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Applications to enter the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans open today, so what better time to unveil the track action scheduled for June 2025? We are introducing a new format to determine the starting grid and have a host of exciting support races lined up!    The Scrutineering sessions held at Place de la République in Le Mans on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 June are free to attend. These sessions kick off the countdown to the race. The administrative and technical checks involve the 62 cars and the 186 drivers entered for the endurance marathon.  Track action begins on Sunday 8 June. The whole field takes part in Test Day, when teams experiment their settings and rookie drivers get their first taste of the taxing circuit, recently voted France’s favourite monument. As well as these two sessions, spectators can cheer on the Ligier European Series competitors in the Le Mans round on the same day. NEW, EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR QUALIFYING FORMAT At the finish of the last 24 Hours of Le Mans there were nine cars in the same lap. Nine! That fact proves the importance of starting the race among the leaders.  This year, to offer competitors and spectators an ever more spectacular race experience, the qualifying sessions have been reviewed. On Wednesday 11 June, LMP2 and LMGT3 teams take to the track for the 30-minute qualifying session. The top 12 will go through to the Hyperpole session the following day, which decides the top slots on the starting grid. The Hypercar session will take place shortly afterwards. The top 15 prototypes go through to Hyperpole.  On Thursday 12 June there will be two Hyperpole sessions (H1 and H2).  The 24 LMGT3 and LMP2s qualified for Hyperpole take to the track for a 20-minute battle (H1). Then the top eight in each class go through to H2 (15 minutes), which determines the starting grid.  The Hypercars follow a similar format. The 15 qualified prototypes compete in H1 to decide which 10 go through to H2. Then comes an epic 15-minute showdown to determine who will start the race in the best position on Saturday.    SPECTATOR-FRIENDLY SUPPORT RACES Hear that sound? We’re sure you recognise the growl of a Ford Mustang V8 engine. The LMGT3’s little sisters will be at Le Mans for the first time, in the Mustang Challenge. All Mustang Challenge entrants and qualified owners of a Ford Mustang Dark Horse R are invited to compete. Join us on Wednesday for two Free Practice sessions and on Thursday for Qualifying. The races take place on Friday and Saturday. Road to Le Mans will pit LMP3 and GT3 prototypes against each other during the two races on Thursday and Saturday. Prior to the races, the competitors, who numbered 58 last year, will have the opportunity to test the course on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 June during Free Practice and Qualifying. The highlight of the Michelin Le Mans Cup season, this event is not to be missed! Finally, the Porsche Sprint Challenge is a major fixture of endurance. Fans enjoy the familiar roar of the famous flat 6 engines. Free Practice for this series is scheduled for Wednesday 11 June, Qualifying on Thursday 12 June, with the two races on Thursday and Friday. PREDICTING THE WINNER IS A HAZARDOUS ENTERPRISE   The 62 competitors set off in pursuit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans trophy at 16:00 on Saturday 14 June. No less than 13 makes are on the grid of the fourth round in the FIA World Endurance Championship, eight in the top class: Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota. There is plenty of excitement surrounding the two Aston Martin Valkyries entering the fray this year. Nine makes line up in LMGT3: Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren and Porsche. FIA WEC newcomer Mercedes-AMG has two cars fielded by Italian team Iron Lynx.    If you haven’t booked tickets yet, there’s still a chance to see the field in action. There are great offers on tickets for the practice and qualifying sessions, including the nail-biting Hyperpole sessions (from €23 for students). For the ultimate 24 Hours of Le Mans experience, there are several VIP packages available.  Le Mans is more than a race, it’s a festival for the senses, with a host of trackside activities and live music to enjoy. Watch this space for details of all the off-track entertainment!  Head to ticket.24h-lemans.com to see all our offers. Article source: Le Mans, 5th December 2024 - Press Release - L'Automobile Club de l'Ouest

Off the back of a hugely successful first season dovetailing its headlining Hypercar category with the new LMGT3 class, the FIA World Endurance Championship is set to go from strength-to-strength in 2025, with a freshly-revealed, high-calibre 36-strong entry. No fewer than 13 big-name brands are featured across the two classes. That includes 12 returnees – in the shape of Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, McLaren, Peugeot, Porsche and Toyota – and an exciting new addition, as Mercedes-AMG joins FIA WEC in a partnership with podium-finishing Italian LMGT3 outfit, Iron Lynx. In a similar vein, Aston Martin has increased its commitment to the championship by adding a Hypercar squad to its existing LMGT3 entries. Defending Hypercar Manufacturer champion TOYOTA GAZOO Racing – the most decorated team in the 12-year history of the world’s premier endurance racing series – is back in its quest to secure yet more silverware, as is Porsche Penske Motorsport, which in 2024 clinched the Drivers’ crown with its #6 963.  Ferrari AF Corse – winner of the most recent two editions of Le Mans – will endeavour to add world championship glory to its résumé with its pair of works scarlet 499P Hypercars. Cadillac doubles up to a two-car effort in partnership with Hertz Team JOTA, as fellow Hypercar contenders Alpine, BMW and Peugeot strive to maintain the encouraging progress they made last season. The FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams will be disputed between privateers AF Corse and Proton Competition. Aston Martin will be bidding to conquer the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright for the first time since 1959 with its striking new Valkyrie Hypercar – two of which will go into battle season-long – while Mercedes-AMG’s forthcoming FIA WEC debut means the three-pointed star will return to La Sarthe following an absence of more than two-and-a-half decades. Further big news in LMGT3, meanwhile, is a collaboration between reigning title-holder Manthey Racing and Deborah Mayer’s pioneering Iron Dames project, which will see FIA WEC’s only all-female driving crew aiming to improve upon their second-place championship finish from 2023. A number of drivers have been confirmed on the provisional list, with full line-ups to be announced in due course. The campaign will get underway in Qatar on 28 February, visiting five different regions prior to concluding in Bahrain on 8 November. The full 2025 calendar can be found here.  2025_FIA_WEC_Season_Provisional Entry List_v1.pdf