Further seats have been filled for the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours, another week closer and with several more of the previously vacant or unconfirmed slots on the grid have been confirmed in the last couple of days.
In LMP1, DSC believes that the three drivers that are entered in the opening two rounds of the FIA WEC for ByKolles, will continue at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Oliver Webb, Dominik Kraihamer and James Rossiter are believed to have been confirmed by the team, completing the six-car LMP1 lineup.
LMP2 meanwhile, has seen United Autosports confirm its Plan A, to continue with Filipe Albuquerque, has been delivered. He’ll join Hugo de Sadeleer and Will Owen for the race in the team’s Silverstone-winning Ligier JS P217.
“I am really happy to race again this year at Le Mans,” said Albuquerque. “As everyone knows, it’s a very special race that every racing driver wants to take part in. This year the LMP2 category will be very special because the cars are much faster so everyone is curious to see what lap time we can do. I am sure I will enjoy the faces of Hugo and Will when they complete their first laps around that huge track.
“My teammates don’t have much experience but on the other hand we are not fighting for WEC points and we will be coming from the ELMS round at Monza, which is the best track to prepare for this race. So, all in all I think we can push for a good result.”
With SMP, GRAFF and DragonSpeed still having yet to confirm their full lineups for the race, that leaves six seats free.
In GTE Pro, Corvette Racing’s Doug Fehan has yet to confirm which car Jordan Taylor will drive in at La Sarthe. There’s still one seat up for grabs, though it is understood that ex-Audi LMP1 driver Marcel Fassler will be put in the team once again.
For the vacant seats in GTE Am, DSC spoke to Proton Competition boss and driver Christian Reid and AF Corse team manager Batti Pregliasco at Spa today.
Proton’s Le Mans lineup currently features four TBAs. Reid confirmed that the full-season WEC Demposey-Proton-badged crew of himself with Marvin Dienst and Matteo Cairoli will race, though the lineups for the other two GTE-Am entered 911s are still not finalised.
“I’ve signed one Belgian driver, and Patrick Long and Wolf Henzler are still confirmed (after appearing on the original Le Mans entry),” he said. “The other three seats though are still to be decided, I’m talking to multiple drivers, and still taking calls.”
Pregliasco meanwhile spoke to DSC this morning, and confirmed that the final two Le Mans seats have been taken, across the two AF Corse customer teams DH Racing and Spirit of Race.
Ferrari factory driver Andrea Bertolini will race alongside American Tracy Krohn and Swede Nic Jonsson in the DH Racing 488.
Former Corvette works driver and nominated Ferrari factory driver Olivier Beretta will race with Thomas Flohr and Francesco Castellacci in the Spirit of Race 488. This is because Spirit of Race’s WEC regular Miguel Molina will race in AF Corse’s GTE Pro lineup at La Sarthe.
At JMW, ELMS regular Rob Smith is believed to have been confirmed is set to drive the team’s 458 Italia, leaving two seats left in the British team’s car.
