60 Cars Confirmed for Next Month's Le Mans 24 Hour Race

[Paul Jeffrey]

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest have confirmed a 60 strong line up of cars are confirmed for the 2017 running of the greatest race on earth, the Le Mans 24 Hours this June 17th.

2017 will mark the first time a works Audi prototype will be missing from the grid for the first time in 18 years, as the disappointingly low in number LM P1 field look to battle it out for victory honours in the greatest endurance race of them all.

Despite the lacklustre turnout in the main prototype class, 2017 will still see a staggering 179 drivers from 31 different countries hoping to take part in the race, representing the 41 teams across 60 cars and four different classes of vehicle.

In the event headlining LM P1 classification we will be seeing six different cars taking part, with defending WEC champions Porsche expected to head the field against arch rivals Toyota once again, whilst a recently bolstered LM P2 class see continual growth in numbers with the confirmation that 25 cars will be taking to the grid next month, including such teams as former Grand Prix outfit Manor Motorsport and big name motorsport returnee's Signatech Alpine squad.

As has been the trend in world motorsport of recent years, the LM GTE Pro field shows some exceptionally strong team / driver / car combinations once again, with 13 cars signed up to take part representing such important brands as Ford, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin and Chevrolet. Multiple World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx will again be looking to add a Le Mans victory to his enviable CV in the Ford GT, whilst veteran racer and former McLaren Grand Prix driver Jan Magnussen once again steps into the cockpit of the bright yellow Chevrolet Corvette C7.R

LM GTE Am will be made up of 16 cars for the race, and despite the misleading AM classification the field will once again consist of some impressive driving talent, including another former Formula One Grand Prix driver of note in the case of Mr. eyebrows himself, Pedro Lamy. Formally of Lotus fame, Lamy will once again be piloting his trusty Aston Marin Vantage with teammates Paul Dalla Lama and son of three time Formula One World Champion Mathius Lauda.

Despite a grid perhaps less packed full of talent than has been previously the case, the 2017 running of the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours should once again be the highlight of many fans motorsport calendar.

As usual we will be running full and uninterrupted live stream coverage of the event, so stay tuned for the big race build up and get ready to sit back and watch the action unfold for another great racing spectacle!

Check out the attached PDF entry list for a full rundown of the cars, teams and drivers expected to take part in the race.

For more on the big wide world of motorsport, check out the RaceDepartment Motorsports sub forum and get hooked up with your fellow racing enthusiasts to discuss the sport we all love!

Looking forward to Le Mans? Do you think the lack of LM P1 cars will have a negative impact on the event? Who would you like to see come out on top at the end of the race? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

Oooh, I actually want one team to pull out. Then we get a driver with Norwegian license in the field!

Other than that, for an f1rejects fan like me, Le Mans is a golden place

 

[CC]

Graet story Paul ,
Such a pity regarding Audi

 

[Brownninja97]

Ford, dont you dare

 

[JPL083]

Looking forward to it, but... Lmp1. Two teams... While GT is doing so well the Lmp is dying. Just get rid of the Lmp1 and change Lmp2 to be the major Lmp-class, just get rid of the Lmp2 name and only have Lmp's, and 3,4,5,6,7... Or how many classes there is? If everything could have gone well, we might just now have Audi, Porsche, Toyota, Nissan, Peugeot. Maybe more, but its dying all together. And the modern day style to go, everyone wants fights on top, but when threatened, withdraw from series if you dont win all and so on... So we are not gonna get many top teams at the same time anymore. But yeah, what if other teams cars retires early or something like that, are we watching one team "fighting" against itself for 24h? I hope both Top teams retires and Lmp2 team wins overall, maybe then eyes are opened... If F1 could be Multi-class, situation would be like Mercedes vs Ferrari and rest of the field GP2-cars.

 

[paracletus]

should be epic

 

[Erwin Greven]

Ford, dont you dare

They dare. "There is no bad way of winning, only winning".
What they did in the last 30 min of the 2016 Le Mans was simply detesting. Sadly was not picked up by most fans.

 

[Brownninja97]

They dare. "There is no bad way of winning, only winning".
What they did in the last 30 min of the 2016 Le Mans was simply detesting. Sadly was not picked up by most fans.

not that, i think im more annoyed about the sandbagging. its not in the spirit of the race, if you are fine with it then thats on you but I just find it unethical.

 

[Erwin Greven]

When 30 minutes before race end, a Ford senior walks to Risi Competizione with a note that says: Settle in second place and we don't file a complaint of your malfunctioning Leader Light System. That is unsportsmanlike.
In fact it triggered a complaint of Risi which in the end could have resulted Ford LOSING the first place. They had a malfunctioning speed limiter. (penalty) And that caused Ford to go too fast in a slow area. (another penalty) Both penalties would have placed the Ford behind the Ferrari. When Ganassi realised this after the race he ordered the complaint to pulled back. Easy for him: he had won that race.

 

[leseb64]

Race of the Year!!!

 

[Knoxstar]

I'll be hibernating for 2 days before the race so I can watch it. Thanks for streaming. Indy, Monaco and LeMans are the race fans Christmas and all other holidays rolled into a 2 week period. Now heading to Mosport (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) for the weekend and my first live event of the year, the Pirelli World Challenge with GT3, GT4, Touring. Over 100 entrants and 6 races....yesssssssssssss!

 

[Glaurung]

This year Toyota is favourite, so....go Porsche!

 

[RufGTI]

I still miss the GT1 and private LMP1 cars

 

[Luan Garcia]

I wanted to go this year, but jeez, it costs a lot more to put a tent there than the entrance ticket haha.

 

[Andrew Harper]

Looking forward to the race, excellent field.

With regards to LMP1-H, yes we have just the two teams but the racing between them has been great so far this year. They are very evenly matched and both Silverstone and Spa were great to watch. All the categories are in top form at the moment

I love IMSA as well but even with a large collection of DPi's the Cadillac's are dominating at the moment and that makes the races less interesting. At least with the WEC at the moment you have that unknown factor.

I think the idea of LMP2 being privateer only is a sound one (you have a more genuine chance or winning your class). It stops factories coming in and spending millions like they did for P675 and nearly killing off the category.

I suppose the only class I do wonder about is LMP3 and whether in a few years we'll see those at Le Mans.

I'm torn on the Hybrids, they are simply amazing, their speed, their looks, they are simply incredible. In a way though I can see them having to go due to costs in the end. However whatever the new rules will be you'll never keep all the manufacturers happy. Toyota want to develop prototypes that use renewable energy and have no interest in running "normal" engines. Nissan and Peugeot will only come back if the costs are reduced and engines are simplified so it's definitely a balancing act by the ACO/FIA.

Anyway, enough of the fluff, just looking to a great 24 hours

 

[Andrew Harper]

I wanted to go this year, but jeez, it costs a lot more to put a tent there than the entrance ticket haha.

Yeah the costs vary dramatically but it's still way much cheaper than a weekend ticket for a Grand Prix

I think it's all down to how many they are of you. Split three ways for example, camping is the best option.

I did a trip once with my Dad, in an organised camping area (private showers and wash facilities, food laid on for us, private area for the car) and it was about £220 from Friday to Sunday. Compared to a hotel in the area which was about £220 per night!

I do still want to return soon though, I haven't been in a few years and I miss my 24 hour fix!

 

[Luan Garcia]

Yeah the costs vary dramatically but it's still way much cheaper than a weekend ticket for a Grand Prix

I think it's all down to how many they are of you. Split three ways for example, camping is the best option.

I did a trip once with my Dad, in an organised camping area (private showers and wash facilities, food laid on for us, private area for the car) and it was about £220 from Friday to Sunday. Compared to a hotel in the area which was about £220 per night!

I do still want to return soon though, I haven't been in a few years and I miss my 24 hour fix!

Yeah, hotels are very expensive as well. But if you sum the entrance tickets, the camping, the transport and the food, you can easily spend ~400 euros. Unfortunately, I can`t really afford that amount right now

 

[Leynad777]

Just watched Le Mans once in 2015 a few hours and OMG this was boring. At least I saw the only few incidents happened in the hole race and one minute highlights just covering ever little spin and almost accident.

Over 160 cars around Nürburgring 24h next week and what i saw there seems like a lot more action every hour. But unlike Le Mans there are not enough cameras to film every incident which would be like a 3 hour movie cutting all together i guess. Probably over 50 DNF and most surviving cars will be held together with duct tape like every year

 

[Andrew Harper]

Yeah, hotels are very expensive as well. But if you sum the entrance tickets, the camping, the transport and the food, you can easily spend ~400 euros. Unfortunately, I can`t really afford that amount right now

Next year my friend, next year

I do share your pain though, the British Grand Prix cost me nearly £700 last year, takes me months to recover!

 

[Boby Kim]

LMP1 should be skipped, only LMP2 and LM GT cars with much more focus on LM GT