LMP2 Le Mans winner Charles Milesi and LMP3 standout Laurents Hörr will be taking part in the official FIA World Endurance Championship Rookie Test in Bahrain.
Milesi and Hörr and will each get a minimum of 30 laps in the 2021 World Championship winning cars from the Hypercar and LMGTE Pro categories respectively.
Drivers are nominated to take part in the official Rookie test for their ‘exemplary performance and racing skills.’ The test takes place on Sunday 7 November, one day after the season-closing Eight Hours of Bahrain.
Milesi, 20, currently competes for Team WRT in the FIA WEC as part of his debut season. He recently won the LMP2 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Robin Frijns and Ferdinand Habsburg.
He will carry out the test in Toyota’s GR010 Hybrid Hypercar, making him one of the very first drivers to test the Le Mans-winning car outside of Toyota’s official driver roster.
The last driver to take part in the Rookie Test with Toyota was Nyck de Vries in 2019, who has since been signed as test- and reserve driver for the Japanese manufacturer.
“I’m really happy with this opportunity, being able to drive a Hypercar and also the one which has won Le Mans this year – it’s unbelievable,” said Milesi. “I would like to thank everybody, first WRT because we have had an incredible year so far and also the ACO, the WEC and Toyota for this amazing opportunity.”
Hörr, meanwhile, will get an outing with the championship-winning GTE Pro squad. This will either be Ferrari or Porsche, depending on the results of the final two championship rounds.
The German won the LMP3 title in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in both 2019 and 2020 and has spent 2021 in the European Le Mans Series, taking three race victories with DKR Engineering.
“I am very happy and grateful that I have been chosen for this year’s rookie test,” Hörr said. “It means a lot to me to know that people see my performance as a driver. I am very excited to meet this challenge, as I have never worked with a factory team before.”
In addition to the outings for Milesi and Hörr, five hours of track time is available for other WEC teams should they wish to use it for testing purposes.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented young drivers to show off their skills and professionalism to teams representing some of the world’s biggest and most successful automotive brands,” said Frédéric Lequien, FIA WEC CEO. “It is always nice to be able to help some of the hardest working and most naturally skilled drivers in our paddock and we look forward to seeing how Charles and Laurent perform in Bahrain.”
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