The 24 Hours of Le Mans always attracts a large and internationally diverse field of drivers. Some of these drivers have traditionally often come from across the pond, racing in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. Which drivers from the premier North American sportscar series are racing in the French endurance classic this weekend? MotorsportWeek.com takes a closer look.
LMP1
The top category at Le Mans features only a single driver who is active full time in the 2020 IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. Canadian BMW factory driver Bruno Spengler is out on loan to privateer outfit ByKolles, where he partners Tom Dillmann and Oliver James Webb aboard the #4 ENSO CLM P1/01-Gibson.
There are a number of other drivers with IMSA ties, however. Rebellion’s Gustavo Menezes raced with Dragonspeed earlier this year, and Toyota drivers Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi have also seen IMSA action in 2020, with the latter winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
LMP2
LMP2, the largest class at this year’s race with 24 cars, features a not insignificant number of IMSA drivers within its ranks. For starters, Porsche GTLM star and Mazda DPi driver Nick Tandy and Oliver Jarvis are partnered together aboard he #16 G-Drive by Algarve ORECA.
Dwight Merriman and Kyle Tilley, regular partners at Era Motorsport in IMSA’s LMP2 category, have joined forces with European Le Mans Series regulars IDEC Sport, driving together with Jonathan Kennard aboard the #17 ORECA.
Dragonspeed, a regular guest in the IMSA paddock, have entered a pair of ORECAs with some familiar names behind the wheel. The #21 car features Acura Team Penske star Juan Pablo Montoya, while his DPi rival, Wayne Taylor Racing’s Renger van der Zande, is driving the #27 car.
Simon Trummer, who leads the LMP2 standings in IMSA with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, is driving the #25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA along with Meyer Shank Racing GTD race winner Matt McMurry.
GTE Pro
In an ideal world, the North American presence in the GTE Pro category would have been far greater. Unfortunately, both Corvette Racing and Porsche’s two IMSA entries were withdrawn from the race, leaving the class at eight entries.
That said, there are still plenty of familiar names. Weathertech Racing, a frontrunner in GTD, have entered their #63 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo into GTE Pro, with regular pairing Toni Vilander and Cooper MacNeil teaming up with Jeff Segal. Risi Competizione, last year’s Petit Le Mans winners, are also back at La Sarthe with their Ferrari. DPi rivals Olivier Pla and Sebastien Bourdais are now team-mates, with Jules Gounon as third driver. Gounon raced with Meyer Shank Racing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
Porsche GTLM drivers Fred Makowiecki and Laurens Vanthoor have been brought in by Porsche to supplement its two full-season WEC entries, while Aston Martin has enlisted the help of ex-Ford GTLM racer Richard Westbrook and Mazda DPi race winner Harry Tincknell to complete its line-up.
GTE Am
With 22 cars entered into GTE Am, it should come as no surprise that a fair number of drivers have come from IMSA competition.
Most notably, Riley Motorsports’ trio Ben Keating, Felipe Fraga and Jeroen Bleekemolen, who were a regular front runner in GTD before embarking on a WEC campaign last year, are back one year after seeing their win taken away. They drive the #57 Porsche 911 RSR, decked out in the popular Wynn’s colour scheme.
Richard Heistand, who drove with GRT Grasser Racing in the previous round at Road Atlanta, is partnered with ex-Corvette veteran Jan Magnussen aboard JMW Motorsport’s #66 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo.
