[LM24] 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans - Entry List Speculation!

[Beetle]

Hello, all,

It's been a very interesting entrance to the silly season, as is usually the case in the field of motorsports. I just wanted to put up some speculation entries for the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.

So, let's get up to date. Flying Lizard is changing from Porsche to something very mysterious. Porsche has ceased to develop the 997 and has began on the 991, the newest version of the Porsche 911. McLaren seems very interested in developing the McLaren MP4-12C into a GTE car. With the ALMS/Grand-Am merger in 2014, as well as rumors surrounding one single GT category across the globe (wouldn't that make things easier?) in 2015, we've got some interesting prospects on the horizon. BMW is developing a Z4 GTE car. Bentley is developing a "GT3" car, which will be used in a limited schedule in 2013 and a full schedule in 2014. SO!...

LMP1
4X Audi R18 e-tron quattro (LOCKED IN)
2X Toyota Racing
2X Rebellion Racing (LOCKED IN)
1X JRM
1X OAK
1X Strakka
?X Pescarolo???
1X Sebastien Loeb?

LMP2
1X ADR-Delta
2X Lotus
2X Gulf Racing Middle East
1X Level 5
2X OAK
1X Murphy
1X Pecom
1X Thiriet
1X Jota
2X Signatech
1X Boutsen Ginion
1X Status GP
2X Greaves
?X Starworks? (LOCKED IN)
?X Potolicchio?
1X Extreme Limite
1X Race Performance

GTE
2X Corvette
3-4X AF Corse (LOCKED IN)
1X JMW
2-3X AMR
1X CRS McLaren
2X BMW RLL Z4s?
2X Vipers
2X Felbermayr
2X Flying Lizards?
2X Larbre (LOCKED IN)
1X JWA-Avila
1X IMSA Matmut (LOCKED IN)
1X Krohn
1X Prospeed
1X JMB Racing

Not Classified
Mazda Clean Diesel

SOME MUSINGS...
Come 2015, could we see the best Le Mans ever...?!

LMP1: Factory Audis, Toyotas, and Porsches
LMP2: Who cares!
GT: BMW Z4, Vipers, Corvette C7s, Ferrari 458s, Audi R8 LMS, Jaguar F-Type, Bentley GT3 Concept, Acura NSX, Lamborghini Gallardo, AMR Vantages, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GTEs, McLaren MP4-12C GTEs...

[MitchZ06]

The McLaren GTE program is all in house now so you can remove the CRS part from that name. Still only a possibility of them going....

[gregtummer]

I don't know for sure that you can say Audi is entering 4 cars. I'd say at least 3 and maybe 4.

Also Toyota plans to enter 3 cars for Le Mans.

[gwyllion]

@Beetle: Your first post does not correspond with the title of this thread. You talk about Le Mans 2013, Le Mans 2014, and Le Mans 2015. There already is generic topic called "Sportscar/GT (and Le Mans) Rumours".

Anyway, you list "Mazda Clean Diesel" as "Not Classified"? In 2013 the 56th entry goes to GreenGT.

I also believe that 4 entries for Audi is unrealistic. The same is probably true for the 3-4 entries for AF Corse.

[FstrthnU]

I think Muscle Milk has a good chance of trying Le Mans next year, they have the auto-entry and it will be the last year for Pickett to use the current car.

[TF110]

Will Pickett have a new HPD though? I wonder.

[Koenigsegg]

- DOME in LMP1.
- Muscle Milk in LMP1?
- Don't think Extreme Limite will be there next year, they sold their car.
- There might be some Japanese LMP2 entries from the AsLMS.
- Sebastien Loeb more likely to be in LMP2.
- I guess Gulf Racing Middle East will be 1 entry.
- Maybe Falken Racing.
- Perhaps a Lotus Evora at Le Mans?
- GreenGT as the 56th entry.

And anyone who debuts a new car in GTE or LMP2 and wants to do Le Mans, will be invited.

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by gregtummer

Also Toyota plans to enter 3 cars for Le Mans.

I was hoping they would but , where did you hear that ?

3 for Audi , shouldnt be allowed 4 .

Picket said he would like to do it .

[Gingers4Justice]

Muscle Milk don't get an auto-invitation. I would suggest, however, that if Pickett did show any interest his entry would be pretty much garaunteed. The ACO wouldn't say no to a quality LMP1 entry.

I'd also expect another LMP1 entry in the WEC to fly out of nowhere, like JRM last year.

Whether we see McLaren or Viper at Le Mans is not set in stone, of course, but I'd expect at least one of them will show up.

There's also potential for four works Astons split between PRO and AM.

[Simmi]

Too early really to say anything definitively. It's fun to speculate but there's really no such thing as a confirmed entry, certainly not until we get into 2013.

[Mal]

The ALMS have 3? discretionary invites. They should ask all their teams to apply for them to show commitment and then select the most suitable. I would say that Muscle Milk are pretty much guaranteed one should they want it.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by The Badger

I was hoping they would but , where did you hear that ?

Leupen interview:
http://tentenths.com/forum/showpost....postcount=2167

3 for Audi , shouldnt be allowed 4 .

Why? So that ACO can give an entry to one more GT-Am instead?

[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by Mal

The ALMS have 3? discretionary invites. They should ask all their teams to apply for them to show commitment and then select the most suitable. I would say that Muscle Milk are pretty much guaranteed one should they want it.

IIRC, three for 2013 and four for 2014.

[FAS33]

I wish this Series had a round here in Aus so we can watch it live, preferably Bathurst, yes we have a 12 hour happening here, but with the variety in this field, its always (mostly) good racing, even though I got no Idea of who the drivers/teams are.

[Koenigsegg]

Originally Posted by FAS33

I wish this Series had a round here in Aus so we can watch it live, preferably Bathurst, yes we have a 12 hour happening here, but with the variety in this field, its always (mostly) good racing, even though I got no Idea of who the drivers/teams are.

Is Bathurst suitable for LMP's? Doesn't look like it.

[Gingers4Justice]

Originally Posted by deggis

Leupen interview:

Why? So that ACO can give an entry to one more GT-Am instead?

More because if they give Audi four entries, they've instantly made them favourites, and this year that pretty much garaunteed them a podium lock-out.

It would have been massive for the LMP1 privateers and their sponsors to have got a podium at Le Mans and they deserved it on merit. They signed up to the whole WEC.

It's not fair for Audi to bring along more cars because they can.

[carsten66]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

Muscle Milk don't get an auto-invitation. I would suggest, however, that if Pickett did show any interest his entry would be pretty much garaunteed. The ACO wouldn't say no to a quality LMP1 entry...

Don't they get an auto-invitation by winning the ALMS’ LMP1 championship?

[deggis]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

More because if they give Audi four entries, they've instantly made them favourites, and this year that pretty much garaunteed them a podium lock-out.

It would have been massive for the LMP1 privateers and their sponsors to have got a podium at Le Mans and they deserved it on merit. They signed up to the whole WEC.

If for example next year both bring 3 cars, that would require 4 of them to fail. A bit weird assumption. Also, isn't there already this "everybody wins" system in place with all of the hundred class sub-championships?

Complaining about manufacturers taking too many entries is a moot point as long as there is this certain amateur class.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by Koenigsegg

Is Bathurst suitable for LMP's? Doesn't look like it.

Probably not (demo laps do not count).

[Gingers4Justice]

Originally Posted by carsten66

Don't they get an auto-invitation by winning the ALMS’ LMP1 championship?

I don't think so, no, but your wink confuses me..

[Simmi]

I think it's moot as they don't need an auto-invite to get into the show. Realistically no P1 team does.

[Gingers4Justice]

Originally Posted by deggis

If for example next year both bring 3 cars, that would require 4 of them to fail. A bit weird assumption. Also, isn't there already this "everybody wins" system in place with all of the hundred class sub-championships?

Complaining about manufacturers taking too many entries is a moot point as long as there is this certain amateur class.

3 per manufacturer is different, that's a given at Le Mans, but 4 cars is way too many. Just in the name of variety, I'd much rather see an AM car, or a Norma, instead of a fourth Audi. Once the Toyotas had gone out, the best endurance race in the world was reduced to nothing more than an Audi R18 challenge at the front.

A fourth Audi probably means someone who has worked their socks off all year just go get a sniff at a Le Mans entry has wasted their time, just because a manufacturer doesn't fancy spreading risks between 'just' the three cars.

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

Muscle Milk don't get an auto-invitation .

Why ? I thought ALMS class champs get an auto inviye .

Anything less would be shocking , imo . There has to be a carrot on the string !!!

[Gingers4Justice]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Why ?

I thought there's no auto-invitation for winning the ALMS anymore?

[gwyllion]

In the past, the ALMS champions and the PLM class winners gained a LM auto-invitation. That is no longer the case.

For the first time in recent memory, the race will not award auto-invites for the 24 Hours of Le Mans to each class winner, with the ALMS having only three "at large" entries to give out for next year's twice-around-the-clock French enduro.

source: http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...t-le-mans-win/