At last weekend’s 24 Hours of Spa, SRO Motorsports Group CEO Stéphane Ratel spoke of the importance of collaboration between the various bodies involved in organising sportscar racing worldwide, to “grow the cake” so that they can all benefit.
This weekend, Ratel, IMSA president John Doonan and ACO president Pierre Fillon will be united, with all three set to race at the Le Mans Classic.
Ratel is entered into the GT3 Revival Series, which is operated by SRO and Peter Auto, where he will race a Barwell Motorsport-run Aston Martin DBRS9 alongside Robert Hissom in the Gen 1 Am class.
“I am delighted to be joining Barwell Motorsport for the Le Mans Classic and bringing my Aston Martin DBRS9 to the event,” said Ratel.
“As one of the world’s leading historic car events, the Le Mans Classic is the perfect place to highlight the GT3 Revival Series. As it is the 20th anniversary of GT3 this year, I wanted to be a part of the event, but I also wanted one of our original Aston Martin teams to run my car, so Barwell Motorsport is a natural fit. I have known Mark Lemmer for many years and know he runs a fantastic team, so I am really looking forward to getting on track, experiencing this world-class event and getting to grips again with the fantastic Aston Martin DBRS9.”
Fillon will compete in Plateau 9, for cars from 2000 to 2010, where he will once again race a 2002-spec Audi R8 LMP900.
And Doonan will race in the HSR NASCAR Classic by Goodyear, where he is entered under the pseudonym ‘Ricky Bobby’, and is set to run a full Talladega Nights tribute scheme.
IMSA acquired HSR back in 2022, with the North American-based body making a one-off appearance in Europe in celebration of 50 years since NASCAR first raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“We’re taking 37 HSR customers, and some European folks in that mix, to Le Mans for the Le Mans Classic Legend, 50 years to the year that Bill France Sr. first took NASCAR to Le Mans to compete in the 24-hour race,” Doonan explained.
“It’s an incredible experience for those participants. We’re going to go to Normandy and celebrate what ithat means to America, and to so many that gave their lives for freedom, and also we’re going to give them an incredible experience at the track.
“But what I’m most excited about, and we saw this in 2023 with Garage 56, the fans over there love the sound of American V8s, so we’re going to make a lot of noise and have a ton of fun celebrating NASCAR’s history.
“I’ll be driving a Wonderbread 2002 [Chevrolet] Monte Carlo, and Joe Nemechek will be driving an Old Spice-branded car, so I’m really excited.”
Elsewhere at the event, the Mazda 787B is set to return to the Circuit de la Sarthe to turn demonstration laps, 35 years on from its 1991 victory.
The 2026 Le Mans Classic Legend will take place on 2nd to 5th July 2026, with it the first edition since the event was split between Heritage (1923-1971) and Legend (1972-2015).
Five plateau grids, six through 10, will have three races each, as will the HSR NASCAR by Goodyear support series. The GT3 Revival Series will run two races, with further support action coming in the form of one race each for the Porsche Classic Cup and Berlinetta Challenge.
Images courtesy of Paul Foster, Barwell Motorsport, Andrew Hall and DPPI
