Two invitations to enter the 2024 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours were handed out today after the final race of the 2023/2024 Asian Le Mans Series season.
With a title win in LMP2, sealed with a seventh-place finish in this evening’s finale, Crowdstrike Racing by APR has been handed an invitation to enter the race.
For George Kurtz, who shared the #4 all season long with Malthe Jakobsen and Colin Braun, this success adds to his IMSA campaign with the team, during which he claimed a Le Mans entry for winning the Jim Trueman trophy.
Algarve Pro Racing as a team was already in possession of a Le Mans invitation prior to the Asian Le Mans Series season too, earned by winning the 2023 European Le Mans Series LMP2 title.
Porsche customer team Pure Rxcing meanwhile, has earned an invitation of its own by sealing the GT class title with a podium at Yas Marina tonight. This invitation to enter the 24 Hours adds to its invite earned by winning the World Challenge Europe Bronze Cup title and its full-season WEC entry with Manthey in LMGT3.
Primarily, the allure of competing in the Asian Le Mans Series was, according to team owner Edgar Kochanovskij, “to practice, stay in shape and work with Manthey” over the winter.
Clearly, though, a third Le Mans invitation is of real value.
“The philosophy of the team is to pure, true racing,” Kochanovskij said when asked by DSC what its plans were should it win another invitation.
“If I can find a driver line-up that I am happy to put my name on then yes (we would use the invitation), but I don’t think it will come very easy to find talented, passionate, hard-working and motivated Bronze drivers to fill the entry.”
This season there is no invitation for the LMP3 class title winner, which was won by COOL Racing. Instead, the team receives priority when entering the 2024 Road To Le Mans – the Le Mans Cup support race held during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race weekend for LMP3 and GT3 cars.
The two invitations handed out today add to the nine already awarded prior to the start of the Asian Le Mans Series season last December. All entries are subject to final decisions from the ACO Selection Committee:
Hypercar
- Whelen Engineering/Action Express Racing | IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship champion
LMP2
- Algarve Pro Racing | 2023 European Le Mans Series champion
- United Autosports USA | 2023 European Le Mans Series vice-champion
- AF Corse | 2023 European Le Mans Series LMP2 Pro/Am champion
- COOL Racing | 2023 European Le Mans Series LMP3 champion
- George Kurtz | Driver for Crowdstrike Racing by Algarve Pro Racing and recipient of the IMSA Jim Trueman trophy
LMGT3
- Proton Competition | 2023 European Le Mans Series LMGTE champion
- Brendan Iribe | Driver for Inception Racing and recipient of the IMSA Bob Akin trophy
- Pure Rxcing | GT World Challenge Europe Bronze Cup champion
