An updated version of the 2020 FIA WEC Lone Star Le Mans entry list has been released, featuring three significant changes.
The first is a significant omission from the LMP1 field. Team LNT will not make the trip, its pair of Ginetta G60-LT-P1s are withdrawn from the list. The British team is still on the Sebring entry list, however, it will not make the trip to Texas, meaning the entry has been reduced to three cars in LMP1.
Ginetta released a brief statement on Tuesday morning explaining Team LNT’s absence:
“The #5 & #6 G60-LT-P1 cars needed significant planned maintenance after Bahrain.
“The WEC calendar is challenging, especially for any team with a new car in its first season and we have not had the chassis’ back at the factory since before Silverstone in August.
“The cancellation of the earlier WEC race in Brazil and the new race at COTA made it impossible to do the planned work at our facility in Virginia, so the cars were shipped post-race back to Ginetta UK, the cars hopefully arrive at the factory today.”
LMP2 meanwhile, has grown to nine cars, US-flagged team DragonSpeed, fresh from a Rolex 24 LMP2 class win, has entered a single ORECA 07 Gibson. DragonSpeed was a full-season FIA WEC entrant last season but has opted to compete in IMSA in 2020 along with its regular ELMS LMP2 programme.
For its guest-entry DragonSpeed will race with three of its four Rolex 24 LMP2 class winners: Ben Hanley, Henrik Hedman and Colin Braun.
!!RACE ANNOUNCEMENT!! We’re really excited to announce that we will race at the @COTA @FIAWEC race in the LMP2 Trophy class. An unexpected opportunity 😎 We relish the challenge 👍🏼🤙🏼 Driving duties go to @henhed10 @benhanley85 @colinbraun #oneteamonedream @Oreca @Michelin_Sport pic.twitter.com/ijZGpl93LL
— DragonSpeed (@DragonSpeedLLC) February 4, 2020
Notably, Cool Racing, which isn’t on the WEC entry for Sebring, is still on the CoTA entry, the Swiss-flagged team set to make the trip to Texas later this month.
In the GTE ranks, Corvette Racing has confirmed that Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller will make surprise returns to the team, driving its single C8.R entered in the race. Magnussen was a full-time Corvette driver until the end of the last IMSA season, while Rockenfeller was a nominated endurance driver for the team’s longer races. This year Jordan Taylor has been placed in Magnussen’s former seat alongside Antonio Garcia and Rockenfeller has been replaced by Nicky Catsburg for the IMSA Endurance Cup races.
As it stands there are no further plans for either driver confirmed by Corvette. Corvette will race a C8.R in the WEC race at Sebring too, though its drivers haven’t been revealed.
With these changes made, the total number of cars on the CoTA entry is now 30.
