The 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans will be the climax of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 2018–19 Super Season. Such a prestigious occasion demands a quality field. Eleven spots have already been allocated based on this year’s results in the European Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and, of course, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

They are:

• Toyota Gazoo Racing, winners of the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP1 class, invited to compete in LMP1
• Signatech Alpine Matmut, winners of the LMP2 class at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans, invited to compete in LMP2
• Porsche GT Team, LMGTE Pro class winners at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans, invited to compete in LMGTE Pro
• Dempsey-Proton Competition, LMGTE Am class winners at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans, invited to defend their LMGTE Am title
• G-Drive Racing, European Le Mans Series LMP2 class winners, invited to compete in LMP2
• Proton Competition, European Le Mans Series LMGTE class winners, who receive an LMGTE Am invitation
• JMW Motorsport, runner-up in the LMGTE class in the European Le Mans Series, also invited to compete in the LMGTE Am class
• RLR MSport, European Le Mans Series LMP3 class winners, invited to compete in LMP2
• Kessel Racing, invited to compete in the LMGTE Am class on the back of their Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup triumph

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship outfits Keating Motorsports and Weathertech Racing have each received an invite to compete in the LMGTE Am class following the presentation of the Bob Akin and Jim Trueman Awards to Ben Keating and Misha Goikhberg respectively. Four more golden tickets will be issued on 24 February after the final round of the 2018–19 Asian Le Mans Series season in Sepang, Malaysia.

Logically, full-season FIA WEC entrants will also be on the grid as the 87th running of the legendary endurance race will bring the curtain down on the 2018-19 Super Season.

An initial entry list featuring 50 names will be revealed on 11 February 2019. A second list with a further ten invitations and the ten-strong reserve list will be announced on 1 March 2019. Barring any withdrawals, the 60 cars making up the grid for the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans will then be known.