This year’s WEC entry list comprises of 32 cars. LMP1 is the big talking point here, as usual, with two entries from the three factories to look forward to watching once again, all season long.
The other classes meanwhile, are by no means grid-fillers. GTE Pro has all the potential to be a true dogfight, while LMP2 has once again seen growth. GTE Am is the only class down on numbers this year, but it still has a decent set of cars.
Coming off last year’s magnificent showcase of racing from Silverstone all the way to Bahrain, the 2016 WEC season has a lot to live up to; and by looking at the entry list, it has the potential to do just that and more.
LMP1: 9 cars
1: Porsche Team / Porsche 919 Hybrid / Timo Bernhard
2: Porsche Team / Porsche 919 Hybrid / Romain Dumas
5: Toyota Gazoo Racing / Toyota TS050 Hybrid / Anthony Davidson
6: Toyota Gazoo Racing / Toyota TS050 Hybrid / Stephane Sarrazin
7: Audi Sport Team Joest / Audi R18 e-tron quattro / Marcel Fassler
8: Audi Sport Team Joest / Audi R18 e-tron quattro / Lucas di Grassi
4: Team ByKolles / CLM P1/01 AER / Simon Trummer
12: Rebellion Racing / Rebellion R-One AER / Nico Prost
13: Rebellion Racing / Rebellion R-One AER / Matheo Tuscher
Nissan are not present this time round, and if we’re honest, they weren’t for the majority of last season after the GT-R LM NISMO programme faded away after a disappointing Le Mans debut. The LMP1 entry has therefore seen a hit, with nine cars in the class, but nobody will notice once Silverstone rolls around.
All three factories are going to run new cars this year, with all eyes looking at Porsche as it looks to defend its title and Le Mans victory with the updated 919 hybrid. Toyota too will have a lot of eyes its pair of TS050s, which are looking to improve on last year’s tough season of outings which saw them struggle to keep up with Audi and Porsche at every round.
In P1 privateer, it’s Rebellion Racing vs ByKolles once again. No shock news there…
LMP2: 10 cars
26: G-Drive Racing / Oreca 05 Nissan / Roman Rusinov
27: SMP Racing / BR Engineering BR01 Nissan / Nicolas Minassian
31: Extreme Speed Motorsports / Ligier JS P2 Nissan / Ryan Dalziel
30: Extreme Speed Motorsports / Ligier JS P2 Nissan / Scott Sharp
35: Baxi DC Racing Alpine / Alpine A460 Nissan / David Cheng
36: Signatech-Alpine / Alpine A460 Nissan / Gustavo Menezes
37: SMP Racing / BR Engineering BR01 Nissan / Vitaly Petrov
42: Strakka Racing / Gibson 015S Nissan / Nick Leventis
43: RGR Sport by Morand / Ligier JS P2 Nissan / Ricardo Gonzalez
44: Manor / Oreca 05 Nissan / Tor Graves
Last year’s LMP2 class had it all: surprise winners, breakout drivers, controversy, the lot. This time round expect much more of the same as the category enters its final season with the current regulations.
The biggest headline from this entry list announcement is the absence of KCMG, who finished runner up in the class in 2015. The Chinese team came so close to securing the title, but the incident at Fuji set them back and likely affected its decision to not return to the series with its chrome ORECA 05 this year. Instead, it’ll field an LMP2 car at Le Mans, its WEC effort coming in the form of a GTE Am Porsche.
G-Drive Racing – who won the title – meanwhile, has taken a different form, and has effectively re-badged Jota Sport who enter the series for the first time. We know that Romain Rusinov will be looking to win two in a row, and he has every chance with the Jota team (with Arden backing) behind him.
Other new runners come in the form of a second Alpine effort with the Baxi DC Racing name and Manor, which is a big boost to the class. SMP Racing is also running a pair of BR01s after racing in the ELMS last season.
GTE Pro: 7 cars
51: AF Corse / Ferrari 488 GTE / Gianmaria Bruni
66: Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK / Ford GT / Marino Franchitti
67: Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK / Ford GT / Olivier Pla
71: AF Corse / Ferrari 488 GTE / Davide Rigon
77: Dempsey Proton Racing / Porsche 911 RSR / Richard Lietz
95: Aston Martin Racing / Aston Martin Vantage, /Nicki Thiim
97: Aston Martin Racing / Aston Martin Vantage / Richie Stanaway
It’s safe to say that GTE Pro is a class that much of the WEC’s fanbase will be fixated on for this season. GTE racing appears to be on the rise, and with seven cars from four makes, this season is a fascinating prospect. While Porsche has scaled back its effort to one factory-blessed Proton Dempsey entry, Ford has stepped up to the plate to add a pair of GT’s to the grid.
By the time the cars his the track at SIlverstone the GT will have had an extensive testing programme and starts at the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours under its belts, so don’t be surprised if Ganassi’s UK boys are in the running from the get go.
Aston Martin Racing and AF Corse are unsurprisingly back, the former with an updated car an the later with a totally new one (488). Who will take the Championship? Your guesses are as good as ours… That’s what makes this field a must-watch in 2016.
GTE Am: 6 cars (2015 – 7)
50: Larbre Competition / Corvette C7.R / Yutaka Yamagishi
78: KCMG / Porsche 911 RSR / Christian Ried
83: AF Corse / Ferrari F458 Italia / Francois Perrodo
86: Gulf Racing UK / Porsche 911 RSR / Michael Wainwright
88: Abu Dhabi Proton Racing / Porsche 911 RSR / Khaled Al Qubaisi
98: Aston Martin Racing / Aston Martin Vantage / Paul Dalla Lana
GTE Am has taken a tiny hit in numbers, down to six this year after seven last year. SMP has opted to focus on LMP2, while Aston Martin and AF Corse have scaled back their efforts.
Though not in the Pro class, Corvette has a presence in the WEC once again with Larbre’s entry. Many are disappointed again at the continued absence of the Pratt and Miller factory squad on the World stage, but at least there will still be one C7.R on the grid at each race this year.
Stephen Kilbey
