24h Le Mans
Day 1 of Scrutineering has come to a close at the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans (12-16 June). BMW, Lamborghini, Alpine, Isotta Fraschini, Cadillac and Peugeot in the Hypercar category have opened up about their respective objectives for the race.
Today, 37 of the 62 cars entered in the 2024 24 Hours submitted to mandatory checks by the technical marshals. Scrutineering is the perfect opportunity for fans to get up close to the Hypercars, LMP2s, LMGT3 and drivers.
The BMW M Hybrid V8 was first in line at the place de la République in the Le Mans city centre this morning. The familiar looking Hypercar marks the German carmaker's return to the top echelon of endurance racing 25 years after winning the 24 Hours with the V12 LMR. BMW M Team WRT owner Vincent Vosse: When a constructor does Le Mans, it's to compete at the front of the field. We aren't there yet. This is our first FIA WEC season. We still have a lot to learn about this car, but we're steadily getting closer to our goals.
Nine-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will take the start in the 24 Hours at the wheel of the #46 BMW M4 LMGT3 (his favourite number) fielded in LMGT3 by Team WRT. The Italian racer has been treated like a superstar by fans. Valentino Rossi: I've always wanted to race cars after my moto career. I am thrilled and excited to be here. I don't know what to expect. Last year, I did Road to Le Mans, but the 24 Hours is another story! I hope we will be competitive and able to fight for important positions during the race.
Another team has set its sights on victory in LMGT3. Sarah Bovy/Michelle Gatting/Rahel Frey will share the Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracán LMGT3 Evo2. Sarah Bovy: It's time we reach the podium. Last year, we thought we had it up until the last 45 minutes, then we finished fourth. We are going to give 1,000% to run a clean race. The motivation is huge and we will be proud to deliver a good result to our team and fans.
Lamborghini has also entered two SC63s in the Hypercar category. This car and its aggressive curves are instantly recognisable and have already won over the public. Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean will drive the Hypercar for its rookie participation in the 24 Hours. Lamborghini Iron Lynx team manager (and local native) Emmanuel Esnault: The goal is to finish the race. The caliber and quality of the grid force us to be realistic. If we finish without making any mistakes and by spending as little time as possible in the box, it would be great. The drivers have done extraordinary work since the beginning of the season avoiding mistakes despite a car that is not always easy to drive as it is still in development. That proves we made good recruitment choices.
Hertz Team JOTA's win at the 2024 TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps proved a private team can indeed clinch an overall win. The British outfit let it be known at Scrutineering that it will aim for another victory, with the help of previous F1 world champion Jenson Button: The private teams are able to hold their own against the official teams. I am positive we have everything we need to succeed just like Porsche Penske Motorsport and Proton Competition. We are here to win. The Porsche 963 can do it and proved so at Spa-Francorchamps. The British driver will join Oliver Rasmussen and Phil Hanson in the #38, and Will Stevens, Norman Nato and Callum Ilott will share the #12.
Hertz Team JOTA's Porsche 963 was followed by Alpine Endurance Team's Alpine A42 making its first appearance in the 24 Hours. The project has been a labour of love for Nicolas Lapierre, a three-timie LMP2 winner with the French marque. Nicolas Lapierre: It won't be easy because the competition is fierce and we are going up against motorsport titans. This season, the team has only improved. We are slowly but surely making progress. At Test Day on Sunday, we'll see what the car does on the track and then we'll have all week to fine-tune it. It's hard to say when we'll be able to reach the podium or win the 24 Hours, but we're going to do everything we can to make it happen as soon as possible.
Cadillac Racing is heading into Le Mans off the back of third and fourth place finishes last year. Sébastien Bourdais, #3 Cadillac V-Series.R driver: We have a better understanding of our car which has evolved in terms of settings and systems. We've invested a lot of energy to refine it because the devil is in the details. With 23 cars in the category, the bar is extremely high. We want to do better than in 2023, and better means winning!
The first day of Scrutineering ended with the Peugeot TotalEnergies team's two Peugeot 9X8s. The cars were presented with, among other modifications, a new aerodynamics package and a rear wing! Is that the key to victory? Jean-Eric Vergne, #93 driver: I am rather confident that the changes we've executed have made us stronger. Last year, we were thrilled to lead the race during part of the first half. I hope we can again this year. We'll know more on Sunday.
Day 2 of Scrutineering will kick off tomorrow at 09:30 (GMT+2) with 25 cars submitting to inspection by the technical stewards. Fans will get an eyeful of the Hypercars entered by Porsche Penske Motorsport, Ferrari AF Corse and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, and the LMGT3s fielded by Ferrari, Lexus, Porsche and McLaren. Follow live once again at the official 24 Hours of Le Mans YouTube channel. In the meantime, enjoy the photo gallery of the first day of Scrutineering below.
