Line-up For 85th 24 Hours Of Le Mans
With the 85th iteration of the gruelling Le Mans 24 hours around the corner, only two more driver seats are left open. Last week the European Le Mans meeting announced the majority of the drivers scheduled for the event. Proton and G Drive Racing have yet to confirm their third drivers.
Christian Reid who is the team owner and a driver for Proton has told press that he will be joined by Stephane Lemeret and Nick Yelloly in their Porsche 911 RSR, with a third driver yet to be confirmed.
The position was originally to be filled by Wolf Henzler who works for the Porsche factory as a driver but he pulled out due to unspecified reasons.
The Second team will feature Le Mans veteran Patrick Long who will be competing in his 14th Le Mans event. He is joined by Mike Hedlund and Abdul-Aziz Al Faisal. Proton also has a third car that will be driven by Matteo Cairoli, Marvin Dienst and his brother Reid Dienst.
French Team Ready To Go
GRAFF, the French racing team has already confirmed their full driver roster.
The squad includes Richard Bradley, the 2015 LMP2 winner, James Allen and Franck Matelli. James Winslow, Eric Trouillet and Enzo Guibbert will be driving the second car.
Russian Team Filled To Capacity
Russian team SMP has also announced their line-up of drivers. Mikhail Aleshin, Viktor Shaytar and Renault Formula 1 reserve Sergei Sirotkin will be representing the team in both the LMP2 and ELMS events.
G Drive Racing has announced Memo Rojas and Ryo Hirakawa as their drivers with the third seat still to be filled.
Hybrid Vehicles To Join Roster
The 85th 24 Hours of Le Mans will also feature 5 Hybrid vehicles this year. Two of these vehicles will be the Porsche 919 and three vehicles will be the Toyota TS050
The 5 hybrid vehicles will be part of the 60 car squad taking part in the event. This is a great sign for the industry in a time when climate change and emission concerns are on many people’s minds.
This year’s Le Mans will kick off on the 17th of June. A test session of 8 hours will start on the 4th of June and will be mandatory for all competitors. 4 hours of practice will kick off on the 14th then 3 qualifying sessions of 2 hours each.
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More About Gary Hicks
When it comes to knowing what’s going on, on the track, field or any other sporting arena, Gary Hicks is your man. With an almost unrivalled passion for journalism, sports and betting Gary decided to combine his love of all 3 and share his expertise with the world.
In the last few years Gary has risen through the ranks and prides himself on always keeping a finger on the pulse of what’s hot and happening in the sports betting world. Gary is the resident news expert at OnlineBettingNZ.co.nz and his articles make for invaluable fodder for any avid punter.
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