The FIA WEC entry list for the 2023 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps has been revealed, and it includes 13 cars in the Hypercar category for Round 3 of the season, part of a 38-car entry that features 11 LMP2 and 14 GTE Am cars.
Up from 11 at Portimao, the Hypercar grid at Spa has been boosted by the addition of a second Cadillac Racing V-Series.R and the debuting HERTZ Team JOTA Porsche 963.
For Cadillac, entering its gold-liveried V-Series.R that competes in IMSA full-time serves as part of the preparations for the car’s Le Mans debut in June. There, both Ganassi-run Cadillacs will take the start, joined by the Sebring 12 Hours-winning Action Express example, which also runs full-time in IMSA.
The 6 Hours of Spa is the second time that both Cadillac Racing V-Series.Rs have competed together, as both cars took part in the Rolex 24 Hours back in January.
“We are looking forward to the first WEC race where both of our Cadillac Hypercars will be participating,” says Mike O’Gara, director of operations for Chip Ganassi Racing.
“Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing believe that we are stronger when we race multiple cars on any given race weekend. The Spa event will serve as a much-needed dress rehearsal for the Le Mans 24-hour race. It will be a great opportunity for our ‘IMSA regulars’ to be immersed in the WEC rules and race procedures in anticipation of the big event in June.”
Driving the #3 Cadillac will be full-season IMSA pair Sébastien Bourdais and Renger Van der Zande.
HERTZ Team JOTA’s 963 meanwhile, was previously announced to be making its debut at Spa back at the British outfit’s car reveal in London. António Félix da Costa, Will Stevens and Yifei Ye all due to compete as a trio from Round 3 onwards in the team’s new car.
As expected, the addition of JOTA’s Hypercar entry to the WEC grid means its LMP2 effort has been reduced to a single car, the #28 of David Heinemeier Hansson, Pietro Fittipaldi and Oliver Rasmussen.
JOTA will however compete in Portimao with its two LMP2 ORECAs prior to the race at Spa, with da Costa competing on home soil in the seat filled by Stevens at Sebring, where the #48 took a dramatic class win.
The only other change in the Hypercar class is at Glickenhaus, currently, Romain Dumas and Olivier Pla are listed as a pair in the #708 007, with the third driver a TBA. At Sebring Ryan Briscoe was part of the team’s line-up.
Eleswhere in GTE Am there is only one notable change. In the #21 AF Corse Ferrari, Diego Alessi will drive in the seat filled by Stefano Constantini at Sebring. He will race alongside Simon Mann and Ulysse de Pauw.
The FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa is set to get underway on April 29th.
