Petit Le Mans [at Road Atlanta] as well?” said marque founder Jim Glickenhaus earlier this year. “I’m more interested in those races than I am in going to Bahrain, Japan or wherever to race in the WEC: I don’t sell [road] cars there, but I do in America.” LMH eligibility in IMSA will be dependent on manufacturers signing up to the North American championship’s commercial terms.

Peugeot in 2019 announced plans to enter the new Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class of the World Endurance Championship, and on Tuesday the French automaker finally revealed its contender. It’s called the 9X8, and Peugeot plans to enter it for the first time in the 2022 season. Currently competing in LMH are Toyota, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus and Alpine (with a grandfathered LMP1). Ferrari is also committed to LMH but won’t be ready until 2023. Peugeot plans to enter two 9X8s in the 2022 season and has signed up several top drivers including ex-Formula One drivers Paul Di Resta and Kevin Magnussen, and 2013 Le Mans winner Loic Duval. The regulations for LMH cars call for hybrid powertrains with a maximum combined output of 670 hp and a minimum weight of 1,030 kilograms (approximately 2,270 pounds). In the 9X8, there’s a 2.6-liter twin-turbo V-6 mated to a 7-speed sequential transmission driving the rear wheels, and an electric motor-generator driving the front wheels. Electricity recovered from the motor-generator is stored in a 900-volt battery pack developed by Saft, a subsidiary of oil company and Peugeot technical partner Total. The pack is housed in a carbon casing behind the driver, and underneath the fuel tank. Pictures of peugeot 9X8 Interestingly, the 9X8 is completely devoid of a rear wing, which is unusual for a modern race car. Peugeot doesn’t want to reveal its secrets but hinted that the rest of the car’s aerodynamic efficiency is what makes the wing-less design possible. Under the current rules, teams also need to offer a vehicle with a similar powertrain concept to their LMH cars for public sale, which Peugeot will do with future performance hybrid models. Toyota and Glickenhaus are taking the more extreme option of offering road-going hypercars derived from their respective LMH racers. Peugeot has a long and successful history in top-level endurance racing, with its 905 and 908 prototypes racking up numerous wins, including three at Le Mans. However, it’s going to be tough with top team Toyota competing in 2022, and in 2023 and beyond Peugeot will also have to contend with Ferrari in LMH, as well as Audi, BMW and Porsche competing at the top level in the separate LMDh class.

Alpine edged out Toyota to claim pole position for this weekend’s Portimao 8 Hours FIA World Endurance Championship round in a closely-fought qualifying session. LMP2 teams swept practice for the 8 Hours of Portimao, but the hypercars surged to the top when it mattered the most, with the gap between the two classes nearly nine tenths of a second in qualifying. Matthieu Vaxiviere claimed the top spot by less than a tenth of a second from the best of the Toyotas in the hands of Brendon Hartley. Vaxiviere set the initial pace aboard the solo Alpine A480-Gibson LMP1 car, but needed a second run on a fresh set of tyres to secure the pole thanks to a big improvement from Hartley in the #8 Toyota GR010 HYBRID. The Kiwi had languished down in fifth in the times behind the best of the LMP2 prototypes after his first run, but his second run would have given him the the pole had not Vaxiviere not found just over a tenth Vaxiviere ended up on a 1m30.364s, which compared with 1m36.458s for Hartley. Mike Conway was initially just a fraction behind the Alpine with a 1m30.540s, but the Brit failed to improve on his second run in the #7 Toyota and dropped to third. The new Glickenhaus 007-Pipo LMH ended up only 11th in the times behind seven LMP2 cars despite an improvement to 1m32.167s from Richard Westbrook on his second run. That was a couple of tenths slower than the Brit had managed in final free practice on the way to fourth in the times ahead of the two Toyotas. Tom Blomqvist came out on top in intra-team battle at JOTA for the LMP2 pole. The Briton initially trailed teammate Antonio Felix da Costa, but both went for second runs aboard their Oreca 07-Gibsons in the short 10-minute session. Blomqvist found a couple of tenths to get down to a 1m31.210s, while Da Costa didn’t improve on his first run time of 1m31.255s. Job van Uitert took third in P2 and first in the Pro/Am sub-class aboard Racing Team Nederland’s Oreca courtesy of a 1m31.545s. Paul di Resta took fourth for reigning P2 champion team United Autosports despite multiple track-limits violations. The Scot managed to get down to a 1m31.598s, which put him just ahead of Robin Frijns in the WRT Oreca. Porsche driver Kevin Estre made it two poles in two races in GTE Pro. The Frenchman’s 1m37.986s lap aboard his factory Porsche 911 RSR put him three tenths clear of James Calado’s AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. Calado’s 1m38.359s lap gave him a slender margin of just three hundredths over Gianmaria Bruni in the second of the Porsches. Daniel Serra ended up fourth in the times in the second Ferrari: the Brazilian initially lost his only lap to a track limits violation and before the time was reinstated. Egidio Perfetti jumped ahead of Christian Ried in an all-Porsche battle for pole in GTE Am right at the end of 10-minute session for GT machinery.

United Autosports LMP2 driver Fabio Scherer has been forced to sit out this weekend’s Portimao FIA World Endurance Championship round after testing positive for COVID-19. DTM convert Scherer was set to share United’s #22 Oreca with Phil Hanson and Paul di Resta for the eight-hour race after winning on his WEC debut with the team last time out at Spa. However, on Friday morning it was revealed in a stewards’ bulletin that Scherer had tested positive for COVID-19 twice in a 48-hour period and that the Swiss driver will be replaced for the weekend by Wayne Boyd. The team itself then made a brief statement saying that Boyd is on standby to take up the vacated seat “pending the results of his COVID-19 test taken this morning”, promising a further update “in due course”. Boyd, 30, is therefore set to make his WEC debut this weekend after years of racing prototypes for United in the European Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup and Asian Le Mans Series. Since 2019 the Ulsterman has mostly campaigned LMP3 cars, but he did a full season in a United-run LMP2 car in 2018 and more recently raced for the team in the Sebring 12 Hours earlier this year. This is the second change to the United line-up for the Portimao race, as di Resta deputises for Filipe Albuquerque, who is away on IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship duty at Detroit. Di Resta was replaced by Scherer in the full-season line-up following Hanson’s promotion from silver to gold status over the winter, but the Scotsman will return to defend his Le Mans 24 Hours win in an extra United entry alongside Alex Lynn and a third to-be-named driver.

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus will only enter a single Le Mans Hypercar for its FIA World Endurance Championship debut next month at Portimao, marque founder Jim Glickenhaus has clarified. The American boutique manufacturer will finally give its 007 LMH design its race bow in the 8 Hours of Portimao on June 12-13 after skipping the opening round of the WEC season at Spa. However, despite having lodged two full-season entries, Glickenhaus will only be running a single car in Portugal before returning to full strength for the following WEC race at Monza in July. That entry will be a recently built-up second chassis, while the original car that has undergone an extensive test programme will be rebuilt following a planned 30-hour test in Aragon later this month. It means there are set to be four cars in the top Hypercar class at Portimao, with the lone Glickenhaus entry joining two Toyota GR010 Hybrids and a single Alpine A480 grandfathered LMP1, before the category is boosted to five cars for Monza and the Le Mans 24 Hours in August. “We were always going to have a two-car team, but it makes it easier to get closer to the [performance] window if you have a new car [for the homologation tests],” Glickenhaus told Motorsport.com. “So now we’re in a situation where we feel good about the Hypercar. “We have a 30-hour test in Aragon planned in two weeks which will make sure we have no mechanical issues with the car, but that doesn’t affect our homologation. We will have both cars in Aragon because we will shake down the new car so it will be ready to race in Portimao. “At Portimao we will race one car, which will be the new car, and then we will totally rebuild the first one in the mould of the new one. “We’re going to take the ‘black car’, the car we’ve been testing, and bring it to the Nurburgring 24 Hours and we’re going to do the installation lap for the start of the race, similar to the [electric] VW car, the ID.R. Then it will also go to Goodwood for the Festival of Speed. “But it will be ready to race at Monza, and we’ll have two cars at Monza and two cars at Le Mans.” Glickenhaus added that he isn’t committed to entering a car in either of the two events following Le Mans on the WEC schedule at Fuji and Bahrain. “I love racing, but I’m no longer just a racer, I have a company that’s making road-legal cars,” he said. “We’re looking to do that in Europe as well. But we have to spend money to sell cars. I don’t sell any cars in Japan and I don’t sell any cars in the Middle East.”

Penske will mastermind Porsche’s factory return to top-line sportscar racing with a new LMDh prototype in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2023. The American multi-discipline operation will renew its partnership with the German manufacturer to run a pair of LMP2-based LMDh contenders in both series under the Porsche Penske Motorsport banner. Penske and Porsche previously enjoyed success together in North American sportscar racing: they won the Can-Am title in 1972 and ’73 with the 917, and then claimed a hat-trick of American Le Mans class titles with the RS Spyder LMP2 in 2006-08, as well as winning 11 races outright. The most recent Porsche/Penske programme came in 2009 in the Grand-Am series with a Riley Daytona Prototype powered by one of the German manufacturer’s flat-six engines. The renewal of Penske’s relationship with Porsche follows the end of its deal with Honda brand Acura at the conclusion of last year’s IMSA series. No timeframe has been put on the deal except, according to Porsche’s statement, that it will run for “a number of years”. Fritz Enzinger, head of Porsche Motorsport, said: “Porsche and Penske share a proven track record of success. “Team Penske has made a name for itself with an almost unparalleled success story in motorsport. “In the long list of victories to date, however, the name Le Mans has been missing. “I hope that we will finally be able to chalk up this success as of 2023 with Porsche Penske Motorsport — this would then mark Porsche’s 20th overall victory at La Sarthe.” Team founder Roger Penske, who has made no secret of his desire to take his squad back to the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time since 1971, described the announcement of the return to the Porsche fold as a “a proud day for the entire Penske organisation”. “We have represented Porsche on the track or in our businesses for more than six decades,” he said. “The heritage and success we have enjoyed together is unparalleled throughout our history. “I can’t wait to get started as we build a global racing programme with Porsche that will compete for wins and championships well into the future.” Porsche chairman Oliver Blume pointed out that it will be “the first time in the history of Porsche Motorsport that our company will have a global team competing in the world’s two largest endurance series”. “To this end, we will be setting up team bases on both sides of the Atlantic,” he continued. “This will enable us to create the optimal structures we will need to take overall victories at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring, for example.” The LMDh factory race programme will be based at Penske’s headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina, but it has yet to be revealed from where it will mastermind the WEC campaign. Porsche also reiterated its intention to have customer cars on the grid in both the WEC and IMSA from the beginning of the programme in 2023. “We are looking for a mix of factory and customer cars from the beginning,” said Porsche head of factory motorsport Pascal Zurlinden. He revealed that the marque’s LMDh contender is scheduled to be up and running before the end of this year. No announcement has been made on which of the four constructors licensed to build the next-generation of P2 car Porsche has chosen to work with. Zurlinden stated that all the “major concept decisions”, including the chassis partner and choice of engine, have been made and that there will be a further announcement later this month. He would not elaborate on the scope of the co-operation with Audi mentioned last week when Porsche’s sister marque announced further details of its LMDh programme. Zurlinden refused to confirm that both manufacturers have chosen to work with Multimatic Motorsport and that they will use the same engine.t1121′

Ex-Formula 1 racer and Peugeot LMH signing di Resta will join Phil Hanson and Fabio Scherer at the wheel of the #22 Oreca 07-Gibson for the Portuguese race, as Albuquerque contests the clashing Detroit round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Wayne Taylor Racing. United announced the news a day on from its crushing LMP2 victory in last weekend’s Spa season opener. “It’s nice to get back racing and I’m looking forward to getting back in the car – I haven’t driven the #22 since I raced in Bahrain with United at the end of last year,” said di Resta. “It’s exciting to be called up to take Filipe’s place at Portimao, so I’m thankful to the team for that. “It’ll be great to be back with Phil and to race with Fabio especially off the back of the win the team have just had in Spa, it’ll be good to continue the momentum.” Di Resta was part of United’s title-winning line-up in 2019/20, but was effectively forced out of the line-up following Hanson being upgraded from silver to gold status over the winter. Ex-DTM driver Fabio Scherer was drafted in as the Anglo-American squad’s new silver driver for 2021. Di Resta nonetheless will rejoin United for the Le Mans 24 Hours in the team’s #23 car, which he will share with Mahindra Formula E racer Alex Lynn and one more to-be-determined driver. Albuquerque faces another clash later in the season as the WEC’s Fuji round in September overlaps with the revised Long Beach IMSA date, raising the prospect di Resta could be called up for that race as well. Prior to the Spa race, LMP2 team Inter Europol Competition announced that Louis Deletraz will deputise for Chip Ganassi Racing IMSA driver Renger van der Zande at both Portimao and Fuji.

Toyota started its first-ever race with the all-new GR010 Hybrid on the front foot by qualifying both cars on the front row, but its narrow pace advantage over the #36 Alpine A480-Gibson meant the Japanese giant needed a relatively smooth race to secure victory. That didn’t happen however, with polesitter Kamui Kobayashi throwing away the lead in the second half of the race by going off the track at Bruxelles in the #7 car, losing a lap in the process. The #8 car also had its issues, notably receiving a 30-second time penalty for an early pitstop infraction, in which the Toyota crew took the refuelling hose off the car six seconds short of the required 35-second minimum time. That gave Alpine a fighting chance to take a win with the grandfathered and pegged back LMP1 car, which was run by Rebellion until last season. In the #36 car Nicolas Lapierre, Andre Negrao and Matthieu Vaxiviere traded the lead with the #8 Toyota depending on the pitstop sequence, but ultimately couldn’t live with the #8 Toyota’s race pace. Sebastien Buemi crossed the line with a 1m07 gap on Negrao, who was further held back by a late puncture. The #7 Toyota took on the lion’s share of the Cologne team’s teething issues with its all-new Hypercar, losing time with a slow pitstop early on and having to do a full system reset during a late full-course yellow. Kobayashi ultimately took third, one minute clear of the leading LMP2 car, after also having to take a drive-through for Lopez hitting the #91 Porsche at the Bus Stop. LMP2: United Autosports dominatesIn LMP2 United Autosports produced another crushing display with its #22 Oreca 07-Gibson. Phil Hanson, polesitter Filipe Albuquerque and newcomer Fabio Scherer led from start to finish and amassed a healthy one-minute lead, with only a late drive-through penalty for a full-course yellow violation able to dent their dominant lead. The #26 G-Drive Aurus-badged Oreca driven by Roman Rusinov, Franco Colapinto and Nyck de Vries looked set for second place after being driven to the front by De Vries, but the team was forced to abandon the race with an oil leak in the fifth hour. That promoted the #28 JOTA Oreca of Stoffel Vandoorne, Sean Gelael and Tom Blomqvist to second, but a drive-through for dangerous driving by Blomqvist handed second to the #38 sister car of Antonio Felix da Costa, Roberto Gonzalez and Anthony Davidson. The #38 trio finished 44 seconds behind the winners, with #28 car a further minute in arrears. Racing Team Nederland took a Pro-Am win courtesy of a trouble-free run by Giedo van der Garde, Frits van Eerd and Job van Uitert, beating Inter Europol to fourth in class. Early LMP2 Pro-Am frontrunner DragonSpeed was hampered by a drive-through for Juan Pablo Montoya – for causing a collision – and lost further time to finish seventh in class and third in Pro-Am, behind RealTeam Racing. Series debutant Team WRT also fell away from the front due to a clutch issue, but the Belgian squad’s Oreca also looked competitive in the hands of Robin Frijns, Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi. GTE Pro: Porsche defeats FerrariIn a five-car GTE Pro class, the #92 Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Kevin Estre and Neel Jani proved the pick of the field. Picking up where he left off after his stunning pole on Friday, Estre continued to dominate the field during the opening stages of the race, with only a puncture being able to worry the Porsche factory team. Estre and GTE debutant Jani took the win 25 seconds ahead of the first of the AF Corse Ferraris, the #51 488 GTE Evo of James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi. The #52 sister car of Miguel Molina and Daniel Serra, another car hit with a drive-through for full-course yellow infractions, completed the podium 1m38 behind. Chevrolet finished a distant fourth on its first outing outside North America with the C8.R, one lap behind the class leaders. Antonio Garcia shared the #63 machine with Oliver Gavin, who made his final appearance as a professional racer after a glittering 20+ year career, which included five Le Mans wins for Corvette. The second Porsche, the #91 of Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz, finished last in class after suffering two right-rear punctures and being punted off by the #7 Toyota. GTE Am: AF Corse wins as Rovera shinesThe #83 AF Corse dominated the GTE Am class. After being established at the forefront by Francois Perrodo, Italian GT champion Alessio Rovera underlined his credentials by sprinting away from the field. Nicklas Nielsen finished the job, crossing the line with a 1m08 lead on the #33 TF Sport Aston Martin of standout amateur Ben Keating, Felipe Fraga and Dylan Pereira. The #88 Dempsey Proton Porsche of Alessio Picariello, Marco Seefried and Andrew Haryanto look set to finish third, but it too was hit with a FCY-related 30-second penalty and was demoted to fifth. That promoted the #47 Cetilar Ferrari of Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto and Antonio Fuoco to third in class.

Toyota hopes to make its new GR010 Hybrid Le Mans Hypercar the worthy successor of its former winning LMP1 machine in the WEC, but the car has yet to build an edge over its LMP2 rivals. In the capable hands of Sébastien Buemi, Toyota’s new machine the final session of the WEC’s two-day prologue that took place at Spa ahead of the series’ kick-off in Belgium on Saturday. But Buemi’s best was still half a second slower than the fastest overall time that was set in Tuesday morning’s session by Nyck de Vries at the wheel of G-Drive Racing’s LMP2 Oreca P2s. LMP2 cars were imposed by the WEC a total power reduction of 65bhp, harder tyres and an increase in minimum weigh from 930 to 950kg in order to balance the performance between the Hypercar and LMP2 categories. But Toyota technical director Pascal Vasselon wants the balance reviewed in light of this week’s relative performances between the two categories. “It clearly was not the target to have LMP2 running faster than the Hypercar category,” explained Vasselon. “I am trying to put forward that there was a clear will to correct that; it is just that the correction has to be reviewed.”

The United Autosports LMP2 team again topped the times with Filipe Albuquerque in the final session of the opening day of the World Endurance Championship prologue test at Spa. Albuquerque improved on his morning best by just over one tenth with a 2m04.822s set aboard United’s Oreca-Gibson 07 in the second session of the two-day test ahead of this weekend’s series opener at the Belgian track. Racing Team Nederland driver Job van Uitert ended up one thousandth of a second behind Albuquerque, while Robin Frijns took third as LMP2 machinery blocked out the top three positions on the timesheets. The Alpine-Gibson A480 LMP1 car was quickest in the Hypercar class in fourth position, while the best of the new Toyota GR010 HYBRIDs took sixth overall. Albuquerque knocked the WRT Oreca in which Frijns had posted a 2m05.043s off the top of times with 90 minutes of the session left on the clock. Van Uitert subsequently pushed Frijns down to third with a 2m04.823s in the TDS Racing-run RTN entry. Matthieu Vaxiviere was four tenths off the pace in the down-specced Alpine P1, which is carrying more than 100kg of ballast to help bring its pace into line with that of the new breed of Le Mans Hypercars. He briefly topped the times with a 2m05.230s set 50 minutes into a session lasting nearly four and a half hours. That put him a tenth clear of Loic Duval in fifth position in the TDS squad’s RealTeam Racing entry, which ended up on 2m05.378s. The best of the Toyota LMHs was next best on a 2m05.413s from Kazuki Nakajima, an improvement of nearly one and a half seconds on the Japanese manufacturer’s fastest time on Monday morning. The sister GR010 managed a single flying lap right at the end of the session in Mike Conway’s hands after failing to post a time in the morning. He had just set 2m10.101s, which left him behind all the P2s, when the session was red-flagged with six minutes left on the clock. Toyota’s best lap was just over five seconds slower than its LMP1 TS050 HYBRID managed in free practice for last August’s Spa WEC round. That is the margin that the new technical rules for WEC’s top class are meant to have slowed the cars on a regular circuit for 2021. Albuquerque’s fastest lap was only just over one second than the P2 best in free practice last year, despite a 60bhp power reduction for the secondary prototype class this season. It has also been mandated that the P2 cars must run in the same low-downforce configuration in which they race at the Le Mans 24 Hours at all WEC races this year. This has resulted in an increase in top speed for the P2 cars at Spa: the United Oreca’s best time through the speed trap on the Kemmel Straight was 301.0km/h, which compares with 297.7km/h best in free practice last year. Porsche again led the way in GTE Pro with Kevin Estre in the #91 Manthey-run 911 RSR. The Frenchman produced a 2m14.304s lap, slightly slower than his morning best. Second place in the GTE Pro order was taken by Miguel Molina in the best of the AF Corse-run factory Ferrari 488 GTE Evos with a 2m14.633s. Gianmaria Bruni and James Calado were only a tenth further back in the second cars from Porsche and Ferrari respectively. The Chevrolet Corvette C8.R was just under eight tenths off the pace in Antonio Garcia’s hands. Matteo Cairoli was quickest in GTE Am with a time that put him only behind Estre and Molina in the fastest of the Project 1 team’s Porsches. The session started half an hour early in an attempt to make up the track time lost to three red-flag stoppages in the opening session in the morning. More time was lost early in the extended session with another red flag following two accidents: Sean Gelael backed the Jota P2 Oreca into the barriers at the top of Eau Rouge and Anders Buchardt went off at the Bruxelles hairpin in Project 1’s second Porsche. The final red flag that resulted in the session being curtailed early followed Charles Milesi stopping in the WRT Oreca at No-Name or Speaker’s Corner after Bruxelles.

Former Aston Martin factory driver Alex Lynn will team up with Paul di Resta for the rescheduled Le Mans 24 Hours in August at the United Autosports LMP2 squad. The 27-year-old Briton, who is racing with Mahindra in Formula E this season, will drive one of three Oreca 07 LMP2 prototypes entered for the double-points FIA World Endurance Championship round on August 21-22 by last year’s class winner. A fifth Le Mans start for Lynn is set to be his first sportscar appearance since he opted not to continue with Aston Martin Racing at the end of last year and his first at the wheel of a prototype since he undertook a partial WEC season with the G-Drive LMP2 team in 2017. Lynn explained that returning to Le Mans, where he took GTE Pro honours with Aston last year and LMP2 class pole with G-Drive in 2017, had been high up on his to-do list for 2021. “Getting back to Le Mans was important and I wanted to be in a prototype, but my priority was to be in a car that has a chance of winning in whatever class, and that’s what I’ve got with United,” he told Motorsport.com. “It’s the perfect opportunity: the team’s record speaks for itself. Paul is a mega driver and we get along well — he’s the perfect first teammate in the car.” Di Resta, who will race for Peugeot when it enters the WEC in 2022, has been brought back into the United fold for its third Le Mans entry after helping Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson to the WEC LMP2 title in 2019/20. Hanson’s promotion to a gold driver ranking for 2021 meant there was no room for di Resta in the line-up, while United’s attempt to put together a deal for a second full-season WEC entry didn’t come to fruition. United boss Richard Dean reckoned that the team is now “two-thirds of the way there to an exceptional line-up” for the car. “Alex is a no-nonsense driver who we all know is very quick,” he said. Dean explained that his job now is to ensure that he gets the best possible silver-rated driver to complete the line-up. “At the moment there is a budget consideration: we’ve raised a certain amount of money, but there’s still a bit of work to do,” he explained. He suggested that if United can raise the full budget for the car, then team regular Wayne Boyd could take the slot for the mandatory silver. The Northern Irishman is graduating to the P2 ranks with the team in this year’s European Le Mans Series having won the LMP3 crown with United last season. “Wayne is clearly on the list and would be an obvious choice for United because he knows the team inside out,” said Dean. Lynn will not be making his race debut with United at Le Mans: he competed in the Gulf 12 Hours at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi in 2016 aboard a Ligier JS P3 shared with his father Shaun and Richard Meins. Lynn explained that he had opted against continuing with Aston Martin after the end of its factory GTE Pro programme in the WEC in order to focus on returning to prototypes. “When the factory programme came to an end it was up to us if we wanted to carry on racing on a customer level,” said Lynn, who took class honours at Le Mans in 2020 together with Maxime Martin and Harry Tincknell at the end of his third year with Aston. “I was very lucky I had the FE opportunity with Mahindra and I chose to focus on that while looking for a way back into prototypes. “I love prototype racing and enjoyed driving with Wayne Taylor Racing at the Sebring 12 Hours [which he won in 2017] and my time with G-Drive. “There aren’t many drivers who don’t have an eye on the future of the top class in prototype racing with the arrival of the Le Mans Hypercars and LMDh coming — we all want to fight for the overall.”

The 2021 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is set to be postponed to August 21-22, with 50,000 fans able to attend. The French endurance classic was originally set to be held in its traditional early summer spot, with the date set for June 12-13. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, the race will be postponed to later in the summer, with the later date paired with a goal to have up to 50,000 fans in attendance. The hope is that by postponing the event to August, the event will be allowed to welcome fans back to the Circuit de la Sarthe once more vaccines against the coronavirus have been administered. Last year, the twice-around-the-clock enduro was moved to September and held without fans for the first time in its history. The date switch would create a date clash with the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship’s round at Virginia International Raceway, although it would also solve a date clash between Le Mans and IMSA’s event at Belle Isle, for which a standalone event was created to allow some IMSA and IndyCar teams with sportscar involvement to compete at Le Mans. The switch will also ensure Le Mans does not clash with a Formula 1 grand prix. An official announcement on the date change, along with other possible schedule changes for the FIA World Endurance Championship, is expected before the end of the week, with the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council due to meet virtually on Friday.

Ex-Haas Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen has been named as a driver for Peugeot’s new WEC entry in 2022, alongside fellow former F1 drivers Paul di Resta and Jean-Eric Vergne. Ex-Haas Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen has been named as a driver for Peugeot’s new World Endurance Championship entry in 2022, alongside fellow former F1 drivers Paul di Resta and Jean-Eric Vergne. The full roster of drivers also includes Le Mans winner Loic Duval, Gustavo Menezes and Mikkel Jensen, while ex-F1 test driver James Rossiter will serve as development and reserve driver for the French manufacturer’s return to the top flight of sportscar racing. Magnussen recently made a successful sportscar debut in the Daytona 24 Hours last month, finishing fifth with Ganassi Racing Cadillac teammates Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon after a late puncture ruined their chances of victory. The six drivers will be split across two Peugeot LMH hybrid prototype entries, though the exact line-ups for the 2022 WEC season are yet to be announced. “Le Mans is the biggest endurance race in the world, it’s the race everyone wants to win, it has a lot of history and Peugeot is a big part of that history, and I hope to be able to add to that history,” Magnussen said in a Peugeot video. “I’ve learned a lot, I’ve gained a lot of experience in the seven years I’ve had in F1, working with complex and advanced racecars but also being in a high-pressure environment. “When we go to Le Mans and the World [Endurance] Championship, we’re going to face a lot of pressure and I think working in that environment is something that I’m very accustomed to. So I’m looking forward to this new chapter. “I have high ambitions and I think, looking at the past, Peugeot have always been very successful in every motorsport programme that they’ve joined, and that matches my ambitions at Le Mans and the world championship.”

Red Bull Advanced Technologies (RBAT) has joined forces with ORECA to design the prototype chassis for the Le Mans Hydrogen class prototype. The joint project will form the exclusive chassis design for all cars in the Hydrogen class at Le Mans set to launch in 2024. ORECA already has a wealth of experience to draw from in endurance racing as a manufacturer dating back to 2009. It currently builds the Oreca 07 LMP2 car used in the World Endurance and IMSA’s WeatherTech Sports Car championships. Red Bull’s Advanced Technologies division has already collaborated with Aston Martin on the Valkyrie sports car as well as IndyCar’s chassis manufacturer Dallara for the Aeroscreen cockpit protection. ACO president Pierre Fillon said that the partnership underlined the credibility of the Hydrogen class and was a promising point in its pursuit of zero-carbon emissions racing. “This exciting announcement confirms the appeal of Mission H24 and offers a promising future for zero-carbon motor racing and hydrogen prototypes,” he said. “Thanks to ORECA, a mainstay of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for many years, and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, a successful motorsport business, the ACO will benefit from extensive endurance racing experience combined with cutting-edge technology to guarantee outstanding performance in its hydrogen class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. “This partnership confirms that the ACO has made the right decisions for the future of motorsport and underscores our ambition for zero-carbon racing for future generations.” The Hydrogen class has been in the works for several years with the MissionH24 prototype continuing its preperations for racing this season. “I am delighted that Red Bull Advanced Technologies have been chosen by the ACO along with our partners ORECA to develop the concept of a hydrogen powered endurance racing car for Le Mans,” Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner said. “Red Bull Advanced Technologies are well qualified to take on the challenge set by the ACO having access to many of the tools used to design and develop the Red Bull Racing F1 car, along with significant experience on other cutting edge vehicle programs. “The Hydrogen Class at Le Mans offers an exciting glimpse into the future of sustainable motorsport and promises both to advance the use of hydrogen in transportation, and will also deliver exciting racing.”

Shortly after Toyota and Peugeot unveiled their Le Mans Hypercar racers, ByKolles Racing has pulled the wraps off its own competitor for the exciting new endurance class. Dubbed the PMC Project, ByKolles Racing’s hypercar won’t just compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship but will also spawn road-legal and track-special variants. Driving the ByKolles PMC Project race car is a naturally aspirated V8 engine that will be capped at approximately 700 hp in line with Balance of Performance rules. Interestingly, both the Peugeot and Toyota competitors have hybrid systems. The PMC Project will tip the scales at 2,292 lbs (1,039 kg). The track car will also be powered by a naturally aspirated V8, albeit with a 650-hp output and a weight of only 2,094 pounds, while the road-legal version will utilize a hybrid system alongside the V8 to deliver a combined 1,000 hp. The car’s engine will be capable of running on biofuel and the racing team is targeting a total weight of 2,204 lbs (1,000 kg). Images of the three variations show that the Le Mans racing car and the track model will look virtually identical with a prominent front splitter, sharp headlights, a large roof scoop, and a prominent sharkfin connected to a towering rear wing. The road-legal model is also very similar to the track models but ditches the sharkfin and rear wing. The Le Mans car and the track model will both feature a single seat mounted at the center, while the street car might add an additional seat, or even two. The 2021 Le Mans Hypercar class will see the ByKolles Racing PMC Project competing against the Toyota GR010 Hybrid and the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 007; Peugeot’s contender will make its debut in the 2022 season.