[LM24 Race] Le Mans Entry List 2019 (and entry list speculation)

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

I'd argue that's the history of most of sportscar racing, there's been factories in and out but the amateur (ok, sometimes am driver, professional criminal) driver has been a consistent source of team funding.

Everyone just assumes that Ams would pull out if they don’t have their own class to race to win in. The LM 24H lasted 88 years without an Am mandated class - LMP2 in 2011.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

Everyone just assumes that Ams would pull out if they don’t have their own class to race to win in. The LM 24H lasted 88 years without an Am mandated class - LMP2 in 2011.

The LM24H lasted 88 years, but required third party intervention to save it on multiple locations. Stefan Ratel can be credited for the survival in the 90s after some terrible ACO/FIA management that resulted in over pandering the manufacturers, who eventually pulled out and left almost nothing there. And what is it Ratel does best? Deals with amateur drivers.

[Mike E]

Regarding the various comments above about manufacturers coming and going and leaving the series in a difficult place, Ford could be switching to DPi and BMW have suggested they might pull out of the WEC after this season. The BMW thing might just be politics because they can't get WEC BoP to work for them but since it is automated now I'm not sure politics will really work.

Anyway, that could be 6 GTE Pro cars vanishing into thin air quite easily.

[MaskedRacer]

Originally Posted by Simmi

Interesting thoughts on variety in the grid etc.

For me it comes down to competitive cars. These extra works GT-Pros people like to complain about are capable of class wins and should, safety car carnage aside, make the race more interesting. The same can be said for some P2s.

It's a tricky balance because trackside it's cool to see different cars and what's left of the different engine notes.

I can forsee a scenario where all of the additional GTE Pro requests get put deep in the reserve list and we just have a field of 12 cars. Each of the 6 makes with 2 bullets. They could justify this saying that we don't have room to let all of the additional entry requests in the field this year, so to make it fair we won't admit any of them so that each manufacturer will have to settle for 2 cars.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by MaskedRacer

I can forsee a scenario where all of the additional GTE Pro requests get put deep in the reserve list and we just have a field of 12 cars. Each of the 6 makes with 2 bullets. They could justify this saying that we don't have room to let all of the additional entry requests in the field this year, so to make it fair we won't admit any of them so that each manufacturer will have to settle for 2 cars.

That is a brilliant idea. I wish I'd thought of that whilst moaning about too many Pro cars.

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by MaskedRacer

I can forsee a scenario where all of the additional GTE Pro requests get put deep in the reserve list and we just have a field of 12 cars. Each of the 6 makes with 2 bullets. They could justify this saying that we don't have room to let all of the additional entry requests in the field this year, so to make it fair we won't admit any of them so that each manufacturer will have to settle for 2 cars.

Because everyone would rather see a rich hedge fund manager driving a "insert your team name here" - AF Corse Ferrari vs a Ford, with a full factory lineup of world class drivers.

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

The LM24H lasted 88 years, but required third party intervention to save it on multiple locations. Stefan Ratel can be credited for the survival in the 90s after some terrible ACO/FIA management that resulted in over pandering the manufacturers, who eventually pulled out and left almost nothing there. And what is it Ratel does best? Deals with amateur drivers.

The ACO/FIA are really terrible at history, aren't they?

[MaskedRacer]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

Because everyone would rather see a rich hedge fund manager driving a "insert your team name here" - AF Corse Ferrari vs a Ford, with a full factory lineup of world class drivers.

Oh I agree if I interpret what you are saying right. My preferences for what happens in order from top to bottom is:

1. All GTE pro entry requests get accepted
2. None of the extra requests get in and each of the 6 manufacturers have 2 cars each
3. My last preference is to see just 3rd cars accepted but not 4th that would be kind of awkward for Ganassi and Core especially.

Either accept them all (hopeful this will be the case) or leave them all out and go 2 vs 2 vs 2 vs 2 vs 2 vs 2.

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

Because everyone would rather see a rich hedge fund manager driving a "insert your team name here" - AF Corse Ferrari vs a Ford, with a full factory lineup of world class drivers.

I would rather see a different car with different livery run by a different team than see a third or fourth identically-liveried model of an existing entrant, even if that existing entrant is a manufacturer with an all-pro line-up of superstars.

Personally, who is driving is much the least interesting factor of a race to me. I look for car variety and interesting tracks. Drivers barely figure in the equation. I fully recognise that this is not the view of many (probably the majority) here.

Edited to add: I would remove the separate class for Ams though, along with the requirement to have year-old cars. If your rich hedge-fund manager wants to buy a GTE and race, that's fine, but I wouldn't indulge him with a separate class. I dislike "everyone gets a prize" racing.

[Mike E]

Bleekemolen (no surprise) and Felipe Fraga confirmed in the Keating Ford. This looks like a strong line up.

Fraga is a very sneaky Silver.
He's only 23 but was Brazilian Touring Car champ in 2013, Brazilian Stock Car champ in 2016, and 2nd in Stock Cars last year.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...r-opportunity/

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by Mike E

Bleekemolen (no surprise) and Felipe Fraga confirmed in the Keating Ford. This looks like a strong line up.

Fraga is a very sneaky Silver.
He's only 23 but was Brazilian Touring Car champ in 2013, Brazilian Stock Car champ in 2016, and 2nd in Stock Cars last year.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...r-opportunity/

Saw that, also mentions the team running the car will be from Riley, Ganassi, Multimatic abd Ford, so substantial effort being put together.

[Dyson Mazda]

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

I would rather see a different car with different livery run by a different team than see a third or fourth identically-liveried model of an existing entrant, even if that existing entrant is a manufacturer with an all-pro line-up of superstars.

Personally, who is driving is much the least interesting factor of a race to me. I look for car variety and interesting tracks. Drivers barely figure in the equation. I fully recognise that this is not the view of many (probably the majority) here.

Edited to add: I would remove the separate class for Ams though, along with the requirement to have year-old cars. If your rich hedge-fund manager wants to buy a GTE and race, that's fine, but I wouldn't indulge him with a separate class. I dislike "everyone gets a prize" racing.

Proton ended up with 4 cars in GTE-Am, AF Corse at least 3.

Also the Ford and Porsche efforts last year were essentially run by different teams (Ganassi & Multimatic/George HC, CORE & Manthey)

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

Proton ended up with 4 cars in GTE-Am, AF Corse at least 3.

Also the Ford and Porsche efforts last year were essentially run by different teams (Ganassi & Multimatic/George HC, CORE & Manthey)

I don't think Proton should have 4 either. 3 should be the limit, so AF Corse one is fine.

Similar for the JCDC LMP2 stuff last year. Yeah they sold some of those entries on, but at one point they were looking at 5-6 entries, which is madness. I'd even consider maxing Am teams to 2 cars tbh. AF Corse Am is a little different as it isn't really the same team.

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

Proton ended up with 4 cars in GTE-Am, AF Corse at least 3.

Also the Ford and Porsche efforts last year were essentially run by different teams (Ganassi & Multimatic/George HC, CORE & Manthey)

I'm not wild about any one team running four cars but my personal concern is car variety so extra Am Porsches is indeed much less desirable than extra Pro Fords.

It's also amazing what interesting liveries can do. Four factory cars each with a different, relevant livery is cool, Four in identical manufacturer colours is not.

I do realise that this is - quite literally - a very superficial issue. Variety in the GT field is much less of a concern than the effective one-make series that LMP2 has become in both WEC and ELMS.

[Deleted]

GG had a good rant about the lack of ACO communications on the MP podcast... check it out

In the Ginetta front I do still think they will hand at least one entry for them, but the second probably goes to reserves (and then withdrawn by Ginetta of course...)

I suspect they will give three entries for PRO Porsches and two for Fords, reasoning that the Keating Ford is essentially their 'third entry'... also as possible revenge for likely ditching the series for next year. The rest are thrown at the bottom of the reserve list. Risi maybe at Reserve #1

Hopefully there won't be many more GTE-AMs to come either, their presence is already frustrating

[Mike E]

Autosport are reporting that Brendon Hartley is likely to be driving for RLR Msport in LMP2 at LM.

[Lutzvic]

ByKolles switch to Gibson....
Last Nismo disappeared...but certainly good for the reliability

[Deleted]

So we know there were 75 entities which requested entries for the 60 spots + 10 reserves...

42 of them are locked, so that leaves 33 requested entries left... who were they...

"Known" / 99,9% certain to have requested
LMP1 Ginetta 1
LMP1 Ginetta 2
LMP2 High Class
LMP2 Duqueine
LMP2 Graff
LMP2 ARC Bratislava
LMP2 United 1
LMP2 United 2
LMP2 Panis-Barthez 1
LMP2 IDEC 1
LMP2 Algarve Pro 1
PRO Corvette 1
PRO Corvette 2
PRO Ford USA 1
PRO Ford USA 2
PRO Porsche USA 1
PRO Porsche USA 2
PRO Risi
AM Ebimotors
= 19x

Maybe requested
LMP2 BHK
LMP2 Cool Racing
LMP2 Carlin
LMP2 Inter Europol
LMP2 Panis-Barthez 2
LMP2 IDEC 2
LMP2 Algarve Pro 2
LMP2 Jota 3
LMP2 Jota 4
LMP2 Spirit of Race 2*
AM Luzich
AM Kessel 2
= 12x

???
LMP2 Racing Engineering
LMP2 Eurasia
(P3/GT3 Aslms teams)
= 2-

Is that our leftover 33




---

Here's my guess for the final accepted then:

LMP1 Ginetta 1
LMP2 High Class
LMP2 Duqueine
LMP2 Graff
LMP2 ARC Bratislava
LMP2 United 1
LMP2 United 2
LMP2 Panis-Barthez 1
LMP2 IDEC 1
LMP2 Algarve Pro 1
LMP2 Algarve Pro 2
LMP2 ASLMS TBA (Inter Europol?)
PRO Corvette 1
PRO Corvette 2
PRO Ford USA 1
PRO Porsche USA 1
AM Ebimotors
AM ASLMS TBA (the Japanese?)

RESERVES
01) PRO Risi
02) LMP2 Panis-Barthez 2
03) LMP1 Ginetta 2
04) LMP2 IDEC 2
05) PRO Porsche USA 2
06) PRO Ford USA 2
07) LMP2 Spirit of Race 2
08) LMP2 Eurasia
09) LMP2 Jota 3
10) LMP2 Carlin

[Deleted]

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/elms/frey-amongst-all-female-kessel-entry-for-elms/
Kessel has applied for an entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its all-female lineup.

Okay so that's probably quaranteed entry then, for it is in line with FIA women into sports directive. Even more GTE-AM it is. Maybe that'll knock off Ebimotors though

Also I had forgotten the MSR all-women P2 from my list but that's probably integrated to ELMS team already getting in

[Akrapovic]

I agree with the majority of your guess for who will get the final spots.

I don't think ARC Bratislava will get in, as they seem to flip flop on what series they want to run in. I think Algarve may lose the second car as well. Kessel and Risi to take their place - I think if there's a cut down on factory GTE-Pro cars, then that will improve the Risi chance of having a GTE-Pro entry.

[Dyson Mazda]

Wasn’t there an all-female MSR P2 rumored as well

[Jager]

So which entry will Tracy Krohn buy .

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I agree with the majority of your guess for who will get the final spots.

I don't think ARC Bratislava will get in, as they seem to flip flop on what series they want to run in. I think Algarve may lose the second car as well. Kessel and Risi to take their place - I think if there's a cut down on factory GTE-Pro cars, then that will improve the Risi chance of having a GTE-Pro entry.

Bratislava will get in as they will inevitably win the LMP2-Am sub-whatever-class in ASLMS and get auto entry for that

Algarve Pro's second car probably depends on whether they get ACO-attention-grabbing pay drivers for it and/or another auto-entry for it from AsLMS

I also wonder if High Class has made entry request not only for their new Oreca but also for old Dallara, seeing as they appear to have kept them still in shop for next year. But seeing as ACO has never given them even one non-reserve slot I don't think they can expect more than Oreca to get in

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

Wasn’t there an all-female MSR P2 rumored as well

Yes as I said but it would be integrated to European team

[Deleted]

ASLMS auto entries:

United Autosports (LMP2)
ARC Bratislava (LMP2)
Inter Europol (LMP2)
CarGuy Racing (AM)

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Chiana

Bratislava will get in as they will inevitably win the LMP2-Am sub-whatever-class in ASLMS and get auto entry for that

Good point. I forgot about that. I'm normally one to argue for the existence of Pro-Am classes, but there's a limit to even my opinion on them...