ByKolles has had its Le Mans Hypercar entry into the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship rejected, hence its absence from Wednesday’s provisional entry list.
The privateer squad had filed an entry to be part of the Hypercar class for the season, which would have seen it compete alongside Toyota, Peugeot, Alpine and Glickenhaus.
Championship CEO Frédéric Lequien has confirmed in the wake of the entry list’s release that ByKolles’ entry for the season was not accepted, but would not go into detail on the reasons for the rejection.
“The selection committee has decided that we do not have all the necessary criteria to accept this entry,” Lequien told Autosport. “It is a decision of the selection committee.”
ByKolles was understood to have plans to field its Gibson-engined Hypercar under the Vanwall badge, having acquired the trademark in late 2021. It had previously announced Esteban Guerrieri and Tom Dillmann as development drivers.
Vanwall, founded in the 1950s by Tony Vandervell, won the 1958 Formula One constructors’ championship with the likes of Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks.
Hypercar entrants are not allowed to field race-by-race entries in the FIA WEC and are instead required to contest all six rounds of the 2022 campaign.
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“Hypercar entrants are not allowed to field race-by-race entries in the FIA WEC and are instead required to contest all six rounds of the 2022 campaign”
What a bunch of nonsense. That’s a good way to ensure fewer new entrances.