Following in the footsteps of LMP1 rivals CEFC TRSM Racing (Manor) and ByKolles Racing Team, SMP Racing has just tested the new BR Engineering BR1 at MotorLand Aragón with a team of four Russians, including ex-Renault F1 driver, Vitaly Petrov.

24H Le Mans

Le Mans Series

24 Heures du Mans

FIA WEC

For the second year in a row the Road To Le Mans event has attracted a maximum grid of 58 cars, with 40 LMP3s and 18 GT3s due to take to the full 13.6km Circuit de la Sarthe next month in support of the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 39 Michelin Le Mans Cup full season entries will be joined by 12 race by race entries in the LMP3 category and a further 7 GT3 entries for the two 55-minute races on Thursday 13th&nbsp;and Saturday 15th&nbsp;June.

A total of 116 drivers and 35 teams, representing 23 different nations from all corners of the world, will compete in the 9th&nbsp;edition of the Road To Le Mans which began in 2016 with a single 55-minute race. Since 2017 there have been two 55-minute races, with the first on Thursday and the second race on Saturday a few hours before the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The LMP3 field will consist of 40 cars, 34 Ligier JS P320s and 6 Duqueine M30-D08s, all powered by the same Nissan V8 engine.

The 28 full season entries are led by the current championship leader Adrien Chila and David Droux after winning last weekend in Le Castellet in the no97 COOL Racing Ligier. David Droux also won the second Road To Le Mans race in 2023 and Adrien Chila did the same in 2019, so they both know what it is like to stand on the top step of the podium at Le Mans.

COOL Racing are tied on 35 points with the no85 R-ace GP and their drivers Fabien Michal and Hadrien David, but the all French outfit are classified in second due to COOL Racing&rsquo;s race win in Le Castellet.

Round 1 winners High Class Racing are on 33 points with Jens Moller and Tommy Foster finishing 6th&nbsp;in Le Castellet. Reigning LMP3 Champions Team Virage are fielding a total of four cars, with two race-by-race entries alongside their two full season cars, with the no44 Ligier Jamie Falvey and Mihnea Stefan in 5th&nbsp;overall thanks to the second-place finish in Le Castellet, one point behind the 4th&nbsp;placed no34 Inter Europol Competition Ligier of Alex Bukhantsov and Rik Koen.

2023 Vice Champions Audunn Gudmundsson and Colin Noble are also on 18 points, but the Team Thor crew are classified as 6thoverall due to the no44 Team Virage&rsquo;s podium finish in Round 2.

2022 LMP3 and 2023 GT3 Team Champions Racing Spirit of L&eacute;man return with an entry in each category. Other additional entries in LMP3 come courtesy of some of the other ELMS regulars with four-time MLMC champions DKR Engineering entering a single Duqueine, while 2021 team champions Nielsen Racing will field a second Ligier for Road to Le Mans.

WTM by Rinaldi Racing will join the grid with a single Duqueine, Eurointernational will field two Ligiers and Haegeli by T2 Racing will run a second Duqueine alongside their full season entry. The race-by-race entry no9 Graff Ligier that was seen at Le Castellet will also enter Road To Le Mans and the no50 Reiter Engineering Ligier that raced at Barcelona and Le Castellet is also entered for RTLM.

<h2>Six GT3 Manufacturers for Road To Le Mans</h2>

The 11-car full season entry is booted to 18 for Road To Le Mans this season, with three teams racing the Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO alongside the season regulars &ndash; Aston Martin, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.

The GT3 entry is led by double race winners Matthew Kurzejewski and Alessandro Balzan, the no51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 having secured 51 points out of a possible 52 from the first two races in Spain and France. The two American drivers are 18 points ahead of their nearest rivals in the no74 Kessel Racing Ferrari, with Fran Rueda and Andrew Gilbert on 33 points thanks to two podium finishes in the first two races.

The no83 Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan is currently third with C&eacute;lia Martin and Karen Gaillard on 25 points thanks mainly to the pole position and second place finish in Le Castellet. The no12 Kessel Racing Ferrari of David Fumanelli and Frederic Jousset is one point behind in 4th&nbsp;on 24 points and the no88 AF Corse Ferrari of Custodio Toledo and Riccardo Agostini is on 21 points in 5thoverall after two rounds.

Full season entrants Steller Motorsport will run the only Audi R8 on the grid, while High Class Racing and Proton Huber Competition will run the two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs.

Kessel Racing will run a third Ferrari 296 GT3 along the Swiss teams two full season entries, while AF Corse will go one better and run two Ferrari 296s on a race-by-race basis alongside their two full season cars.

The two full season Aston Martin Vantage GT3s run by British team Blackthorn are due to be in Le Mans and the third Vantage will be run by reigning MLMC Team Champions Racing Spirit of Leman, with 2023 drivers&rsquo; champion Valentin Hasse Clot being joined by his 2024 ELMS teammate Derek Deboer.

Three Mercedes AMG GT3 EVOs will join the grid in Le Mans, two run by German teams Getspeed and Heart of Racing SPS, while the third Mercedes will be run by Team Motorpark from Austria.

The points awarded for each of the two 55-minute are reduced from the 25-18-15 points for first, second and third in the 110-minute races. The winner of each race in Le Mans will receive 15 points, 9 for second, 7 for third and then 6 points down to 1. Only the MLMC full season entries are eligible to score points in each race.

Qualifying for the two Road To Le Mans races will be held on Thursday 13 June, with Q1 at 10h30 CEST followed by Q2 at 11h05. Race 1 will be held the same day at 18h30 in the evening, while race 2 will be held at 10h35 on Saturday morning ahead of the 92nd&nbsp;edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/doc-prod/RZJKbh9o_3j908N5YkHXK2D2.pdf" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for the entry list for the 2024 Road To Le Mans, Round 3 of the 2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup.

Road To Le Mans grid maxed out once again with 58 entries

The administrative and technical checks, known as Scrutineering, for the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans (12-16 June) will be held on 7-8 June in the city centre. Here is the programme for the 62 teams entered in the race.

This year, Proton Competition&#39;s #44 Ford Mustang LMGT3 will kick off&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-scrutineering-57500" target="_blank">Scrutineering</a>&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;7 June at&nbsp;10:00 local time. Crowdstrike Racing by APR&#39;s #45 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson is set to close out the checks&nbsp;on Saturday&nbsp;8 June at&nbsp;14:50 local time.

Scrutineering, which is free to attend, will be held at the place de la R&eacute;publique in the Le Mans city centre. This is&nbsp;the first major event, and always a highlight, of race week at the 24 Hours. Fans are able to get *this* close to their favourite racing cars and drivers ahead of Test Day on Sunday 9 June.

Find the schedule for the&nbsp;2024&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans administrative and&nbsp;technical checks below:

Scrutineering schedule for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans

The world’s biggest carmakers are gearing up for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, on 15-16 June. With the list of drivers set to take part unveiled today, here’s a rundown of all you need to know.

<h4 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mcusercontent.com/b5f125906fc10a7f9e846de69/files/4cd0fa6d-a2ed-2596-c4ba-5f319feaae50/24H_LE_MANS_2024_Provisional__Entry_List_v6_06052024.pdf">ENTRY LIST</a></h4>

Hypercar reaches new heights

The premium class of endurance has attracted a bumper field of 23 cars entered by nine different manufacturers: Ferrari, Alpine, BMW, Isotta Fraschini, Peugeot, Lamborghini, Cadillac, Toyota and Porsche. The drivers list features some of the most experienced racers in the business with a glittering array of achievements to their name. They include four-time Le Mans winner Sébastien Buemi, three-time winner André Lotterer, and Kévin Estre, winner of the FIA WEC championship title and the LMGTE Pro class at the French endurance classic. All the makings of a historic battle!

LMGT3 enters the fray

While the spotlight will be on the Hypercars, the new LMGT3 class is shaping up to be just as exciting. It will also comprise 23 cars built by nine leading manufacturers: Aston Martin, Ford, BMW, Lamborghini, Porsche, Lexus, Corvette, McLaren and, with a brand new model, Ferrari. The mix of LMGT3s and Hypercars promises a level of diversity rarely seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The LMGT3 driver contingent will feature Le Mans veterans such as Thomas Flohr, set to make his eighth appearance. At the other end of the scale, Kelvin van der Linde will make his first start in the race despite more than a decade of GT experience.

A treat in store in LMP2

The LMP2 class is always hotly contested and the 16 prototypes set for to compete this year will undoubtedly put on a superb show. Former 24 Hours class winners, such as Ben Keating and François Perrodo, will have their work cut out to fend off an armada of hungry young talent led by Louis Delétraz, hoping to go one better after two second places. Meanwhile Fabio Scherer, now with Nielsen Racing, will attempt to double up after his 2023 success. With high-flying teams of the calibre of United Autosports and Inter Europol Competition in the field, fans will undoubtedly be treated to a top-level race.

From Formula One to the 24 Hours

Since the premier single-seater championship was created in 1950, a host of Formula One heroes have taken up the Le Mans challenge and 2024 will be no exception. The 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button will fly the Hypercar flag for Hertz Team Jota and Antonio Giovinazzi, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary race in a Ferrari, will be back to defend his team’s crown. They will be joined by other former Formula One stars who have made the switch to endurance at Le Mans, including Robert Kubica, Nyck de Vries, Romain Grosjean and Mick Schumacher this year.

A pink Lamborghini

The Iron Dames are back with a new line-up and a new car. The outfit has chosen to run a Lamborghini Huracán LMGT3 Evo2 for the 2024 FIA WEC. Rising French star Doriane Pin, who has already raced at Le Mans, will share the wheel with Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting. Last November, the Iron Dames won the 8 Hours of Bahrain – a first for an all-female trio of drivers at this level of competition. On 15-16 June, they will be among the favourites to add a new line to their already impressive track record.

A nine-time world champion on the grid

Valentino Rossi, nine-time world motorcycle GP champion, will make his 24 Hours of Le Mans début in LMGT3. Since appearing at the Circuit des 24 Heures in the 2023 Road To Le Mans support race, Rossi has joined forces with Ahmad Al Harthy and Maxime Martin in a BMW M4 LMGT3 for Team WRT. The three men made the podium in the second round of the 2024 FIA WEC, the 6 Hours of Imola. The 24 Hours of Le Mans challenge is on a different scale, but the Italian is no stranger to the spotlight and can count on the support of thousands of fans.

Final tickets available to see Free Practice and Qualifying, the Hyperpole session and concerts by Louise Attaque and BigFlo &amp; Oli! 
 
The ACO has already announced that Race Week and Race Weekend admission tickets are sold out and is now advising that there are only a few tickets remaining for the Free Practice &amp; Qualifying and Hyperpole sessions plus the concerts on Wednesday and Thursday. These tickets are compatible with the Green Ticket offer, which urges spectators to use sustainable forms of transport.&nbsp; 
 
Head to&nbsp;<a href="https://ticket.24h-lemans.com/content">https://ticket.24h-lemans.com/content</a>&nbsp;to book your tickets! 
&nbsp;

Who are the 186 drivers set to compete in  the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans?

Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich will take the start in the 92nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (12-16 June) at the wheel of Action Express Racing's #311 Cadillac V-Series.R.

Action Express Racing has announced that 2022 FIA Formula 2&nbsp;champion Felipe Drugovich will join Pipo Derani and Jack Aiten in the #311&nbsp;Cadillac V-Series.R for the 92nd 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans, fourth round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance&nbsp;Championship.

For the past two seasons, Drugovich (age 23) has served as a test and reserve driver for&nbsp;Aston Martin&#39;s&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;1&nbsp;team. He will continue&nbsp;in that role in addition to representing Vector Sport in the European Le Mans Series&#39; LMP2 category.

Action Express Racing team manager Gary Nelson: Felipe has been on our radar for a couple of years. After watching him race a sports car in the ELMS recently, we finally got a chance to meet him and work with him in some simulator testing. We were impressed by his maturity, discipline and knowledge. Next, we took Felipe to a track test, where he shared our car with Pipo and Jack. We are very excited to take the next obvious step and enter Felipe alongside Pipo and Jack at Le Mans. His record speaks volumes.

In F2, Drugovich (of Austrian decent with&nbsp;dual citizenship in Brazil and Italy) scored eight wins and five&nbsp;pole positions in 73 starts, winning&nbsp;the championship in 2022 with five victories, four&nbsp;poles and&nbsp;11 podiums. He earned 14 wins in 16 races to clinch&nbsp;the&nbsp;2018 Euroformula Open trophy&nbsp;and was also crowned&nbsp;MRF Challenge Formula 2000 champion in 2017 and 2018 with 10 victories in 16 races. Drugovich has&nbsp;competed in the FIA Formula 3&nbsp;championship and in Spain&#39;s F3 championship.

<h2>Two-Time Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans&nbsp;Winner</h2>

Felipe Drugovich: I am only 23 years old, and I am having the most important opportunity in my racing car career until now thanks to Action Express and Cadillac.&nbsp;The 24 Hours of Le Mans is impossible to define in words, such is its magic and importance for cars in general and motor racing in particular. I am having the opportunity to live this 100-year&nbsp;history for the first time with AXR and Cadillac.&nbsp;I barely touched the magic of the 24 Hours of&nbsp;Le Mans, winning twice the Virtual editions. Now I am going to plunge into it for real with the #311 Cadillac of Action Express Racing&nbsp;with my fellow Brazilian Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken. What a privilege having another dream coming true.

Action Express Racing&#39;s&nbsp;#311 Cadillac is participating&nbsp;in its second&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans. The American team finished 10th in the&nbsp;Hypercar category last year after Jack Aitken left the track early in the race at the&nbsp;Michelin chicane.

Cadillac finalises driver line-ups with Felipe Drugovich

24 Heures du Mans 2018

Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov, the two drivers designated by Russian outfit SMP Racing for the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2018-19 World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) Super Season, were recently in Spain to put the all-new LMP1 prototype developed by BR Engineering through its paces at MotorLand Arag&oacute;n.

Aleshin, a former IndyCar Series driver, and Petrov, who drove for Renault in Formula One, were joined by Egor Orudzhev and Matevos Isaakyan, two young recruits from the academy set up by the Russian stable that scooped LMGTE Am honours at Le Mans in 2015. Orudhev and Isaakyan contested the final four rounds of the 2017 European Le Mans Series season in LMP2, winning their second race at Le Castellet, France.

The test program proved conclusive with the four Russians covering more than a hundred laps every day without any major snags. SMP Racing will undoubtedly be looking to the BR Engineering BR1 to figure prominently in the LMP1 class and challenge for outright victory.

Photo (&copy; SMP Racing):&nbsp; The BR Engineering BR1 in testing at MotorLand Arag&oacute;n.​

24H LE MANS

Three days of tests for SMP Racing’s BR1 in Spain

Related News

Road To Le Mans grid maxed out once again with 58 entries

Scrutineering schedule for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans

Who are the 186 drivers set to compete in the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans?

Cadillac finalises driver line-ups with Felipe Drugovich

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