24h Le Mans
Mexico will be hosting the World Endurance Championship for the first time this season. The fifth round will take place at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. There will be 34 cars on the grid and three local drivers at the wheel.
In LM P1, the only change to the entry list compared to the 6 Hours of Nürburgring is the return of three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Benoît Tréluyer who missed the last round due to a cycling injury sustained while training.
The LM P2 line-up has an extra car, which although British, has a distinctly Latino flavour. Reigning European Le Mans Series champion Greaves Motorsport will be fielding the winning Gibson 015S with Luis Diaz, Bruno Junqueira and Roberto González at the wheel. Diaz won the American Le Mans Series LM P2 class in 2009 with fellow Mexican Adrián Fernández and has driven the 24 Hours of Le Mans (in 2012). Brazilian driver Junqueira has eight Indy 500s under his belt and came third in Prototype Challenge in the United SportsCar Championship last year. The third crew member and former IndyCar Series driver Roberto González is the elder brother of Ricardo González, owner-driver of endurance team RGR Sport by Morand. The González brothers will be following in the footsteps of Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez, the Mexican brothers after whom the Mexico City circuit is named. Pedro Rodríguez won the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1968.
There are no Latin American drivers in LM GTE Pro or in LM GTE Am. However, Ricky Taylor, who drove the #63 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R at Le Mans this year will be in the Larbre Compétition Corvette. The American driver will be standing in for Paolo Ruberti for the next three rounds of the World Endurance Championship.
The 6 Hours of Mexico is at 13:30 (CDT) on 3 September 2016.
Photo: The Ligier JS P2 run by RGR Sport by Morand flyed the flag for Mexico in the last 24 Hours of Le Mans.
