23 cars will populate the second biggest class at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans, and they act as a preview for what comes next year when the GTE Am class will be the sole representatives of the production-based cars in the field for the centenary race, ahead of a similarly Pro-Am but GT3-based formula from 2024.
A trio of Aston Martins Vantage AMRs, eight Porcshe 911 RSR-19s and a dozen Ferrari 488 GTEs form the entry.
AF CORSE
#21 and #54 Full Season WEC
#21 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Simon Mann* (GBR), Christoph Ulrich (CHE), Toni Vilander (FIN)
#54 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Thomas Flohr (CHE), Francesco Castellacci (ITA), Nicholas Cassidy* (NZL)
#61 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Louis Prette (ITA), Conrad Grunewald* (USA), Vincent Abril (FRA)
AF Corse has competed in the LMGTE Am class without fail since 2011 and is the current defending champion, last year’s winning driver squad features in LMP2 this season.
Driving the #21 car will be Toni Vilander with two GTE Pro wins and four further Le Mans podiums on his 11 race Le Mans 24 Hour record. He is joined by Le Mans rookie Simon Mann who arrives after Championship winning success in the Italian GT Championship and by reigning European GT2 Champion Christoph Ulrich who was entered in 2020 but failed to get to drive after his car was an early race retirement.
The #54 sees Thomas Flohr make his sixth start, supported as always by Francesco Castellaci but with the hugely highly rated Nick Cassidy now part of the crew for his first race at Le Mans.
The #61 will be shared by Monegasque pairing Louis Prette and Vincent Abril joined by rookie Us One-make Ferrari Champion Conrad Grunewald in what could be a strong crew.
#21 Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.626
#54 Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.749
#61 Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.113
TF SPORT
WEC Full Season
#33 Aston Martin Vantage AMR: Ben Keating (USA), Henrique Chaves* (PRT), Marco Sørensen (DNK)
2020 LMGTE Am winner TF Sport is seeking a return to the top step this year after finishing second in the class in 2021. One of the world’s best Bronze-rated drivers Ben Keating will team up with Portuguese native (and Le Mans rookie) Henrique Chaves and Marco Sørensen, a factory Aston Martin driver and previous WEC World GT Drivers Champion with seven starts in the 24 Hours who finished third in LMGTE Pro in 2020. Team owner Tom Ferrier: “We have without a doubt a very solid crew and are more than ready to fight for the win at Le Mans and the FIA WEC title.”
Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.149
TEAM PROJECT 1
WEC Full Season
#46 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Matteo Cairoli (ITA), Mikkel Pedersen* (DNK), Nicolas Leutwiler (CHE)
#56 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Brendan Iribe (USA), Olliver Millroy (GBR), Ben Barnicoat (GBR)
Team Project 1 will be taking its fifth start in the race this season.
The #46 will see real pace from Matteo Cairoli who shares with Danish rookie Mikkel Pedersen and Michelin Le Mans Cup reigning GT3 drivers Champion Niki Leutwiler.
The #56 meanwhile is a joint venture with Inception Racing who raced last year with a Ferrari.
Ben Barnicoat has searing pace and the team’s Bronze, Brendan Iribe is capable of class-leading pace against his peers too – An error-free run could see the effort shine!
#46 Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.795
#56 Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.670
SPIRIT OF RACE
#71 Full Season WEC
#55 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Duncan Cameron (GBR), Matthew Griffin (IRL), David Perel (ZAF)
#71 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Franck Dezoteux* (FRA), Pierre Ragues (FRA), Gabriel Aubry (FRA)
Gaining an automatic invitation courtesy of second place in GTE in the 2021 European Le Mans Series, the #545 team will rely on continuity with the same driver line-up for the #55 as in 2021. Duncan Cameron and Matt Griffin (five participations each) and David Perel with his second appearance. The crew has potential to be a factor over the full race distance.
Gentleman driver Franck Dezoteux initiated the WEC entry for the #71 car and is supported by teammates Pierre Ragues (12 participations) and Gabriel Aubry (four).
#55 Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.913
#71 Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.349
KESSEL RACING
#57 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Takeshi Kimura (JPN), Frederik Schandorff* (DNK), Mikkel Jensen (DNK)
Kessel Racing collaborated with the Fuji-based Car Guy squad brings this full-season ELMS effort to Le Mans once again.
The Swiss/ Japanese team sees Car Guy owner Takeshi Kimura in his third Le Mans partnered by future Peugeot Hypercar pilot and Mikkel Jensen and fellow Danish driver and Le Mans rookie Frederik Schandorff.
Best Time At Test Day: 3:54.827
INCEPTION RACING
#59 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Alexander West (FIN), Côme Ledogar (FRA), Mavin Klein* (FRA)
Invited to the 24 Hours thanks to its win in GT in the 2022 Asian Le Mans Series, Inception Racing has joined forces with reserve-listed Garage 59 to run a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. It will also benefit from the additional support provided by AF Corse.
Team co-owner Alexander West will team up with former AF Corse GTE Pro racer Côme Ledogar and 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup France winner Marvin Klein.
Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.352
IRON LYNX
#60 Full Season WEC
#60 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Claudio Schiavoni (ITA), Alessandro Balzan (ITA), Raffaele Gianmaria (ITA)
#75 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Pierre Ehret (DEU), Christian Hook (BEL), Nicolas Varrone* (ARG)
#80 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Mattéo Cressoni (ITA), Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA), Richard Heistand (USA)
2021 European Le Mans Series LMGTE class champion, Iron Lynx will once again field three Ferrari 488 GTE Evos (plus a fourth under the Iron Dames license) in the 24 Hours. Last year, the team finished third, fourth and ninth in the class.
Giancarlo Fisichella has joined the full-season #60 crew this season alongside Team co-owner Claudio Schiavoni and Matteo Cressoni, but Le Mans sees the crew split with Schiavoni joined by IMSA GTD Champion Alessandro Balzan and Raffaele Gianmaria.
His two WEC team mates form the backbone of the team’s #80 entry together with US talent Richard Heistand, this a combination that could be one to watch.
The #75 Iron Lyx car fields a trio of drivers that are otherwise racing in the ELMS across the pair of Rinaldi Racing Ferraris
Team manager Andrea Piccini: “We had such an incredible year in 2021 and are taking on this season with the same mindset. It will be difficult to repeat the success of 2021, but that is our goal.”
#60 Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.643
#75 Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.772
#80 Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.603
JMW MOTORSPORT
#66 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo: Renger van der Zande (NLD), Marc Kvamme* (USA), Jason Hart* (USA)
Race winners in 2017 and with a dozen appearance in the race, only AF Corse have this sort of heritage. Quite an achievement from a privately owned team.
JMW are back for ‘Lucky 13’ with – ‘shock horror’ a livery that is something other than yellow!
For the 90th 24 Hours, the outfit’s car will be driven by Renger van der Zande, the Cadillac DPi star in his GTE AM debut at Le Mans, alongside American LeMans rookie pair Marc Kvamme and 2021 SprintX GT4 Champion Jason Hart.
Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.241
DEMPSEY-PROTON RACING
WEC Full Season
#77 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Christian Ried (DEU), Sebastian Priaulx* (FRA), Harry Tincknell (GBR)
#88 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Fred Poordad* (USA), Patrick Lindsey (USA), Jan Heylen* (BEL)
It’s a tenth consecutive appearance at Le Mans for the Ried family’s Proton Competition/ Dempsey Proton Racing squad with Christian Ried still an ever-present both at Le Mans and in the FIA WEC. He already has a Le mans win on his cv and will go again in 2022 with new driving partners Harry Tincknell, looking to add a third different class title after already scoring LMP2 and GTE Pro wins, and Le Mans rookie Sebastian Priaulx, son of Tincknell’s past Ford GT team-mate Andy. A very strong trio.
The sister #88 car sees Fred Poordad joined by multiple North American title winner Jan Heylen, both drivers making their Le Mans debuts, Patrick Lindsey returns to Le Mans and the WEC after some seasons away and is looking to get back to his previous winning ways.
#77 Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.850
#88 Best Time At Test Day: 3:58.353
WEATHERTECH RACING
#79 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Cooper MacNeil (USA), Julien Andlauer (FRA), Thomas Merrill (USA)
After two cracks at GTE Pro, WeatherTech Racing is back in GTE Am with Cooper MacNeil at the helm for his seventh Le Mans, joined by 2018 LMGTE Am winner with Dempsey-Proton Racing Julien Andlauer. Thomas Merrill, a top performer in Trans-Am is a late addition as the bronze-ranked driver! Could he be the secret weapon?
Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.489
IRON DAMES
WEC Full Season
#85 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo; Rahel Frey (CHE), Michelle Gatting (DNK), Sarah Bovy (BEL)
For the fourth year in a row, the Iron Dames all-female driver line-up will take the start in the 24 Hours. Iron Dames is a project founded by Déborah Mayer, now president of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission aimed at encouraging women to compete in racing. Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and Sarah Bovy return as a well-honed trio that has been knocking at the door of race wins in the ELMS. A win here would be a worthy international headline and the pace of both Bovy and Gatting has been coming on strong of late!
Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.678
GR RACING
WEC Full Season
#86 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Michael Wainwright (GBR), Riccardo Pera (ITA), Benjamin Barker (GBR)
The British team once again fields owner Mike Wainwright and his long-time Pro driver Ben Barker, the pair joined in 2022 by Italian Riccardo Pera. Another effort that needs to be error-free, if they can manage that, and Wainwright can find his rhythm, the car can do well, there have been a number of performances of late where podium finishes have been in sight!
Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.776
PROTON COMPETITION
#93 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Michael Fassbender* (IRL), Matt Campbell (AUS), Zacharie Robichon* (CAN)
This car, part of the extension of Dempsey-Proton Racing’s commitment, sees the long-awaited Le Mans race debut of Oscar-winning German-Irish actor Michael Fassbender after serving his time in the European Le Mans Series with recent form including podium finishes there.
He will join forces with the previous class winner, Porsche factory racer Matt Campbell and fellow rookie, highly rated Canadian IMSA race winner Zacharie Robichon.
Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.747
NORTHWEST AMR
Full Season WEC
#98 Aston Martin Vantage AMR: Paul Dalla Lana (CAN), David Pittard* (GBR), Nicki Thiim (DNK)
Paul Dalla Lana comes back for yet another crack at his ‘bogey’ event, now his ninth attempt, the Canadian has suffered bad luck in many of the earlier attempts alongside stellar form in much every other WEC event over the same period.
The team started 2022 with a win at the 1000 Miles of Sebring this year. The Canadian driver teaming up with two-time LMGTE Pro world champion Nicki Thiim (2016 and 2019) and Le Mans rookie David Pittard, the Silver-ranked driver previously the holder of the race lap record around the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Absolutely one of the pre-race favourites in class, but Dalla Lana needs to avoid black cats and ladders!
Best Time At Test Day: 3:55.591
HARDPOINT MOTORSPORT
#99 Porsche 911 RSR-19: Andrew Haryanto, Martin Rump (EST), Andrea Picariello
An entry effectively inherited by the Absolute Racing team, via Proton Competition, after American team Hardpoint based over the entry.
It will be Haryanto’s second appearance at Le Mans in his #Underducks liveried Porsche alongside Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific drivers Alessio Picariello and Martin Rump, the latter the first Estonian driver to grace the entry at Le Mans.
Best Time At Test Day:3:55.780
D’STATION RACING
#777 Aston Martin Vantage AMR: Satoshi Hoshino (JPN), Tomonobu Fujii (JPN), Charlie Fagg* (GBR)
Japanese squad D’Station is once again supported by TF Sport for their FIA WEC adventure with gentleman owner/ driver Satoshi Hoshino again paired with Japanese Pro Tomonobu Fujii. Reigning GT4 European Cup Silver Cup Champion Charlie Fagg completes the full season trio in 2022.
Best Time At Test Day: 3:56.098
The FIA Endurance GTE Am Teams trophy classification ahead of the 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans
Northwest AMR – 53 points
TF Sport – 47 points
Dempsey-Proton Racing – 43 points
Team Project 1 – 23 points
D’Station Racing – 18 points
* Le Mans 24 Hours Rookie
