24h Le Mans
The teams invited to the 85th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans have revealed their line-ups over the two weeks since the grid was announced at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest web conference. Though mainly stocked with factory drivers, many line-ups in the LM GTE Pro class have yet to be announced.
Ford is the exception to the rule since the American marque, winner in the LM GTE Pro class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year - 50 years to the day after its overall victory at Le Mans - is the only manufacturer to have announced all four of its trios set to take the wheel of the Ford GT.
Since you don't fix something that isn't broken, the American manufacturer is bringing on only one newcomer, Luis Felipe "Pipo" Derani, who nonetheless has participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in the LM P2 class. The Brazilian driver, who won with the ESM team overall at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2015, will join Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell in the #67 Ford GT in the first three rounds of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) season. The men who will take the wheel of the #66 second car entered in the championship will be Olivier Pla and Stefan Mücke, joined by Billy Johnson like last year.
Ford has made no changes to its driver line-ups in the American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in light of their reaching the first and third steps on the podium last year at Le Mans. Joey Hand, Dirk Müller and Le Mans native Sébastien Bourdais will share the #68 Ford, while Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and four-time IndyCar Series (American single-seaters championship) champion Scott Dixon will take the wheel of the #69.
Corvette Racing has shared the names of two drivers, two for the Ford GTs, competing in the entire American championship. Jan Magnussen-Antonio Garcia (#63) and Oliver Gavin-Tommy Milner (#64) remain for 2017, including Le Mans, and their teammate will be announced shortly.
The same can be said for Aston Martin Racing's duos. Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen will once again represent the British manufacturer in the #95 Vantage, but they will not be joined by Darren Turner, two-time class winner at Le Mans, since this year he will share the wheel of the #97 sister car with Jonny Adam.
Two other pairs are also awaiting their teammate for Le Mans: Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander (winner in LM GTE Pro in 2012 and 2014 at Le Mans) in Risi Competizione's #82 Ferrari 488 GTE, and Richard Lietz and Frédéric Makowiecki in the new #91 Porsche 911 RSR. Though Giuseppe Risi's Texan team will enter only one car, the German manufacturer's official team will enter two cars, but so far only Michael Christensen has been confirmed in the #92 911 RSR.
Lastly, only the names of the head drivers, according to the sporting regulations, have been given by AF Corse for the #51 and the #71 Ferrari 488s. James Calado will return in the first car, and David Rigon in the second.
Teams must announced the members of their driver line-ups before Thursday, May 11th at midnight (11:00 p.m. in the U.K.).
Photo: Only Ford, here at Scrutineering for the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, has kept most of its driver line-ups intact in LM GTE Pro for the 85th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
