Michelle Gatting recalled her tearful Le Mans 24 Hours debut with the Iron Dames and described the growth of the all-female driver project.

The Iron Dames project is currently one of the leading and lasting motorsport organisations promoting female driver talent.

As of this year, they have the highest count of drivers in their roster – 16 – across various series and disciplines including the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA, European Le Mans Series, GT World Challenge Europe, to name a few in sportscar racing.

The project began their sportscar racing endeavours at the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours, as Gatting told Motorsport Week about her emotive event debut along with the unforeseen growth of the project.

Gatting has been one of the key figures in the Iron Dames having taken on most of their pursuits in sportscar racing.

The 31-year-old joined fellow Iron Dame Rahel Frey in six consecutive starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“It was my first 24 Hours of Le Mans,” she said.

“A huge achievement back then, obviously the biggest achievement in my racing career, coming there with an all-female line-up with a new project in the motorsports environment.

“The attention on us was huge, enormous.

“I remember on the starting grid before the race started, we were sitting together, Rahel [Frey], me and Manuela [Gostner], our line-up.

“We were all wearing our sunglasses and the tears were falling down on our cheeks because it was such a proud moment and there was a lot to take in.

“I also got the tattoo on my arm two days before I left for the race with the 24 Hours of Le Mans logo and the quote saying, ‘If you can dream it, you can do it,’ because it was obviously just a huge achievement.”

Public reception of the Iron Dames initiative

The Iron Dames were not the first effort with ambitions to bring female talent to Le Mans, having contributed to the 66 female drivers who have starred in the historic race.

Gatting remembered a largely positive reception to Deborah Mayer, the founder of the Iron Dames initiative, though underlined by public skepticism due to the unsuccessful attempts of previous alike female driver projects.

“I don’t think there were so many expectations to begin with because you have seen female projects before that were there for one year and then you never saw them again.

“And this was also very important for me, personally, that it was not going to be a project like this.

“I quickly realised together with Deborah [Mayer] that it was not going to be a project just for one year.

“So the first year I remember being in the paddock, I knew a lot of the drivers already. But people were a bit skeptical.

“And if I go to now, we are very well-respected and very well-known in the paddock.

“We have drivers that are coming to shake our hands when they see us, the Hypercar drivers. You know, there’s a lot of respect amongst the other drivers towards us and the project.

“And this was something that had to be done over years.

“… The first year we finished P9 no mistakes from the team, from the drivers, and basically we’ve done that ever since… [and] so far never had a DNF.”

Mayer as a leader for the Iron Dames

Mayer founded the Iron Dames in 2018 before taking on motorsport with her female driver-focused project.

She served as President of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission from 2022 to 2024 having been fuelled by her passion for female representation in motorsport and has lead the Iron Dames drivers throughout the project’s seven-year existence.

“Deborah is a very strong, empowering woman and she’s a very kind person,” said Gatting.

“She is taking us in like we are her own. She’s protecting us really, like we are her own.

“And this is very special.

“Obviously I’ve been on the project since day-one, so I have shared a lot of moments together with Deborah.

“Good and bad, strong and let’s say weak moments. We have been through it all.

“We [Iron Dames] are all very similar because she’s very determined, she’s very strong-willed.

“When she has an idea, she goes for it. When she has a goal in her head, she will do everything she can to reach it.

“I think this is very important that the mentality is more or less the same between all the drivers and the riders.”

Seeing Iron Dames in different race cars

For the 2025 racing season, the Iron Dames announced their partnership with Porsche for all of their GT3 racing efforts.

Gatting became an official Porsche driver as part of the news, as she teased what this meant for her and the Iron Dames project.

“This is very important for me,” she said on the achievement.

“A huge personal goal that I’ve worked very hard for many years to achieve and I also don’t hide the fact that the goals are bigger than that.

“My dream is to continuously be an Iron Dame, but hopefully within the next year to get the chance to share a car together with male drivers, with male factory drivers, as an Iron Dame continuously.

“This is the next goal. This is the next step that the Iron Dames will also be expanded and you will see more Iron Dames maybe in different cars, still having an Iron Dames-branded suit or Iron Dames logos, but you will see us more as individuals with male drivers and so on.”

Earlier this week, the ‘Supported by Iron Dames’ initiative was launched to bring three female drivers – Emma Chalvin, Laura van den Hengel and Ava Lawrence – to be nurtured by the Iron Dames across the GT racing, rallying and karting disciplines the trio represent.

Aiming towards a main championship title

The Iron Dames won their first European Le Mans Series race at the end of the 2022 season, followed by their maiden victory in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship – also at the season finale.

“I think for the project, the next goal that would be for all of us to win a championship,” Gatting said, “We have shown that in WEC, we’ve shown it in Le Mans that we can withstand the pressure.

“… Now it’s about consistency and to prove to the environment that we can also win the championships because that’s the hard part in the end, is to be consistent enough over a year to gain enough points to win championships.

“… They [Manthey Racing ] won the championship, they [also] finished P2, they won Le Mans.

“I know it’s not just a goal for me, but it’s also a goal for my teammates that we win a championship.”

The recent Qatar 1812 km marking a difficult start to the season for the Iron Dames having taken 13th place in the LMGT3 category as Gatting anticipated beforehand their #85 Porsche 911 LMGT3.R was “probably not going to be standing on top of the podium.”

This was due to address Manthey’s dominant form last year during what was the first season of the LMGT3 category.

Sixty-two hours of racing remains in the WEC schedule whilst Proton Racing will assist in the remainder of IMSA’s Endurance rounds and the upcoming the ELMS season.

The Le Mans 24 Hours on 14-15 June will mark another chance to better their fifth-placed finish last year and their best-ever of P4 in 2023.

READ MORE: Five key storylines from the WEC Qatar 1812 km

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Daniel Juncadella has joined the IDEC Sport LMP2 European Le Mans Series programme which runs in partnership with Genesis’ LMDh preparation.

The recent Qatar 1812 km LMGT3 race winner will take the place of former Formula 1 driver Logan Sargeant, who recently parted ways with the project.

Juncadella will co-drive the #18 Oreca 07 LMP2 with Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert, meanwhile Genesis LMDh development driver Andre Lotterer will compete in their #18 Oreca at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 14-15 June.

This is because Juncadella will fulfil his full-time FIA World Endurance Championship seat in the #33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

The 33-year-old Spaniard will compete at Le Mans which is the fourth round on the 2025 WEC schedule, though it is unclear yet whether Juncadella will continue in pursuit of a Hypercar seat next year.

“I’m really happy to join IDEC Sport and Genesis Magma Racing,” said Juncadella.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to make my debut in the ELMS with such an experienced team.

“Although I’m currently racing in GT3, I already have experience in LMP2 from the 24 Hours of Daytona.

“I’m confident the team will help me settle in quickly.

“My single-seater background also gives me useful references to handle the aerodynamics.

“I want to thank the entire team for this trust.

“I’m looking forward to starting work with them, and that starts this week.”

Le Mans mentioned ‘from the beginning’ for Lotterer

The reigning WEC Hypercar champion joined the Genesis LMDh programme after departing the Porsche Penske project last year.

The three-time Le Mans winner will take on his 13th start at the historic race later this summer.

“This opportunity was discussed from the beginning of our collaboration, but the priority was always the drivers from the ‘Trajectory’ programme.

“Ultimately, Logan’s withdrawal gives me the chance to return to Le Mans and bring my experience to this young team.

“The car looks very competitive. I’ve already spoken with Mathys and Jamie, and we will form a strong trio.

“Thanks to Genesis Magma Racing and IDEC Sport for this opportunity.

“Racing at Le Mans is always special, and this experience will also help me stay sharp for the rest of the season.”

Cyril Abiteboul, President of Hyundai Motorsport, added: “This is a logical choice. Andre has immense experience and has already won the event three times.

“He is part of the Genesis Magma Racing family since he will race with us in Hypercar next year.

“This participation allows him to get familiar with the team, engineers, and mechanics this year while bringing his invaluable expertise from the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

READ MORE: LMGT3 winner Daniel Juncadella admits ‘a lot of pressure’ in Qatar

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The provisional entry list for the 93rd Le Mans 24 Hours features 62 entries across three classes for the main race on 14-15 June 2025.

The world’s most historic motor endurance racing event will run for the 93rd time since it began in 1923.

A packed grid for the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship encompasses an exciting line-up of manufacturers and debutants with a list of 62 entries across the Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 categories,

Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR), who compete in the IMSA SportsCar Championship‘s GTP category, will make their Le Mans event debut having completed numerous years at the top of the North American multi-class sportscar series including notable races like the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

Cadillac have the joint-most presence in the 21-strong Hypercar grid – matching Porsche – with two V-Series.Rs by JOTA, two more from IMSA’s WTR and Action Express Racing teams.

Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque will co-drive the #101 Cadillac for WTR and Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich and Frederik Vesti will do so in the #311 Whelen Cadillac.

Porsche’s 963s consist of the two Penske works Hypercars, the additional third #4 Penske car which won the 2024 IMSA GTP championship, and the one from their customer team Proton Competition.

Aston Martin will make their top class return with their new Valkyrie Hypercars since last competing in the former LMP1 category in 2011.

LMP2 has 17 Oreca 07 entries compared to 15 from last year, including nine Pro/Am sub-class entries.

The LMGT3 category has the most entries at 24 across nine manufacturers with Ferrari represented utmost at five 296 LMGT3 machines.

See here for the full provisional entry list.

READ MORE: Le Mans 24 Hours invites finalised for highly anticipated 2025 race

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Iron Lynx has announced Mercedes-AMG driver Luca Stolz along with Stephen and Brenton Grove in their third LMGT3 car for the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Stolz is a well-affiliated works driver of Mercedes-AMG machinery having finished third at last month’s Bathurst 12 Hours with team-mates Jules Gounon and Kenny Habul.

As Stolz has won the race three times, he has yet to compete at Le Mans with numerous Daytona 24 Hours appearances in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with all but one of the eight starts in something other than a Mercedes-AMG.

Meanwhile Stephen Grove and his son Brenton made their name with three consecutive class-wins at the Bathurst 12H, so they will join Stolz in their collective Le Mans race debut in the #63 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 on 14-15 June.

Iron Lynx claimed the 2024 European Le Mans Series LMGT3 championship title to have earned a third Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 alongside their #60 and #61 entries for the FIA World Endurance Championship, of which Le Mans serves as the fourth round this year.

Brenton Grove said: “I’m so excited for this year’s programme and the 24 Hour of Le Mans with AMG and Iron Lynx.

“To have the opportunity to compete in the biggest race in the world alongside my father and Luca is definitely my career highlight.

“I’ve watched the race since I was a little kid, so to experience the atmosphere and be in the race during its golden years is something truly special. I can’t wait for the challenge.”

Le Mans as a ‘bucket list’ event

Mercedes is returning to Le Mans for the first time since 1999 and have taken on the Qatar 1812 km season-opener thus far with less than optimal results.

Brenton’s father, Stephen, added: “Le Mans is the last big race on my bucket list.

“I had a taste of the event in 2014 in a support category, but to do the main race is something I’ve always wanted to do.

“To team up with Brenton, Luca and Iron Lynx gives me real confidence for the event.

“I know the AMG well and I feel now is the right time to take this opportunity and make the most of it.

“I can’t wait for the month of June to roll around.”

Andrea Piccini, Iron Lynx team principal and CEO added: “We are excited to line up one additional car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and we are proud to represent Mercedes-AMG in their return edition with an expanded programme.

“Both Stephen and Brenton have a good amount of experience, and they are a valuable addition to the team.

“Luca is an outstanding driver.

“I used to be teammates with him in the past, and I know he is extremely talented and experienced.

“He is somebody that the team can truly rely on.”

READ MORE: Iron Lynx used Qatar 1812 km as test for new Mercedes machinery

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The completion of the 2024/25 Asian Le Mans Series finalised the 24 Hours of Le Mans invitations for the highly anticipated 2025 race.

Last weekend hosted the final two rounds of the AsLMS at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Two action-packed four hour races last Saturday and Sunday concluded the AsLMS season total of six races across three venues, running a unique double-header set-up at each circuit.

Abu Dhabi’s finale confirmed the final selection of invitations to this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours which takes place in less than four months time on 14-15 June.

The AsLMS, like the European Le Mans Series, is governed by the Automobil Club l’Ouest (ACO) who above all, govern Le Mans events.

The World Endurance Championship is a partnership between the FIA and ACO and hosts the most historic endurance motor race on an annual basis.

Champions and selected winners across the ACO series, the North American IMSA SportsCar Championship et al, have fought hard to earn Le Mans invites where the outright maximum entry count is 62 across the Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 categories.

A round-up of this year’s automatic Le Mans invites

1. Algarve Pro Racing (First in AsLMS LMP2 category)
2. Manthey (First in AsLMS GT category)
3. AO by TF (First in ELMS LMP2 category)
4. Inter Europol Competition (Second in ELMS LMP2 category)
5. AF Corse (First in ELMS LMP2 Pro/Am category)
6. RLR MSport (First in ELMS LMP3 category)
7. Iron Lynx (First in ELMS LMGT3 category)
8. Porsche Penske Motorsport (First in IMSA GTP category)
9. Nick Boulle (IMSA Jim Trueman Award winner)
10. Orey Fidani (IMSA Bob Akin Award winner)
11. Sky Tempesta Racing (First in GTWCE Bronze Cup)

2024/25 Asian Le Mans Series

Two automatic invites were up for the taking in the 2024/25 campaign.

Algarve Pro Racing’s #25 Oreca 07 LMP2 won half of the races in the season and refused to finish outside of the top-five.

Co-drivers Malthe Jakobsen, Michael Jensen and endurance racing rookie Valerio Rinicella pushed the #25 Oreca to championship title victory after scoring fourth place on Sunday’s race.

On 109 points, the closest out of the 10 LMP2 entrants were the RD Limited (multiple 24-hour race winner Romain Dumas’ team) with James Allen, Fred Poordad and Tristan Vautier who scored third together in the final race, although this was not enough for the title.

The other invitation concerned the GT class champion which was the #10 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3.R.

During the WEC’s maiden season in GT3 machinery (respectively called LMGT3), Manthey dominated the entire season having won the first LMGT3 title – and Le Mans.

Their success emerged as no surprise with previous LMGTE Pro works experience, though such domination in GT3 was more impressive than shocking.

Manthey’s #92 EMA Porsche secured second in the title standings which made it a 1-2 yet again after the 2024 WEC season.

They were, however, not able to match the #10 Porsche crew Antares Au and Manthey’s own reigning WEC LMGT3 champions Klaus Bachler and Joel Sturm.

The #10 Porsche team finished the standings on 86 points after winning the final race, as the #92 – including quintuple Le Mans winner Richard Lietz – situated on 76 points.

None were on offer for the seven LMP3 class entrants.

2024 European Le Mans Series

Five automatic invites have been secured during last year’s 2024 ELMS season which finished in Portimao, running four-hour racing events like the AsLMS.

More so, all such slots were mainly for prototype racing teams across LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am and LMP3 with only with an LMGT3 one given to the class champion.

With 14 LMP2 teams and eight in the Pro/Am category, the 2024 ELMS was undeniably competitive across the all-Oreca 07 LMP2 grids.

An intense and thrilling season finale resulted in AO by TF (Sport)’s #14 Oreca securing the title with credit to Jonny Edgar, Louis Deletraz and Robert Kubica.

On 93 points, the #14 Oreca nosed out the #43 Inter Europol Competition team who secured this hard-fought vice-champion position with motive to add to their Centenary Le Mans win.

The LMP2 Pro/Am story ended unfortunately for Alex Quinn’s #20 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca who ran an impressive fuel-saving effort in his final stint but lost out on the title after having been unable to fend off the #77 Proton Competition team on the final lap.

Proton scored the race win although it was the #83 AF Corse co-drivers Francois Perrodo, Alessio Rovera and Matthieu Vaxiviere who won the Pro/Am title.

Nick Adcock, Michael Jensen and Gael Julien of RLR MSport‘s #15 Ligier JS P320 won the LMP3 title by one point against third-placed finishers Eurointernational (#11 Ligier) and an LMP2 Le Mans invite.

The Iron Lynx won the title – before the announced split between Iron Lynx and Lamborghini – by just two points on Kessel Racing’s #57 Ferrari 296 LMGT3.

Though Iron Lynx will have two WEC-entered Mercedes-AMG LMGT3s, they will have an additional third LMGT3 entrant at Le Mans.

2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship and GTWCE Bronze Cup

Three automatic invitations were up for offer during last year’s IMSA campaign which ended with the annual running of Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

First of all, Porsche Penske landed a Hypercar slot for Le Mans after they secured the GTP championship title whereas in the year prior, Whelen Cadillac Racing got their spot for a red V-Series.R at the 2024 Le Mans race.

With two full-season WEC Hypercar entrants, Porsche’s third 963 will prove opportunistic for their winning chances against the trio of Ferrari 499Ps and two Toyota GR010 Hybrids amidst plenty of competition.

Nick Boulle was the highest-scoring FIA Bronze-graded driver in the LMP2 category having won the title with the #52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen partnership.

The Jim Trueman award winner will chose what team to pursue his own Le Mans invitation with – likely hinting towards Inter Europol Competition over his current IMSA team, United Autosports.

In the GTD category, the highest finishing Bronze driver was Orey Fidani who co-piloted the #13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R with recent Daytona 24 Hours winner Matt Bell to become the 2024 Bob Akin Award winner.

In the 2024 GT World Challenge Europe series run by the SRO Motorsports Group, Sky Tempesta Racing won the Bronze Cup in the combined Endurance and Sprint championship standings.

Expect the provisional entry list for the 93rd running of the Le Mans 24 Hours to be released on 3 March, after the WEC Qatar 1812 km season-opener on 28 February.

READ MORE: Five new stories to follow in the 2025 WEC season

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Reigning IMSA LMP2 champion Nick Boulle hinted towards running his 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours invitation with the Inter Europol Competition team.

Speaking in a pre-Daytona 24 Hours briefing, the reigning IMSA SportsCar Championship title-winner told media – including Motorsport Week – about his plans on using his Le Mans invitation, strongly suggesting the Centenary Le Mans-winning team.

“We should have an announcement pretty soon,” teased Boulle.

“I think it’s highly likely it’s going to be Inter Europol.

“We had a great time with them last year and after winning the championship, we’d love to try and go chase a Le Mans victory with them.”

“… The (LMP2) competition is so high and getting to drive alongside Tom [Dillmann] last year – I learned a ton.

“Hopefully get to use it against him a little bit this year and I’m really looking forward to getting in the blue car with United at Daytona, and hopefully we can figure out some more for later in the year.

“But right now our focus is just on making a strong result at the Rolex 24 and then hoping we can piece together more for the rest of the year.”

Boulle starting 2025 after prior success

He will drive the #2 United Autosports machine for the approaching season-opener, the 24 Hours of Daytona on 25-26 January, who are double Le Mans winners including last year’s running in 2024.

Boulle earned his Le Mans invitation at the end of last year’s successful IMSA campaign with the #52 Oreca 07 PR1 Mathiasen by Inter Europol team.

He finished joint-highest in the LMP2 drivers’ standings and in the Jim Trueman Award which rivalled the FIA Bronze-graded drivers in the category.

The Polish bakery chain notably won the Centenary edition of Le Mans in 2023, in the LMP2 category, and pursued IMSA racing after the FIA World Endurance Championship demoted the LMP2 category for a single appearance at Le Mans, one of the rounds on the WEC schedule.

For the 2025 season, PR1 Mathiasen and Inter Europol are fielding separate Oreca 07 entries after having partnered together towards championship glory.

After earning their first 24-hour race victory in 2023, the Inter Europol outfit are highly set on winning another at Daytona and Le Mans on 14-15 June.

READ MORE: Scherer on winning Le Mans while injured and Inter Europol as WEC title-contenders

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Endurance racer Rianna O’Meara Hunt spoke exclusively with Motorsport Week about her dreams of racing Le Mans.

Rianna O’Meara Hunt is a young driver from New Zealand, who was recently inducted into the Aston Martin Driver Academy.

Hunt found her love for motorsport at four years old when she was introduced to karting by her father who enjoyed racing Mini Challenge cars with a friend.

After visiting a local go-kart track in Wellington, New Zealand, Hunt eagerly convinced her father to buy a kart on sale.

With big dreams and a great on-track record, she set her sights on the big prize of endurance racing.

“I aspire to be in endurance racing, so WEC, IMSA, to get to Le Mans,” Hunt said. 

“I want to be the first woman to win it, but also be the first female Kiwi to race it, because no one has yet.”

It didn’t take long to realise that she would not be able to fight her way to Le Mans in New Zealand.

As much as Kiwis and Aussies love motorsports, the progression opportunities were limited so Hunt opted for a career abroad.

She spent some time racing in America, winning two rounds of the SRO GT4 Championship in 2023.

In the Worldwide GT4 driver search, Hunt was the shoot-out winner – a feat which earned her a spot in the Aston Martin Driver Academy.

Hunt explained: “It’s near impossible to get picked up by big brands like Porsche or BMW to become a factory driver.

“In America, I flew to Europe and back for every race, it was a lot of travel especially once a month.”

Hunt earns a double victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Her double win with teammate Hannah Grisham at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the SRO GT4 Championship put her on the map.

The victory pushed her into Aston Martin’s loving arms, after winning in the Vantage, further pushing her to the UK.

It was a big decision to relocate to the UK, but it was a necessary one according to Hunt.

She said: “I got selected to be part of the Aston Martin Driver Academy this year, so it’s helped moving over here and building that relationship a little bit more with Aston Martin.

“I think America prepped me well to come over to the UK, I turned up to my first event and there were 45 cars.

“The culture and the people are very different here, I feel more comfortable in the motorsport scene here.”

Moving to the UK was the first step in her five-year plan to Le Mans, she explained: “I know racing can take random turns, but I want to be in Le Mans.

“I want another year in GT4, then the next year doing British GT before trying some GT3 testing,” she explained.

“2026 is where I’d like to be a part of the ELMS or WEC paddock, then from there I’d love to become a factory driver and race in IMSA before committing to WEC.”

With her goals as clear as ever, Hunt knows exactly what she wants to do and understands the work she has cut out for her.

This manic schedule and the pressure she puts on reaching her goal can be overwhelming, but luckily it’s all in the five-year plan.

Hunt works with a sports psychologist who she credits with keeping her mentality right before and after racing.

Hunt boasts a great family relationship

As well as this, her family is in full support of her moving across the world to be closer to her dreams.

Hunt shared: “Not being with them all the time has been a struggle, but their support is… I can’t even describe it because they make me feel so loved from the other side of the world.

“At 3 in the morning, if I need somebody to call, they’re always awake just to check in – they make sure that I know that if you know I need anything, they’re there.”

On the hunt for Le Mans, Hunt has worked hard to perfect her race craft and is constantly learning.

She recently joined Walero Motorsports’ athlete roster, upgrading from brand ambassador to their official roster.

Things are looking great for Rianna O’Meara Hunt, and the trajectory looks even brighter.

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The FIA World Endurance Championship has officially teased an upcoming eight-part documentary series looking to focus the spotlight on specific major manufacturers.

The ‘Meet the Legends’ series will be broadcasted on the FIA WEC YouTube channel, like ‘Full Access’ which has been uploaded a week after each race to provide behind-the-scenes insight.

‘Meet the Legends’ will detail the sporting, business and aspirational stories behind some of the championship’s iconic manufacturers, as the documentary will explore the factors of history and innovation with insight from top drivers – like Antonio Giovinazzi, Kamui Kobayashi, and Pierre Gasly – in addition to management and industry experts.

Ferrari will be the focus for the opening episode which is set to air after the 8 Hours of Bahrain season finale (2nd November), making it ideal for viewing during the off-season period and until the end of the year.

FIA WEC CEO Frederic Lequien described the recent dawn of multiple Hypercar manufacturers as “a celebration of commitment from some of the biggest names in automotive and motorsport industries, so we felt this era needed a deep dive to understand what makes these iconic brands so competitive.”

“The level of dedication is manifested on the track. We see this race-by-race and lap-by-lap.

“But behind the scenes there are deep foundations and whole levels of technical, sporting and marketing excellence that go unseen.”

“Meet the Legends breaks that down to give the viewer an understanding of each brand and the unique characteristics that they bring to the WEC.

“The diversity among them is something that should be celebrated and these episodes do that with insight and strong background.”

Stephane Andriolo, ACO and 24 Hours of Le Mans Sales and Marketing Director, added: “Today, endurance racing is used to promote much more than just new technology, it is also about the brands, what they stand for and how the public perceive them.

“The 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship provides the ideal platform for major manufacturers to tell their story.

“The ‘Meet the Legends’ series will allow viewers to look behind the scenes and understand why some of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers choose to race with the FIA WEC.”

‘Meet the Legends’ episode schedule

• Ep1 (11 November): The Unwavering Devotion of The Tifosi – Ferrari 
• Ep2 (16 November): No Challenge Is Too Great – Alpine 
• Ep3 (20 November): Racing with Allure – Peugeot 
• Ep4 (23 November): The American Way of Racing – Cadillac 
• Ep5 (27 November): Motorsport Legacy Led by Excellence – Porsche 
• Ep6 (30 November): A Unique Racing Story – Lamborghini 
• Ep7 (4 December): The Art of Speed – BMW M 
• Ep8 (7 December): The Relentless Quest to invent the Future – Toyota 

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After a fabulous 24 Hours of Le Mans, Motorsport Week looked back on five key storylines which made the 92nd edition of the French classic not only unpredictable, but also a memorable race to watch.

The world’s most historic sportscar motor race produced great racing and close wheel-to-wheel battles with a record-high of nine-manufacturers present in the top prototype and GT class.

For the third consecutive year, there was a joint-high of 62 entries across the Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 classes which meant there was continuous action up and down the field, excluding the heavy rain during the night.

Viewers and spectators may critic what felt like an indefinite four-hour-long safety car period during the nighttime, however, the race was still kept in motion owing to the work of the three safety cars. A fourth Porsche 911 Turbo S was additionally deployed to allow one of the others to refuel, and so on.

With the premier Hypercar class at its own record high 23 participants representing nine manufacturers, an incredible sight never bestowed in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and indeed within Le Mans’ top category in many decades.

There were winners and losers in each category, from the Ford Mustang GT3 finishing strongly on their Le Mans debut to the Whelen Cadillac crashing out. Amidst these noteworthy competitors, there were a number of key storylines which wove deep in the fabric of a rain-soaked 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Quadrant of Lamborghinis accomplish what BMW WRT could not

The fourth round of the FIA WEC was a difficult outing for the BMW WRT operation across their Hypercar and LMGT3 efforts, after seemingly showing promising pace during qualifying.

In the end, only one out of their four cars made it to the end; the #31 BMW M4 LMGT3.

Technically speaking, the #20 ‘Art Car’ also took the chequered flag however completed significantly less than the required 75% race distance of the race winner in order to be classified.

BMW WRT’s difficulties during the race began with Marco Wittman in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, when his fifth-placed running early on was hampered by a self-inflicted spin which put him at the back of the 23-strong Hypercar field.

Meanwhile in the #20 being driven by Robin Fijns, a more critical error was made during the third hour, when the rain was intermittent and track conditions were damp.

Frijns hit the tyre barriers at the Ford Chicane but made it back to the pit lane shortly after his crash, initially prompting driveshaft and brake repairs before a much longer pit stop required the mechanics to check the entire floor.

Later on in the seventh hour, Robert Kubica mistakenly put the #15 – being driven by Dries Vanthoor – heavily into the barrier at high speed in approach to the Mulsanne corner.

Kubica was subsequently penalised as Vanthoor suffered a slight concussion and muscle stiffness, and thus the #15 BMW was out.

The #46 M4 LMGT3 was out after a slight slip at the top of the Dunlop Hill by Ahmad Al Harthy put him into the gravel trap and retirement after 109 laps completed.

As for the #31 BMW, drivers Darren Leung, Sean Gelael and Augusto Farfus ensured that WRT could at least take something positive away from a troubled race.

Not only did the #31 crew finish, but they also took second place in the LMGT3 category ahead of the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3.

Lamborghini Iron Lynx conversely ran a smooth race without any significant driver errors or incidents, apart from when #60 driver Claudio Schiavoni spun his Huracan LMGT3 EVO2 on the exit of the second Mulsanne chicane and was momentarily stranded sideways after some minor contact with the barrier.

On their Le Mans [Hypercar and LMGT3] debut, Lamborghini ran an impressive race with their primary objective set around minimising reliability woes – in which they encountered none – and to reach the chequered flag.

In doing so, they took 10th and 11th positions with the SC63s as the #85 Iron Dames LMGT3 crew of Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey finished fifth in their first Le Mans with the Lamborghini.

Isotta Fraschini quietly finishes on Le Mans debut

It was a quiet yet fundamentally successful outing for the Isotta Fraschini Hypercar team run by Duqueine.

Running with two silver-rated WEC rookies in their lineup ensured that the #11 was unlikely to be fighting at the front.

Their reality, however, was not about fighting at the front but making it to the end of a gruelling fourth WEC race in their #11 Tipo-6 Competizione Le Mans Hypercar.

They finished 14th in the top group of running Hypercars, but ahead of two Hypercars which were running but further down the order.

Needless to say, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the world’s most toughest motorsport events with endurance, teamwork and competition combined into the longest race on the WEC calendar.

Amidst the drama and fighting in the Hypercar category, teams encountered reliability woes and drivers made mistakes whilst Isotta Fraschini made it through all of it.

In comparison to the other teams on their Le Mans debut in Hypercar machinery, the Isotta finished ahead of both Alpines, both BMWs and seven laps behind the #19 Lamborghini SC63.

Despite the lack of competitive form, they deserve to be more than proud of finishing their first Le Mans with Jean-Karl Vernay and youngsters Carl Bennett and Antonio Serravalle.

Ford takes LMGT3 podium on Le Mans return

In a class of 23 LMGT3s, three of the cars were Proton Competition’s Ford Mustangs which would make their first Le Mans appearance for the manufacturer since the Ford GTE programme.

They represent the brand in the WEC with the #77 and #88 entries, but won the 2023-24 Asian Le Mans Series GT title to earn an extra invitation to Le Mans with the #44.

Proton marked the occasion with not only a strong finish for two of their three Mustangs with not only a strong finish, but also its maiden podium, which was a fitting achievement on the 60th anniversary of the Mustang.

With a naturally aspirated V8 soundtrack, the new Mustang caught the ears before the eyes of spectators watching them fly-by.

Ben Barker put the #77 at the front of qualifying practice, as Ryan Hardwick put it in P4 during Hyperpole, prompting a second row start for the Mustang’s Le Mans debut.

Whilst Frederick Schandorff’s #70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S retained and built on a strong lead, the #77 took second position and showcased some consistent form in the hands of Barker.

Barker and Schandorff even found themselves nose-to-tail in the pit lane, highlighting how the battles for position continue even in the pit stop cycles, as Barker narrowed down the #70’s lead gap down to one second.

On the track, the pair fought for the lead as the Schandorff fended off Barker with great enthusiasm.

Unfortunately after just four hours in, the #77 fell out of the fight due to front suspension damage which cost the team a lengthy repair job even though they returned to the race.

By the eighth hour, the #70 pole-sitting McLaren encountered issues when coolant steam started pouring from the front end.

These were not opportunities capitalised by Proton’s other cars just yet, but their #88 lurked around the top-five LMGT3 cars whilst it was an even more remarkable climb later on for the #44 which started 14th.

Unfortunately, the #77 with Zacharie Rubichon later had contact with the #24 Nielsen Racing Oreca 07 at the Forest Esses, and so the #77 went back into the garage for more repairs.

Even though the #70 and #77 were still in the race, they were never going to regain their competitive form as simply making it to the end was their main priority.

The #88 and #44 found themselves at the sharper end of the field when daylight returned, having survived the heavy rain during the night.

It was an understated and discreet charge up the field for the two Protons, but they managed a P3 and P4 finish by the end.

Amongst the lineups, factory driver Christopher Mies had not driven at Le Mans before and so his stints in the #44 at the start, middle and the end were a demonstration that not only does a mistake-free drive from the drivers benefit over the long-term of 24 hours, but the Mustang was also a robust machine over the race.

Proton Competition, Multimatic and M-Sport can be all proud on their result on securing a podium finish for the new Mustang.

Heartbreak and disaster for Alpine

For one of favourite French manufacturers competing in the WEC, their Hypercar debut was simply heartbreaking.

Unlike many of their competitors, who had faced troubles born out of driver errors and contact into a barrier or competitor, thus causing issues with the bodywork, Alpine’s woes were premature and unfortunate.

One of the underlying concerns was that their Mecachrome engine, originally used in Formula 2 single-seater racing, had a reputation for reliability issues.

Furthermore, a Mecachrome powertrain was only used once at Le Mans by Ginetta before they decided the engine was unreliable.

Within the development process of the A424, the team acknowledged but dismissed any concerns sighting that their modifications – including turbocharging – negated any reliability worries.

Admittedly, the A424 performed adequately thus far in the season from a reliability perspective although they knew, as many of us did, that Le Mans would truly stress their engines.

In a surprising turn, the #35 seemed competitive with good long-run pace as well as making it to the Hyperpole qualifying shootout.

Their story took a turn for the worst in the race, however, when Ferdinand Habsburg piloting the #35 Alpine was forced to stop at Arnage as smoke bellowed out and their race was ended after just five hours.

As for the #36 just an hour later, it entered the garage after mechanical issues and by just 25% of the race duration, Alpine was completely out of the running.

Ferrari takes back-to-back Le Mans victories

Last but not least, Ferrari experienced triumph once again by taking a back-to-back victory which is an impressive feat as the Maralleno make returned to the top class at Le Mans after a 50 year-absence.

They may have not been the quickest in qualifying, but long-run pace during free practice suggested that them along with Toyota were the possible contenders for the win.

Strategically, Ferrari ran their race smoothly with the exception of a pit stop and a full-course-yellow infringement.

Towards the end, their approach had changed from running the race with caution, as the hours counted down, to defensive.

It came down to a fight between the #50 of Nicklas Nielsen and the #7 of Jose Maria Lopez at the final pit stop, when the #50 was under fuelled on energy to retain track position over the #7.

It was an unpredictable matter of ‘Could Jose and Toyota close the gap?’ and ‘How much would fuel-saving cost the pace of the #50?’

In the end, Ferrari AF Corse had calculated it masterfully and the gap narrowed down to the second-closest between first and second ever seen at Le Mans – 14.221 seconds.

Ferrari has uniquely only won with the 499P at Le Mans so far as Nielsen became the first Dane to win since Tom ‘Mr. Le Mans’ Kristensen did so in 2013.

The #50 crew finally tasted victory since Fuoco marvelously grasped the pole position for last year’s Centenary Edition.

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A faultless Le Mans 24 Hours debut for the Lamborghini Iron Lynx Hypercar team was a mark of “great success” for the Italian make after finishing in 10th and 13th positions.

The #19 and #63 SC63 LMDh cars completed their first 24-hour race without any reliability issues, with the latter car having even scored their first FIA World Endurance Championship point by finishing in 10th position.

Last year’s DTM runner-up Mirko Bortolotti was joined by Daniil Kvyat and Edoardo Mortara in the #63 which is actively competing in the FIA WEC, as the #19 is being driven by the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship crew: Romain Grosjean, Andrea Caldarelli and Matteo Cairoli.

Emmanuel Esnault, Racing Director, said: “This is a great success.

“Finishing the race without major issues was our first goal, and we did it without a single trip to the garage and scoring our maiden points finish in FIA WEC.

“I’m proud of how our team managed the race and faced any adversity, performing brilliantly.

“Knowing the incredible amount of effort and dedication that went into this project at every level, I look forward to what we’ll be able to achieve in the future starting from next weekend’s IMSA event at Watkins Glen and the upcoming Brazilian round of FIA WEC.”

Kvyat added: “It was a truly amazing race for us. We enjoy this result as it’s a reward for the hard work.

“Still, there’s a lot of work ahead of us, because I want to win one day, and the next steps we have to take will be crucial.

“We managed to get this result with what we had with a new car, it shows how strong we are, and when we will bring what we have to, we can fight for victory.”

At the start of the race, the #19 piloted by Caldarelli, suffered minor bodywork issues which cost time although much of the race was characterised by intermittent – and heavy – rain, in addition to the challenges of endurance and fatigue which are commonplace for a 24-hour race.

The SC63 debuted at the grueling 12 Hours of Sebring, before entering the WEC Qatar 1812 km season-opener, followed by the Imola, Spa-Francorchamps rounds prior to Le Mans, its first 24-hour race after they were not able to enter the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The next race for the team will be the IMSA 6 Hours of the Glen, taking place this week at Watkins Glen on 30 June, with drivers Caldarelli and Cairoli.

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