The day before the 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans, ByKOLLES Racing has confirmed its involvement in Hypercar, the future top class at the race and in the FIA WEC, in 2021.

24H Le Mans

24 Heures du Mans

In 2025, Ferrari-AF Corse won the FIA World Endurance Championship and claimed a third 24 Hours of Le Mans victory. Next year, the prancing horse will be back, ready to merit another chapter in the race annals.

2025 was the year of the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-ferrari-499p-hypercar-under-the-microscope-making-of-a-le-mans-icon-59719" target="_blank">499P</a>. The Italian team improved its consistency and fully deserved the FIA WEC manufacturer and driver titles. Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson&rsquo;s win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans &ndash; the third in succession &ndash; earned the team the right to take the trophy home for good. As 2026 approaches, Ferrari is already preparing to defend its world title and hoping for four in a row at Le Mans in the increasingly competitive Hypercar class.

<h2>The 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans trophy takes pride of place in Maranello</h2>

Ferrari-Af-Corse&rsquo;s goal for 2025 was clear: to gain in consistency and win the world endurance championship. &ldquo;We have made several organisational changes and continue to do so. I believe we have taken a crucial step forward, particularly in our technical knowledge of the car. Let&rsquo;s remember that the technical development of the 499P took place in an exceptionally fast-paced and intense timeframe ahead of its race debut in 2023,&rdquo; said Antonello Coletta, head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti at the start of this season.

Although the championship was the main goal, Ferrari was also bent on winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the third year running. The #83 499P, fielded privately by AF Corse and driven by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson ticked that box. The &ldquo;hat trick&rdquo; earned Ferrari the right to keep the trophy &ndash; joining the happy few manufacturers Porsche, Audi and Toyota to have achieved the same feat. At 25, Yifei Ye is the first Chinese driver to win the race. &quot;The 499P was fantastic, we were put in a position from the start to fight for the win. We also made up for last year&rsquo;s bad luck, when we led the race for 83 laps, like the car number, but a technical problem forced us to retire. Winning Le Mans with Ferrari is something unique,&rdquo; said the man who left home at the age of 14 to join the FFSA Academy. We are proud to say he passed his school exams and his driving test in Le Mans.

<h2>The path to success began last winter</h2>

Ferrari-AF Corse demonstrated their superiority from the beginning of the championship season, with three wins in a row: Qatar 1812km, 6 Hours of Imola and the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa. The #51 499P, the only Hypercar to win two races in 2025, added the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/fia-wec-ferrari-crowned-fia-world-endurance-champions-in-bahrain-60097" target="_blank">manufacturer and driver trophies</a>&nbsp;to the Maranello silver cabinet. &quot;We have fulfilled the dream of becoming world champions, working hard and with humility to reach this goal. In 2023, by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, we immediately realised the strength of the project, and the victories in France over the following two years confirmed that we were on the right path. We built this world success especially last winter, when we worked tirelessly to understand how to fully exploit the potential of this car. I would like to thank the whole Ferrari-AF Corse team and everyone who, both on the track and in Maranello from the remote garage, made it possible for us to experience this joy,&rdquo; said Head of Endurance Race Cars Ferdinando Cannizzo after the Bapco Energie 8 Hours of Bahrain.

After such a successful year, the team can only pin high hopes on 2026. They will be defending their world title and aiming for a fourth consecutive triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It wouldn&rsquo;t be the first time: Ferrari won the race an impressive six times in a row between 1960 and 1965. Ford put an end to that streak in 1966, with the iconic GT40 Mk II. In a pleasing nod to the past,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ferrari-vs-ford-the-fabled-face-off-set-to-be-revived-at-the-2027-24-hours-of-le-mans-60141" target="_blank">Ford will be back the highest level of endurance in 2027</a>, fielding a Hypercar entry. In the meantime, Ferrari has plenty of other rivals to contend with: Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Genesis, Peugeot and Toyota.

We are lucky to be witnessing endurance history in the writing. So don&rsquo;t miss the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (10-14 June 2026), round 4 of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship.

Ferrari-AF Corse: first Le Mans, then the world. What next?

The Italian team won the first two Asian Le Mans Series races this weekend at the 4 Hours of Sepang. Both LMP3 and GT classes lived up to expectations, offering excitement and suspense right up to the chequered flag.

The two 4 Hours of Sepang races were the ideal Asian Le Mans Series season opener. Rain, race strategy and track tactics provided excellent spectator entertainment as the LMP2, LMP3 and GT pecking order was established. Cetilar Racing outshone the rest of the field by winning both races. CLX Motorsport took the lead in LMP3, and Kessel Racing tops the GT table. 
Competitors meet again on 31 January and 1 February for two more races at the 4 Hours of Dubai.

<h2>race 1: Cetilar Racing clinches the win after a nail-biting finish</h2>

A Malaysian rain shower in the first hour shook up many a team&rsquo;s race strategy on Saturday. Four Safety Cars and two Full Course Yellows (FCY) reduced gaps to a hair&rsquo;s breadth, making the race a close-run affair across the board.

In LMP2, Inter Europol Competition, United Autosports and Algarve Pro Racing wrangled for the top spot until the #47 Cetilar Racing Oreca 07-Gibson closed in. With FIA WEC Ferrari-AF Corse driver Antonio Fuoco at the wheel, the Italian car stormed ahead despite a five-second penalty incurred during a FCY. Fuoco sustained impressive pace, carving a sufficient gap to take the penalty on the last pit stop and still retain the lead. He fended off pressure from Tom Dillmann (Algarve Pro Racing) in the #25 to take first place. CrowdStrike Racing by APR claimed third.

A spectacular crash on the second turn affected half of the LMP3 field. Inter Europol Competition clawed back from the bottom to claim victory by a whisker for Henry Cubides, with High Class Racing a mere 0.218 seconds behind. Hampered by a technical issue, CLX Motorsport had to be content with the third step.

Things were just as close-run in the GT class. A post-race penalty for the #10 Porsche Manthey due to contact on the last turn handed victory to the Getspeed #9 Mercedes-AMG. Manthey and Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn emerged second and third from a hard-fought battle.

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&nbsp;

<h2>Race 2: more rain and another Cetilar win</h2>

On Sunday, rain played a bigger part, dictating the pace of the race and causing a red flag 15 minutes before the end due to a flooded track.

Cetilar Racing confirmed its expertise in the adverse conditions. Roberto Lacorte, Charles Milesi and Antonio Fuoco managed the hold-ups, switching tactics with ease to claim a second win in LMP2, with Algarve Pro Racing and CrowdStrike Racing by APR in second and third place in a repeat result of the previous day.

In LMP3, CLX Motorsport&rsquo;s risk-taking paid off. The Swiss team took advantage of a Virtual Safety Car period to slip in the two obligatory 100-second stops, which opened up a path to victory over 23Events Racing and Forestier Racing by VPS.

Kessel Racing clinched the podium in GT, making a superb comeback from 15th place. The Swiss-run Ferrari&rsquo;s fine-tuned tyre choices proved a winning strategy, putting it ahead of the Team WRT #69 BMW M4 GT3, resuscitated after an engine change, and the Porsche Origine Motorsport, thanks to a slick performance by Bo Yuan.

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&nbsp;

The leaders&rsquo; table as it stands:

<h4>LMP2&nbsp;</h4>

<ol>
	<li>Cetilar Racing &ndash; 50 points</li>
	<li>Algarve Pro Racing &ndash; 36 points</li>
	<li>Crowdstrike Racing by APR &ndash; 30 points</li>
</ol>

<h4>LMP3</h4>

<ol>
	<li>CLX Motorsport &ndash; 42 points</li>
	<li>Inter Europol Competition &ndash; 37 points</li>
	<li>Forestier Racing by VPS &ndash; 25 points</li>
</ol>

<h4>GT</h4>

<ol>
	<li>Kessel Racing &ndash; 35 points</li>
	<li>GetSpeed &ndash; 33 points</li>
	<li>Origine Motorsport &ndash; 23 points</li>
</ol>

Cetilar Racing leaves Malaysia the uncontested leader having won both races. The next stage in the Asian Le Mans Series is the 4 Hours of Dubai on 31 January and 1 February. The two races promise to be equally exciting!

Asian Le Mans Series: Cetilar Racing’s perfect weekend at Sepang

With victory at the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo and Hyperpole at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA left its mark on the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season. For the 2026 campaign, the Cadillac V-Series.R will be back sharper and hungrier than ever, and nursing the ambition of writing its own legend at the French endurance classic.

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA&nbsp;sent out several strong signals during the 2025 season. Three Hyperpoles, including the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans, victory at the Rolex 6 Hours of S&atilde;o Paulo, and a regular place in the top five. The US outfit has confirmed that it is a force to be reckoned with in the FIA WEC field and, while a 24 Hours of Le Mans win has so far proved elusive, it does have impetus on its side. For the second year of the Cadillac-JOTA partnership in 2026, adjustments will be made to the American hypercar&rsquo;s aerodynamic set-up. The quest for Le Mans success has begun!

<h2>Bridging the gap</h2>

There were occasions during the 2025 season that caused the heart to beat a little faster. There was that unforgettable Thursday evening in June when the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-cadillac-v-series-r-under-the-microscope-ready-to-roar-for-america-at-le-mans-59659" target="_blank">Cadillac V-Series.R</a>, driven by Alex Lynn, scooped a historic Hyperpole&nbsp;at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans. There was that shot of the two American hypercars starting side-by-side on the front row of the grid in front of the packed grandstands. But the race itself did not quite pan out as planned. Lacking grip, the track was not best suited to the two V-Series.R that nonetheless fought valiantly to the chequered flag. The #12 finished in fourth place (on the same lap as the winning Ferrari) while the #38 took seventh place, one lap behind the leading group.

JOTA Sport director&nbsp;Sam Hignett&nbsp;found signs of hope and encouragement in the disappointing outcome:&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to think about what could have been right now but we need to take a moment to focus on how far we&rsquo;ve come in the few short months since we&rsquo;ve formally been working together with Cadillac. (...) The whole team has worked phenomenally hard to get to this point and whilst we know we still have a way to go we have 365 days to prepare for this one next year. Obviously, we want to be on the podium, we want to win but this is a really solid start to a long-term project.&rdquo;

S&eacute;bastien Bourdais, the clear-headed driver of the #38 Cadillac, added:&nbsp;&quot;We&rsquo;ve got some work to do; we made some mistakes.&nbsp; We got a bit unlucky at times. But, overall, we need to be stronger to win a WEC race right now. We are showing some good things and just need to build on the strengths and fill the gap for the weaknesses.&quot;

So, what was achieved in the 2025 season? A one-two in S&atilde;o Paulo, three Hyperpoles, and a fourth place in the FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; Championship behind Ferrari, Toyota and Porsche.

<h2>A more finely honed hypercar for 2026</h2>

Cadillac has decided to tweak its hypercar in an attempt to bridge the gap. In&nbsp;2026, <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/cadillac-improves-v-series-r-hypercar-aero-for-2026-60108" target="_blank">the aero package of the V-Series.R will be upgraded</a>&nbsp;to achieve a faster peak speed. A necessary ingredient to tame Le Mans&rsquo; long, unforgiving straights.

As for the drivers, continuity will be the watchword. The wheel of the #12 Cadillac will be shared by the same solid trio of&nbsp;Alex Lynn,&nbsp;Norman Nato&nbsp;and Will Stevens. This line-up scored points in every race of 2025. A newcomer will bring a breath of fresh air to the Bamber-Bourdais&nbsp;pairing in the #38 car:&nbsp;Jack Aitken. This season, the pure speed, consistency and maturity of the 30-year-old British racer caught the eye. Both line-ups certainly have winning credentials.

In 2026, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA ought to shed its outsider tag and become a regular winner. The 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans (10-14 June 2026)&nbsp;could be the one where the V-Series.R finally steps up and makes the grade.

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – all sights trained on Le Mans

The 2025-2026 Asian Le Mans Series begins this weekend with two four-hour races at Sepang (Malaysia). An outstanding international grid, invitations for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, live streaming of the races on YouTube – all the ingredients are on the table for a tasty campaign!

The new Asian Le Mans Series season opens this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia with the 4 Hours of Sepang. The first round will be held on Saturday 13 December, to be followed by a second race 24 hours later. 
A bumper 48-car field comprising 16 LMP2 and 10 LMP3 prototypes and 28 LMGT3 sportscars will line up for the event. With 144 drivers and 35 teams representing 35 nationalities, the grid reflects the growing international dimension and increased competitiveness of the Asian Le Mans Series.

<h2>LMP2&nbsp;&ndash; Championship heavyweights ready to wage battle</h2>

In LMP2, current titleholder Algarve Pro Racing is entering two Oreca 07-Gibsons plus a third car for Crowdstrike Racing by APR, the 2023-2024 championship-winning team. The #25 Oreca driven by Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli and Tom Dillmann should be among the frontrunners. Dillmann, of course, won the same category at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans with Inter Europol Competition. The Polish outfit is in fact running an LMP2 entry itself, as well as an LMP3 prototype. United Autosports will be back with a two-car challenge and other former champions, such as DKR Engineering and Nielsen Racing, will also line up. Ferrari fans will want to keep an eye on 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Antonio Fuoco. He will share the wheel of the #47 Oreca entered by Cetilar Racing with Roberto Lacorte and Charles Milesi.

<h2>Latest-generation LMP3s in action</h2>

The LMP3 field will now feature third-generation prototypes powered by 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 Toyota V35A engines. Titleholder Bretton Racing will be back with a Ligier JS P325 while CLX Motorsport (formerly COOL Racing), the 2023-24 champion, will be keen to transfer its ELMS domination to the Asian scene.

<h2>Seven manufacturers represented in LMGT3</h2>

The LMGT3 class is set for a titanic tussle between seven manufacturers: Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. Manthey will defend its crown with its pair of Porsche 911 GT3 Rs (#10 and #92), driven by international racers of the calibre of Antares Au, Klaus Bachler, Loek Hartog, Richard Lietz and Fran&ccedil;ois H&eacute;riau. Spectators will be curious to see how the two JMR Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs driven by Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim fare, while TF Sport and Racing Team Turkey will run two additional cars with Salih Yoluc, Charlie Eastwood and Tom Van Rompuy at the helm.

Race 1 will start at 05:00 UTC on Saturday 13 December, with Race 2 scheduled to get underway 24 hours later. 
You can follow the qualifying session and both races on the Asian Le Mans Series website and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AsianLeMansSeries/streams" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a>. &nbsp;

Check out the provisional entry list for the 2025 4 Hours of Sepang&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jd1jkK74rF5jARAQZTqwDQLG4e5jENa6/view?pli=1" target="_blank">here</a>.

The championship stakes are high. The LMP2 and GT title-winning teams will each be rewarded with an invitation to the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans (10-14 June 2026). What extra motivation could the teams and drivers need as they prepare to wage battle in the 4 Hours of Sepang? Following the two rounds in Malaysia, the competitors will have a short break before tackling two more sets of double-headers at the 4 Hours of Dubai (31 January and 1 February 2026) and the 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi (7 and 8 February 2026).

Asian Le Mans Series: Sepang set to kick off the 2025-2026 season

24 Heures du Mans 2020

In the official ACO press conference today, ByKOLLES Racing announced it will take part in the new Hypercar class in&nbsp;the 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA World Endurance Championship, and has named the project&nbsp;PMC Project LMH. The car will be equipped with a 700 hp&nbsp;aspirated V8 engine&nbsp;weighing&nbsp;1,040 kg. Release of the road version is scheduled for the first trimester of 2021. The&nbsp;LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) race version will make its debut in competition in 2021.

More images of ByKOLLES Racing&#39;s Le Mans Hypercar:

24H LE MANS

24 Hours of Le Mans – ByKOLLES Racing confirms participation in Le Mans Hypercar

Related News

Ferrari-AF Corse: first Le Mans, then the world. What next?

Asian Le Mans Series: Cetilar Racing’s perfect weekend at Sepang

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – all sights trained on Le Mans

Asian Le Mans Series: Sepang set to kick off the 2025-2026 season

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