LMP2 racing is back on the bill again at La Sarthe as a one-off for the WEC, as it has been since the category was removed from the championship full-time at the end of 2023.
This year’s field is 17 cars strong and once again made up entirely of Gibson-powered, Goodyear-shod, ORECA 07s.
The lack of variety shouldn’t detract from this spectacle, though. Anyone who regularly watches the Asian Le Mans Series, European Le Mans Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship will know that the P2 formula continues to produce close, exciting racing.
The two-class structure also returns, with Pro/Am winning the majority decision at nine entries. The winner is unlikely to come from the Pro/Am division due to the mandated Bronze driver, but once the drive time is completed, a couple of safety car periods would be all it takes to see all-out war, as we’ve seen already this season in the ELMS.
World-class teams and drivers are present up and down the list here. Strap yourselves in; it’s likely to be another wild ride to the finish!
LMP2, 8 Cars (All ORECA 07–Gibson)
#9 Iron Lynx–Proton – DEU
Jonas Ried S (DEU) Maceo Capietto S (FRA) Reshad de Gerus G (FRA)
It’s been a tough start to the 2025 season for the Iron Lynx-Proton P2 crew in the ELMS this year. The team sits at the bottom of the pile in the standings on zero points after suffering an electrical issue at Barcelona, and a wheelnut issue, plus contact with debris, led to a DNF at Le Castellet.
Le Mans, therefore, serves as a chance for a reboot for Capietto, Ried, and Reshad De Gerus, who joins the crew in place of Matteo Cairoli (who was set to drive in LMGT3 until recently).
Even in the absence of the blindingly quick Cairoli, this is a trio which should be aiming high. Ried and Capietto are improving all the time and have real pace, and De Gerus took pole for the ELMS season opener with Duqueine (which missed out on a Le Mans entry). This was also a race-winning car last year, with Capietto, Cairoli and Ried winning at Mugello.
Will it all come together? We will have to wait and see…
#18 IDEC Sport – FRA
Jamie Chadwick S (GBR) Mathys Jaubert S (FRA) André Lotterer P (GER)
It’s been a fairytale story for the Genesis-backed IDEC Sport crew in the ELMS this year, winning the LMP2 class at Barcelona and the race overall at Le Castellet.
The team is made up of future Genesis Hypercar staff supported by IDEC engineers – and has run like clockwork so far. The young drivers from the Genesis Trajectory Programme – Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert – have impressed mightily.
Le Mans legend and reigning Hypercar World Champion Andre Lotterer joins the team for his first race start since joining Genesis’ roster, subbing for Daniel Juncadella, who will race in LMGT3 with TF Sport, and has reason to aim high. Lotterer will race alongside triple W Series champion Chadwick and young prodigy Jaubert, who are still finding their feet behind the wheel of a prototype, making for a fascinating trio of Le Mans LMP2 rookies.
Le Mans is a big test and a major opportunity for all involved. Chadwick – who would admit there’s more work to be done – has been rock solid and shown flashes of strong race pace, while Jaubert has the look of a rare talent.
He’s been so impressive that Corvette factory man Juncadella made way for him to take the reins in qualifying and the final stint of both ELMS races to start the season. It’s caught the eye of everyone in the ELMS paddock and, crucially, Genesis team boss Cyril Abiteboul, who has hinted we will see him in a Hypercar in the future if he keeps it up.
Lotterer, meanwhile, is looking to maintain his glittering form at Le Mans, which includes three overall wins, two further podiums and four fourth-place finishes since his debut in a Kolles-run Audi R10 in 2009.
This is a car that should be on everyone’s radar. If the combination of youth from Chadwick and Jaubert and experience from Lotterer, and if IDEC holds up over 24 hours, then this crew has the chance to produce one of the more remarkable Le Mans stories in recent years.
#22 United Autosports – GBR
Renger van der Zande P (NED) Pietro Fittipaldi G (USA) David Heinemeier Hansson S (DEN)
United Autosports returns to Le Mans as the reigning, two-time LMP2 class champion team. The navy and scarlet #22 ORECA won last year with a youth-infused driver line-up that featured American rookies Nolan Siegel and Bijoy Garg – in Siegel’s case, Le Mans success on debut was leveraged into a full-time IndyCar contract with McLaren.
In contrast, the all-new line-up for the #22 United ORECA has one of the more experienced trios on the 2025 LMP2 grid.
IMSA veteran Renger van der Zande is back at Le Mans for the eighth year in a row. He finished fourth overall in 2023 with Cadillac/Chip Ganassi Racing, and now, on loan from Acura/Meyer Shank Racing, the fearless Dutchman has a great opportunity to snag his first career Le Mans podium, at the very least.
In terms of Le Mans experience, the lion’s share belongs to David Heinemeier Hansson, the 2014 GTE AM class winner. The outspoken Danish tech mogul and racer is a more traditional ‘Designated Silver’ in that racing is not his full-time profession or endeavour, but he has more than enough experience at Le Mans and in LMP2 machinery to be a proficient contributor.
Third-generation racer Pietro Fittipaldi has driven almost anything and everything during his career, from late-model stock cars in the short tracks of North Carolina to Formula One and IndyCar. This includes a WEC class win and two previous starts at Le Mans, driving alongside Heinemeier Hansson in LMP2. Fittipaldi found his way back into sports car racing full-time after a tough IndyCar campaign last year. Can he be the first member of his family to stand on the top step of the podium at Le Mans?
#25 Algarve Pro Racing – PRT
Matthias Kaiser S (LIE) Lorenzo Fluxa G (ESP) Theo Pourchaire P (FRA)
Multiple Asian Le Mans Series champion, and ELMS champions in 2023. The husband-and-wife-run Algarve Pro Racing team brings its ELMS #25 crew to the race in search of a first overall class win at Le Mans (though they already have LMP2 Pro/Am wins on the team’s glittering CV).
The effort is strategically top-dollar, capable of moments of considered genius that can, and have, made the difference in race and Championship wins. Under Stuey Cox’s direction, they are rapid and well-drilled on the pit lane too.
2023 FIA Formula 2 Champion Theo Pourchaire is Peugeot’s reserve driver and one to keep an eye on as he beds into LMP2, now managed by Simon Pagenaud.
Fluxa was an ELMS double race winner with what was then known as COOL Racing in 2024, showing pace and poise which have become the norm in the class for him.
Kaiser, meanwhile, needs to find his best form here; he’s capable of the required pace and consistency. If he delivers, then this is an effort to keep a very close look on!
#28 IDEC Sport – FRA
Paul Lafargue S (FRA) Job van Uitert G (NLD) Sebastian Alvarez S (ESP)
So far in 2025, IDEC Sport’s ELMS campaign has been all about the Genesis-backed #18 car. Le Mans represents a chance for the sister crew on the other side of the garage to change the narrative.
Van Uitert and Lafargue, who have been racing with Alpine factory driver Paul-Loup Chatin in the ELMS, have underperformed thus far, with a best finish of eighth in the season opener.
That doesn’t reflect their ability, though. This is a pairing that finished third in class at Le Mans last year with IDEC, which, lest we forget, is one of the best LMP2 teams around.
Along with Alvarez, who won a race with Inter Europol last season and finished runner-up in the standings, this is a crew that has the potential to fight at the sharp end. Now it’s over to them to prove it.
#37 CLX Pure Rxcing – INV – LTU
Alex Malykhin S (KNA) Tom Blomqvist P (GBR) Tristan Vautier G (FRA)
After a disastrous start to life in P2 for Pure Rxcing and reigning LMGT3 World Champion Alex Malykhin, is this going to be the moment when things begin to turn around?
Off the back of a stunning 2024 season in LMGT3 with Manthey, Malykhin, and Pure Rxcing, expectations were sky high when the switch to prototype racing was announced. But to this point, the combo has managed just a single podium in an ORECA since the 2024/25 Asian Le Mans Series got underway over the winter.
After being partnered with TF Sport in Asia, it is now relying on the expertise of CLX Racing to fight for glory. But the change in environment hasn’t led to a significant change in form thus far, with the #37 crew sitting eighth in the standings after a P4 finish in Round 1 and a DNF at Le Castellet.
At Le Mans, there is the potential for fireworks, but only if Malykhin can avoid errors and stay consistent. He is joined by his ELMS full-season teammates Tristan Vautier (who replaced Harry King before the season opener) and Tom Blomqvist, both of whom bring experience and speed to this effort.
The talent is there, the CLX team is more than capable. Will the final result sheet reflect that?
#43 Inter Europol Competition – INV – POL
Jakub Smiechowski S (POL) Tom Dillmann G (FRA) Nick Yelloly G (GBR)
The ‘Racing Bakers’ from Poland took the class win in 2023 and finished second last year. Beyond that, they also claimed the IMSA LMP2 title last season in partnership with PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, and put up strong efforts in the ELMS too, taking the title fight to the wire.
That momentum has continued into 2025, the team fresh from finishing second at Paul Ricard in ELMS. By results alone, Inter Europol has developed to the point of deserving the descriptor of a legitimate ‘LMP2 super team’ since its then-unexpected Le Mans win.
Dillmann and Yelloly are both supremely capable, with top-class as well as competitive LMP2 experience. Both are able to go head-to-head and wheel-to-wheel with pretty much anyone else in the class. Smiechowski, meanwhile, has bags of experience, was one of the race winners in 2023, and has a cool-headed approach to his craft.
This effort has to be considered among the favourites if on-track pace and pit lane ability prove to be the defining factors.
#48 VDS Panis Racing – FRA
Oliver Gray S (GBR) Esteban Masson G (FRA) Franck Perera P (FRA)
VDS Panis Racing heads to Le Mans on a high after placing itself in the ELMS title hunt with a podium in Barcelona and a sixth-place finish at Paul Ricard.
For the most important race of the year, it brings an intriguing line-up to the race. Lamborghini Squadra Corse factory driver Franck Perera joins the team for his LMP2 debut after appearing in the race last year with Iron Lynx in LMGT3. He’s standing in for Charles Milesi, who is gunning for the overall win with Alpine in Hypercar.
The other two drivers are full-time ELMS drivers: former British F4 standout Oliver Gray and Esteban Masson, who is being positioned as a star of the future by Toyota.
The ultimate ceiling of this car will likely not come down to the performances of Gray and Masson, but instead of Perera, who is supremely talented but new to this formula. If he gets enough laps in through the week and feels comfortable by race day, then the #48 may well emerge as a surprise package.
LMP2 Pro/Am – 9 cars (All ORECA 07–Gibson)
#11 Proton Competition – GER
Giorgio Roda B (ITA) Rene Binder G (AUT) Bent Viscaal G (NED)
If ever there was a standout favourite for pole position, it’s Proton Competition’s #11 ORECA, which boasts having the rapid Giorgio Roda in its line-up.
Roda’s record in Qualifying behind the wheel of an ORECA speaks for itself, with five poles in the 2024 ELMS season, six in the 2024/25 Asian Le Mans Series season and another in the opening round of his current European campaign. But the win column hasn’t been as well populated as he’d like, with just one victory to show for from 12 poles since the start of the 2024 season.
Thus, the burning question surrounding the #11 crew is: Will the race result match the ambition and potential? A pair of fourth places for Roda, former Asian Le Mans LMP2 champion Binder and 25-year-old Dutchman Viscaal in the ELMS this year is reflective of the trio’s combined speed.
It won’t be easy, but continuity in its driver line-up for Le Mans is a plus, and Proton’s track record at La Sarthe is another reason for all involved to remain optimistic.
#16 RLR M Sport – INV – GBR
Michael Jensen B (DEN) Ryan Cullen S (GBR) Patrick Pilet G (FRA)
This is the only entry in either LMP2 class that is not a full-season car in the 2025 European Le Mans Series.
Earned via Michael Jensen’s ELMS LMP3 title (with Nick Adcock and Gael Julien), the automatic invitation for RLR MSport is the team’s second at Le Mans.
Danish gentleman driver Michael Jensen signed up for a warm-up campaign in LMP2 in the Asian Le Mans Series over the winter with APR – and came away with the overall title! He’s a capable Bronze who will now have confidence in the car.
Patrick Pilet made a name for himself in LMP2 after being called in as a super sub for injured Dwight Merriman. He has a huge CV as a Porsche factory driver too, and will be a rapid Pro and a steadying influence throughout.
Ryan Cullen is the Silver-ranked driver and is a Vector Sport regular, flying high in this season’s ELMS. RLR and Vector Sport are now co-located, and with their LMP2 expertise on tap, the team is certain to have technical support from their workshop neighbours.
An intriguing mix – if pitlane and on-track discipline are strong, then a result is possible here.
#23 United Autosports – GBR
Daniel Schneider B (BRA) Oliver Jarvis P (GBR) Ben Hanley G (GBR)
On what is undeniably a huge week for United Autosports, racing in two classes, with four cars, defending its LMP2 crown and representing McLaren on the 30th anniversary of its Le Mans win, does the #23 represent its best chance of success?
This trio is led by the only returning winner from United’s 2024 effort, Oliver Jarvis, who proved last year that he can still go toe-to-toe with anyone in an ORECA. And he has his sights set on more than just the Pro/Am win with this year’s programme, telling reporters ahead of the event that he believes if things fall their way, they can challenge for overall P2 honours.
To do so, he and Ben Hanley, another United and LMP2 stalwart, will have to be on top form during the race and coach Schneider through it.
Schneider is the unknown here, as the Brazilian is making his Le Mans 24 Hours full race debut as part of the effort. He brings real-world Circuit de la Sarthe experience to the party via starts in Road to Le Mans, but he is well aware that a full 24-hour race in an LMP2 car will be a different animal from short sprint races in an LMP3.
It’s a mammoth task, but if he manages the week well, gets plenty of laps under his belt pre-race and utilises the resources on tap in the back of United’s garage, then don’t count this car out for a strong finish.
#24 Nielsen Racing – GBR
Naveen Rao B (USA) Cem Bölükbaşi S (TUR) Colin Braun G (USA)
Nielsen Racing appears to be a team that has turned a corner in 2025 following the investment boost it received late last year. The Sven Thompson-led outfit currently leads LMP2 Pro/Am in the ELMS and will be keen to grasp that momentum and use it to fight for a strong finish and maybe even a second Le Mans podium, adding to the Pro/Am silverware it claimed in 2022.
Interestingly, none of the team’s ELMS Pro/Am drivers (Tony Wells, Sérgio Sette Câmara and James Allen), who won last time out at Le Castellet, will join the team for Le Mans. Instead, its driver crew for the 24 Hours features only one driver from its ELMS stable, Cem Bölükbaşi.
He will share the car with former IMSA Prototype Challenge Champion Naveen Rao, who has an important role to play in the team’s future direction commercially and former Rolex 24 overall winner Colin Braun, who is enjoying a return to full-time IMSA GTP competition this year with Meyer Shank Racing.
The first priority here should be to finish. If this car stays out of trouble, it will be interesting to see where the race takes it.
#29 TDS Racing – FRA
Rodrigo Sales B (USA) Mathias Beche G (SUI) Clement Novalak G (FRA)
TDS Racing’s Sales-Beche-Novalak trio has the look of a dark horse in this field following their consistent start to the 2025 ELMS season.
Two third-place finishes have put them second in the standings and firmly in the title race early on, and for that reason, the French team, back racing at La Sarthe under its own banner for the first time since 2022, will be aiming high in its home race.
While on paper, these three may not look like world beaters, sifting through their career CVs tells its own story. Sales is an Asian Le Mans series title winner as a Bronze, Beche is a veteran with countless prototype starts under his belt and Novalak, a former British F3 champion, climbed as high as F2 and won races before shifting focus to sports cars.
Put that all together and add in TDS Racing’s capabilities as an outfit, and you have a combination that shouldn’t be ignored.
#34 Inter Europol Competition – INV – POL
Nick Boulle B (USA) Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer G (FRA) Luca Ghiotto P (ITA)
Inter Europol’s LMP2 Pro/Am entry is built around Dallas-born businessman and racer Nick Boulle, the reigning IMSA LMP2 Drivers’ Champion. Boulle is also the recipient of the 2024 Jim Trueman Award, given to the top LMP2 Bronze driver in IMSA – and an award that also gave Boulle an automatic invite to Le Mans.
Though he’s since moved on to race for United Autosports in IMSA, Boulle always wanted to repay his old team and go to Le Mans with Inter Europol – his first start in this event since 2019.
Boulle’s supporting cast is led by Luca Ghiotto, the once-heralded single-seater prospect who joined Inter Europol last season in the European Le Mans Series. Ghiotto is making his first Le Mans start this year, but he’s no newcomer to sports car racing by any means, with years of GT3 experience and even a one-off WEC appearance in the Ginetta G60 LMP1 on his CV.
Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer made his Le Mans debut a year ago with the Duqueine Team. He’s shown a lot of potential in a short amount of time as an LMP2 driver, and as his experience builds, so too should his confidence.
#45 Algarve Pro Racing – INV – PRT
George Kurtz B (USA) Alex Quinn G (GBR) Nicky Catsburg P (NLD)
George Kurtz and Algarve Pro Racing are back together at Le Mans, nearly a year after the well-documented challenges in Kurtz’s other professional career forced him to pause his racing endeavours.
Two years ago, Kurtz and APR joined forces for the first time and dominated LMP2 Pro/Am on the way to victory. Any hopes of a repeat win were dashed when the left-rear wheel came off overnight, just before half-distance. Kurtz has trimmed his driving commitments this year, with a greater focus on prototype racing, and he’s shown that he can be the best Bronze in the field on a good day.
Corvette Racing factory driver Nicky ‘The Cat’ Catsburg returns to the CrowdStrike-sponsored APR ORECA. He was part of last year’s programme alongside Kurtz and Colin Braun, and helped drive the factory Corvette team to its final Le Mans victory in ’23. Catsburg spent the winter racing in the Asian Le Mans Series for Nielsen Racing to gain more prototype experience in advance of his return to Le Mans.
But this year, instead of Braun, the #45 team will have Englishman Alex Quinn rounding out the driver roster, coming in from APR’s European Le Mans Series programme. Quinn was second in LMP2 Pro/Am last year with AO Racing, and he’s rapidly become a standout talent with ELMS and Asian Le Mans Series wins to his name already.
#183 AF Corse – INV – ITA
François Perrodo B (FRA) Matthieu Vaxiviere G (FRA) Antonio Felix da Costa P (POR)
What a story it would be for Francois Perrodo, the recipient of this year’s Spirit of Le Mans Award, to claim even more silverware for his bulging cabinet.
The French Bronze driver is a double Le Mans winner in GTE Am and P2 Pro/Am, has four WEC titles and two ELMS titles, and he has a legitimate chance to win LMP2 overall as well as Pro/Am this year if things fall his way.
Why? AF Corse, Ferrari’s double Le Mans winning factory team, needs no introduction as a team operating his car. And his pair of teammates are world-class.
Antonio Felix Da Costa will no doubt be highly motivated in his return to sports car racing after being moved into a full-time Formula E role with Porsche last year, and Matthieu Vaxivere will feel he has plenty to prove after being dropped by Alpine’s full-time Hypercar roster in the off-season.
If they execute the plan, and block out any memories of the #83’s disastrous run at Le Castellet last time out in the ELMS, then expect this car to be in contention all the way to Sunday afternoon.
#199 AO by TF – USA
PJ Hyett B (USA) Dane Cameron P (USA) Louis Delétraz G (SUI)
AO Racing’s collaborative LMP2 entry with TF Sport was one of the many success stories for the Chicago-based super-privateer in 2024: AO by TF took the European Le Mans Series LMP2 Championship, won the outright LMP2 pole for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and finished second in the Pro/Am category wearing the purple and orange colours of ‘Spike the LMP2 Dragon.’
So, of course, it made sense for AO’s PJ Hyett and TF’s Tom Ferrier to renew their collaboration and make another run at LMP2 Pro/Am glory.
‘Spike’ flies back to Le Mans as one of the strong favourites to win it this year on the strength of their driving talent. In only his second season of prototype racing, Hyett is already established as one of the quickest Bronze drivers in any region of LMP2 racing, whether over a single lap in qualifying or now, over multiple stints in a race.
This year, Hyett snagged former Porsche factory driver Dane Cameron to be his running mate in both the American and European circuits, and the reigning IMSA GTP Drivers’ Champion has fit in well in his new environment.
And then there’s last year’s LMP2 pole-sitter, and reigning ELMS LMP2 Champion, Louis Deletraz – who is as motivated as any driver in this field to win. The second-generation Swiss driver was a lap away from winning LMP2 outright in 2021 before his WRT ORECA shut down on the last lap.
Since then, Deletraz has finished second in either LMP2 or LMP2 Pro/Am for the last three years. It has been a difficult year by his high standards, particularly in IMSA, but he is still a game-changing talent with the drive and the desire to finally reach the top step of the podium.
