Like Aston Martin, Toyota has announced that it will be fielding a hypercar for the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans, just hours after the publication of the regulations. The Japanese manufacturer will continue to compete in the premier league of endurance for the 2020-21 FIA World Endurance Championship, which ends with the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.

24H Le Mans

Le Mans Series

24 Heures du Mans

FIA WEC

The entry list of 186 drivers destined for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans (12-16 June) has been announced, including several Formula 1 alumni.

In just a few weeks, multiple F1 stars such as&nbsp;Mick Schumacher, Romain Grosjean, Antonio Giovinazzi, Nyck de Vries, Jenson Button, Robert Kubica and&nbsp;Daniil Kvyat will hit the track at the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans.&nbsp;The presence of Toyota, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Cadillac, BMW, Peugeot and&nbsp;Isotta Fraschini in the&nbsp;Hypercar category has proved a&nbsp;massive&nbsp;draw for single-seater drivers.

<h2>A Wealth of Top F1 Names&nbsp;</h2>

<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/mick-schumacher-alpine-i-admit-having-a-closed-cockpit-was-somewhat-claustrophobic-58302" target="_blank">Mick Schumacher</a> (age 25) is getting ready&nbsp;to take the start in his rookie&nbsp;24 Hours at the wheel of Alpine Endurance Team&#39;s #36 Alpine A424 shared with&nbsp;Nicolas Lapierre and&nbsp;Matthieu Vaxivi&egrave;re. Schumacher&#39;s legendary father, Michael, raced at Le Mans in&nbsp;1991 with&nbsp;a&nbsp;Sauber C11 Mercedes.

<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/romain-grosjean-lamborghini-we-ll-be-trying-to-pull-off-a-good-result-58049" target="_blank">Romain Grosjean</a> (age 38) returns to the 24 Hours&nbsp;14 years after his sole&nbsp;participation to date. He boasts&nbsp;179 F1 Grand Prix starts and has been recruited by&nbsp;Lamborghini Iron Lynx to join Andrea Caldarelli and&nbsp;Matteo Cairoli&nbsp;in the #19&nbsp;SC63.

<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/nyck-de-vries-joins-toyota-gazoo-racing-58052" target="_blank">Nyck de Vries</a> (age 29) will represent&nbsp;TOYOTA GAZOO&nbsp;Racing, a team he knows well after serving as its reserve driver from&nbsp;2020 to&nbsp;2022. The Dutchman&nbsp;has four participations in the 24 Hours under his belt, with&nbsp;Racing Team Nederland (2019 and&nbsp;2020), G-Drive Racing (2021) and&nbsp;TDS Racing X Vaillante (2022).

Jenson Button (age 44), the 2009&nbsp;F1 world champion, is competing full time in the&nbsp;FIA WEC this season on behalf of&nbsp;Hertz Team JOTA, teaming up with&nbsp;Oliver Rasmussen and&nbsp;Philip Hanson in the #38&nbsp;Porsche 963. Last year, the British F1 veteran drove the&nbsp;Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entered by&nbsp;Hendrick Motorsports. His first 24 Hours dates back to&nbsp;2018 and SMP Racing&#39;s&nbsp;BR Engineering BR1-AER.

Robert Kubica (age 39) has competed in endurance racing since&nbsp;2021. He won the European Le Mans Series that year with&nbsp;Team WRT and in 2022&nbsp;finished second in LMP2 at Le&nbsp;Mans with&nbsp;Prema Orlen Team. Kubica&nbsp;is set to share AF Corse&#39;s #83 Ferrari 499P with&nbsp;Robert Schwartzman and&nbsp;Yifei Ye this year.

Joining&nbsp;Romain Grosjean in Lamborghini Iron Lynx&#39;s arsenal&nbsp;is&nbsp;Daniil Kvyat (age 30). The former&nbsp;Red Bull F1 driver made his debut in the 24 Hours in 2023 at&nbsp;the wheel of Prema Racing&#39;s #63 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson&nbsp;(retirement after leaving the track).

Last but not least is&nbsp;Antonio Giovinazzi, the former&nbsp;Sauber F1 Team and Alfa Romeo Racing driver who won the 24 Hours Centenary last year with&nbsp;Ferrari AF Corse. He will join&nbsp;Alessandro Pier Guidi and&nbsp;James Calado once again to defend their title.

<h2>Major Assets</h2>

Why are teams entered in the Hypercar category turning to former&nbsp;F1 drivers to fill their ranks? The advantage&nbsp;of&nbsp;recruiting&nbsp;drivers from the world of single-seaters is not limited to skills on the track. Their fame and ability to attract media attention offer undeniable exposure, and they also provide&nbsp;invaluable expertise. Their experience at&nbsp;challenging&nbsp;circuits, ability to perform under&nbsp;pressure and capacity to make informed decisions in extreme conditions are huge assets for endurance racing teams. F1&nbsp;drivers&nbsp;also bring a disciplined work ethic, analytical approach, the ability to communicate effectively with engineers and the desire to maximise&nbsp;their car&#39;s&nbsp;performance:&nbsp;all prerequisites to winning&nbsp;Le&nbsp;Mans.

The presence of Formula 1 drivers at the 24 Hours is a long-standing&nbsp;tradition. Around 20 F1 champions have taken on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/formula-one-drivers-take-on-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-56810" target="_blank">iconic classic</a>&nbsp;at various stages of their careers.

As the 92nd 24 Hours approaches, one thing is for sure: the action on the track promises to be as outstanding&nbsp;as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/who-are-the-186-drivers-set-to-compete-in-the-2024-24-hours-of-le-mans-58574" target="_blank">186 drivers</a>&nbsp;battling to add a win at Le Mans to their career highlight reel.

Former Formula 1 drivers gearing up to take on the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans

For the second year in a row the Road To Le Mans event has attracted a maximum grid of 58 cars, with 40 LMP3s and 18 GT3s due to take to the full 13.6km Circuit de la Sarthe next month in support of the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 39 Michelin Le Mans Cup full season entries will be joined by 12 race by race entries in the LMP3 category and a further 7 GT3 entries for the two 55-minute races on Thursday 13th&nbsp;and Saturday 15th&nbsp;June.

A total of 116 drivers and 35 teams, representing 23 different nations from all corners of the world, will compete in the 9th&nbsp;edition of the Road To Le Mans which began in 2016 with a single 55-minute race. Since 2017 there have been two 55-minute races, with the first on Thursday and the second race on Saturday a few hours before the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The LMP3 field will consist of 40 cars, 34 Ligier JS P320s and 6 Duqueine M30-D08s, all powered by the same Nissan V8 engine.

The 28 full season entries are led by the current championship leader Adrien Chila and David Droux after winning last weekend in Le Castellet in the no97 COOL Racing Ligier. David Droux also won the second Road To Le Mans race in 2023 and Adrien Chila did the same in 2019, so they both know what it is like to stand on the top step of the podium at Le Mans.

COOL Racing are tied on 35 points with the no85 R-ace GP and their drivers Fabien Michal and Hadrien David, but the all French outfit are classified in second due to COOL Racing&rsquo;s race win in Le Castellet.

Round 1 winners High Class Racing are on 33 points with Jens Moller and Tommy Foster finishing 6th&nbsp;in Le Castellet. Reigning LMP3 Champions Team Virage are fielding a total of four cars, with two race-by-race entries alongside their two full season cars, with the no44 Ligier Jamie Falvey and Mihnea Stefan in 5th&nbsp;overall thanks to the second-place finish in Le Castellet, one point behind the 4th&nbsp;placed no34 Inter Europol Competition Ligier of Alex Bukhantsov and Rik Koen.

2023 Vice Champions Audunn Gudmundsson and Colin Noble are also on 18 points, but the Team Thor crew are classified as 6thoverall due to the no44 Team Virage&rsquo;s podium finish in Round 2.

2022 LMP3 and 2023 GT3 Team Champions Racing Spirit of L&eacute;man return with an entry in each category. Other additional entries in LMP3 come courtesy of some of the other ELMS regulars with four-time MLMC champions DKR Engineering entering a single Duqueine, while 2021 team champions Nielsen Racing will field a second Ligier for Road to Le Mans.

WTM by Rinaldi Racing will join the grid with a single Duqueine, Eurointernational will field two Ligiers and Haegeli by T2 Racing will run a second Duqueine alongside their full season entry. The race-by-race entry no9 Graff Ligier that was seen at Le Castellet will also enter Road To Le Mans and the no50 Reiter Engineering Ligier that raced at Barcelona and Le Castellet is also entered for RTLM.

<h2>Six GT3 Manufacturers for Road To Le Mans</h2>

The 11-car full season entry is booted to 18 for Road To Le Mans this season, with three teams racing the Mercedes AMG GT3 EVO alongside the season regulars &ndash; Aston Martin, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.

The GT3 entry is led by double race winners Matthew Kurzejewski and Alessandro Balzan, the no51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 having secured 51 points out of a possible 52 from the first two races in Spain and France. The two American drivers are 18 points ahead of their nearest rivals in the no74 Kessel Racing Ferrari, with Fran Rueda and Andrew Gilbert on 33 points thanks to two podium finishes in the first two races.

The no83 Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan is currently third with C&eacute;lia Martin and Karen Gaillard on 25 points thanks mainly to the pole position and second place finish in Le Castellet. The no12 Kessel Racing Ferrari of David Fumanelli and Frederic Jousset is one point behind in 4th&nbsp;on 24 points and the no88 AF Corse Ferrari of Custodio Toledo and Riccardo Agostini is on 21 points in 5thoverall after two rounds.

Full season entrants Steller Motorsport will run the only Audi R8 on the grid, while High Class Racing and Proton Huber Competition will run the two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs.

Kessel Racing will run a third Ferrari 296 GT3 along the Swiss teams two full season entries, while AF Corse will go one better and run two Ferrari 296s on a race-by-race basis alongside their two full season cars.

The two full season Aston Martin Vantage GT3s run by British team Blackthorn are due to be in Le Mans and the third Vantage will be run by reigning MLMC Team Champions Racing Spirit of Leman, with 2023 drivers&rsquo; champion Valentin Hasse Clot being joined by his 2024 ELMS teammate Derek Deboer.

Three Mercedes AMG GT3 EVOs will join the grid in Le Mans, two run by German teams Getspeed and Heart of Racing SPS, while the third Mercedes will be run by Team Motorpark from Austria.

The points awarded for each of the two 55-minute are reduced from the 25-18-15 points for first, second and third in the 110-minute races. The winner of each race in Le Mans will receive 15 points, 9 for second, 7 for third and then 6 points down to 1. Only the MLMC full season entries are eligible to score points in each race.

Qualifying for the two Road To Le Mans races will be held on Thursday 13 June, with Q1 at 10h30 CEST followed by Q2 at 11h05. Race 1 will be held the same day at 18h30 in the evening, while race 2 will be held at 10h35 on Saturday morning ahead of the 92nd&nbsp;edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/doc-prod/RZJKbh9o_3j908N5YkHXK2D2.pdf" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for the entry list for the 2024 Road To Le Mans, Round 3 of the 2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup.

Road To Le Mans grid maxed out once again with 58 entries

The administrative and technical checks, known as Scrutineering, for the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans (12-16 June) will be held on 7-8 June in the city centre. Here is the programme for the 62 teams entered in the race.

This year, Proton Competition&#39;s #44 Ford Mustang LMGT3 will kick off&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-scrutineering-57500" target="_blank">Scrutineering</a>&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;7 June at&nbsp;10:00 local time. Crowdstrike Racing by APR&#39;s #45 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson is set to close out the checks&nbsp;on Saturday&nbsp;8 June at&nbsp;14:50 local time.

Scrutineering, which is free to attend, will be held at the place de la R&eacute;publique in the Le Mans city centre. This is&nbsp;the first major event, and always a highlight, of race week at the 24 Hours. Fans are able to get *this* close to their favourite racing cars and drivers ahead of Test Day on Sunday 9 June.

Find the schedule for the&nbsp;2024&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans administrative and&nbsp;technical checks below:

Scrutineering schedule for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans

The world’s biggest carmakers are gearing up for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, on 15-16 June. With the list of drivers set to take part unveiled today, here’s a rundown of all you need to know.

<h4 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mcusercontent.com/b5f125906fc10a7f9e846de69/files/4cd0fa6d-a2ed-2596-c4ba-5f319feaae50/24H_LE_MANS_2024_Provisional__Entry_List_v6_06052024.pdf">ENTRY LIST</a></h4>

Hypercar reaches new heights

The premium class of endurance has attracted a bumper field of 23 cars entered by nine different manufacturers: Ferrari, Alpine, BMW, Isotta Fraschini, Peugeot, Lamborghini, Cadillac, Toyota and Porsche. The drivers list features some of the most experienced racers in the business with a glittering array of achievements to their name. They include four-time Le Mans winner Sébastien Buemi, three-time winner André Lotterer, and Kévin Estre, winner of the FIA WEC championship title and the LMGTE Pro class at the French endurance classic. All the makings of a historic battle!

LMGT3 enters the fray

While the spotlight will be on the Hypercars, the new LMGT3 class is shaping up to be just as exciting. It will also comprise 23 cars built by nine leading manufacturers: Aston Martin, Ford, BMW, Lamborghini, Porsche, Lexus, Corvette, McLaren and, with a brand new model, Ferrari. The mix of LMGT3s and Hypercars promises a level of diversity rarely seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The LMGT3 driver contingent will feature Le Mans veterans such as Thomas Flohr, set to make his eighth appearance. At the other end of the scale, Kelvin van der Linde will make his first start in the race despite more than a decade of GT experience.

A treat in store in LMP2

The LMP2 class is always hotly contested and the 16 prototypes set for to compete this year will undoubtedly put on a superb show. Former 24 Hours class winners, such as Ben Keating and François Perrodo, will have their work cut out to fend off an armada of hungry young talent led by Louis Delétraz, hoping to go one better after two second places. Meanwhile Fabio Scherer, now with Nielsen Racing, will attempt to double up after his 2023 success. With high-flying teams of the calibre of United Autosports and Inter Europol Competition in the field, fans will undoubtedly be treated to a top-level race.

From Formula One to the 24 Hours

Since the premier single-seater championship was created in 1950, a host of Formula One heroes have taken up the Le Mans challenge and 2024 will be no exception. The 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button will fly the Hypercar flag for Hertz Team Jota and Antonio Giovinazzi, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary race in a Ferrari, will be back to defend his team’s crown. They will be joined by other former Formula One stars who have made the switch to endurance at Le Mans, including Robert Kubica, Nyck de Vries, Romain Grosjean and Mick Schumacher this year.

A pink Lamborghini

The Iron Dames are back with a new line-up and a new car. The outfit has chosen to run a Lamborghini Huracán LMGT3 Evo2 for the 2024 FIA WEC. Rising French star Doriane Pin, who has already raced at Le Mans, will share the wheel with Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting. Last November, the Iron Dames won the 8 Hours of Bahrain – a first for an all-female trio of drivers at this level of competition. On 15-16 June, they will be among the favourites to add a new line to their already impressive track record.

A nine-time world champion on the grid

Valentino Rossi, nine-time world motorcycle GP champion, will make his 24 Hours of Le Mans début in LMGT3. Since appearing at the Circuit des 24 Heures in the 2023 Road To Le Mans support race, Rossi has joined forces with Ahmad Al Harthy and Maxime Martin in a BMW M4 LMGT3 for Team WRT. The three men made the podium in the second round of the 2024 FIA WEC, the 6 Hours of Imola. The 24 Hours of Le Mans challenge is on a different scale, but the Italian is no stranger to the spotlight and can count on the support of thousands of fans.

Final tickets available to see Free Practice and Qualifying, the Hyperpole session and concerts by Louise Attaque and BigFlo &amp; Oli! 
 
The ACO has already announced that Race Week and Race Weekend admission tickets are sold out and is now advising that there are only a few tickets remaining for the Free Practice &amp; Qualifying and Hyperpole sessions plus the concerts on Wednesday and Thursday. These tickets are compatible with the Green Ticket offer, which urges spectators to use sustainable forms of transport.&nbsp; 
 
Head to&nbsp;<a href="https://ticket.24h-lemans.com/content">https://ticket.24h-lemans.com/content</a>&nbsp;to book your tickets! 
&nbsp;

Who are the 186 drivers set to compete in  the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans?

24 Heures du Mans 2019

Under the new rules announced by the Automobile Club de l&rsquo;Ouest this morning, manufacturers may choose to develop their hypercar from a prototype or a production car. Toyota has opted for a hybrid prototype based on the GR Super Sport, the hybrid concept car unveiled at the 2018 Tokyo motor show.

Pascal Vasselon, technical director of Toyota Gazoo Racing: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s logical for Toyota to choose a prototype because we don&rsquo;t have a hypercar in our range. We&rsquo;ll be developing the GR Super Sport and the racing prototype at the same time. They&rsquo;ll have the same hybrid system. The prototype will hit the tarmac first, probably by mid 2020. The hypercar lap times should be similar to the Toyota TS050 Hybrid. First, because in the new regulations the onus is on cost-effectiveness rather than a quest for performance and second, because the aerodynamics will be less efficient. Our goal is simple: to make Toyota part of the legend of Le Mans.&rdquo;

This weekend, Toyota will attempt to become the twelfth manufacturer to win Le Mans at least twice.

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, TOYOTA CONFERENCE, SATURDAY 14 JUNE 2019. Toyota announced its participation in the next WEC season with a hybrid hypercar based on the GR Super Sport.

24H LE MANS

24 Hours of Le Mans - Toyota to continue in top-flight endurance with a hypercar

Related News

Former Formula 1 drivers gearing up to take on the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans

Road To Le Mans grid maxed out once again with 58 entries

Scrutineering schedule for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans

Who are the 186 drivers set to compete in the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans?

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