An outstanding provisional entry list for the Endurance Racing Legends support races at the Le Mans 24 Hours looks set to see 57 cars on track for the double-header of 45-minute races on Friday and Saturday (20/21 August).
Whilst there are some standout entries in the Prototype class, the highlight for fans is likely to be a stacked 13 car GT1/ GTS grid with no fewer than five Aston Martin DBR9s (including one for multiple Le Mans class winner Darren Turner), a trio of Viper GTS-Rs, a pair of Care Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello’s, (including Tomas Enge’s pole setting car from 2002) plus a Porsche 911 GT1, (this the ex-factory entry from 1997 that led the race for seven hours) a Ford Mustang TA and, for the first time ever, a Maserati MC12 is set to race on the full Le Mans course!
Shaun Lynn’s 2003 Bentley Speed 8 is joined on the 13 car Prototype grid by no fewer than three Dallara Judd SP1s, including the Rollcentre Racing car with heritage driver Martin Short!
Mike Newton is another star of yesteryear returning with the same car he raced at Le Mans proper, he’ll field the pretty MG Lola EX257.
There are a pair of Riley & Scotts too, a 1996 MkIII and the ex Jim Matthews IIIC from 2002 with the proto grid rounded out by Pilbeam, Courage, Lola and Norma LMP2 cars and the Chevron-chassied Keiler K11
The GT2 class fields no fewer than 18 911s of vintages stretching from 1997-2005. That total includes a significant number of standout cars including Mike Youles (seen above in John Brooks’ excellent shot having fun with a Bentley ‘in-period), yet another returning ex Le Mans driver in John Clonis’ ex PK Sport Porsche from 2001 and Andrew Lawley in his stunning Petersen White Lightning car.
Also in the GT2 class are three Ferrari 430s and a 360 N-GT and a gaggle of interesting additions including a BMW M3 GTR, examples of both the early Aston Martin Vantage GT2 and a contemporary DBRS9 GT3 car, the ex Le Mans Morgan Aero 8 GTN, that same car’s racing predecessor the 1996 ‘Big Blue’ Plus 8 GTR, a 1994 Marcos LM500, the quirky French-prepped 1995 Toyota Supra GT2 and a pair of GT3 spec Corvettes.
The Saturday morning race is set to be streamed on the Peter Auto YouTube Channel
