The Centenary of Le Mans will bring together a great crowd!

No less than sixteen Hypercars.

The major attraction of the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, and even of the championship, is the massive return of manufacturers in the top category. Toyota held the fort alone with an end-of-life LMP1. Now, other brands will join it.

There will be seven factory teams: two cars each at Toyota, Ferrari, Peugeot, and Glickenhaus, who will field the 709, just like last season. Vanwall, who will have the 1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve, will only deploy a single Vandervell this season, both at Le Mans.

For the other manufacturers, on the other hand, they have gone all out: Porsche will field four cars, including two factory entries (numbers 5 and 6). Another Porsche will be entered under the Penske name specifically for the occasion, while Jota will have the second private 963 entry. Proton Competition will not be taking part.

Cadillac, finally, will come on strong, just like in Daytona, with three cars: two factory cars will be at the start, numbers 2 and 3. The latter will also feature the local hero, Sébastien Bourdais, who triumphed with Ford during the great era of GTE Pro!

The last Cadillac will be from Action Express Racing, which will take the number 311. This brings the total to sixteen Hypercars, from seven different manufacturers…with more to come!

A fierce battle in LMP2?

The other attraction in the second category prototype is, of course, the (temporary) return of Alpine, which will maximize its chances with two cars: the obvious N°36, to be driven by Matthieu Vaxivière from Limoges, Charles Milesi from Burgundy, and Julien Canal from Le Mans. The other car will be the N°35. The Dieppe brand is preparing for its entry in the Hypercar category next year… with the certainty of reclaiming victory?

First, you will have to climb over the bodies of the other giants in the category who also want their share of the cake: Prema and Jota (one car each), and among others, two United Autosport. In WEC as well as at Le Mans, the battle promises to be fierce, especially since several teams have ambitions for Hypercar in the coming years.

In total, 24 prototypes will be in the fight. That’s three less than last year, and perhaps the rise of the Hypercar could signal the end of this category in the Le Mans classic. We’ll see!

The GTE for one last dance.

The other upheaval concerns this category that is the essence of endurance races, as their traffic can disrupt the races.

The GTE Pro has bid farewell after years of good and loyal service, replacing the GT1. No more huge factory commitments, only the GTE-Am will be present this season. Only two semi-official programs will be part of it, before the arrival of the GT3: Corvette will field its only C8.R of the season, while AF Corse will still be there to aim for victory.

It will be necessary to keep a watchful eye on the Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari: the promising Amiens native Lilou Wadoux has become an official Ferrari driver. So, why not see her shine again, after her performances in LMP2?

The arrival of a champion

The ultimate aspect of this Centennial edition concerns Garage 56. Indeed, a NASCAR will hit the track alongside the other furious cars! The Hendrick Motorsport’s Chevrolet Camaro will be entrusted to the iconic Jimmie Johnson, multiple NASCAR champion, Mike Rockenfeller, former Audi driver in LMP1, and Jenson Button.

The 2009 Formula 1 world champion will make his second appearance in Le Mans and will then take on a brand new challenge. The car has undergone numerous tests. We already can’t wait to hear its furious V8 roar through the Hunaudières!

Find here the complete list of participants in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.