Le Mans: Rebellion with starting number #1
LE MANS The organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and promoter of the WEC (A.C.O.) has published the start list for the 2018/19 super season. From a Swiss perspective, the focus is on Team Rebellion with two new LMP1 prototypes and the starting number #1 with Neel Jani. The 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16/17 is the second race [...]
The 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16/17 is the second race of the 2018/19 WEC Super Series season, which begins on May 5 with the 6 Hours of Spa (B). The marathon in June 2019 will then mark the end of the season-spanning World Endurance Championship. For the two 24-hour races, there are no longer double points, but 50 % more points than for a 6-hour race.
60 teams have been selected for the upcoming 86th edition of the world's most famous endurance race. The contingent is therefore full and, as expected, is led by Toyota Gazoo Racing. A total of 36 teams have entered the World Championship, more than ever before since its introduction in 2012.
However, following the withdrawal of Audi (end of 2016) and Porsche (end of 2017), Toyota is the only remaining works team with LMP1 hybrid prototypes. Anything other than a clear first victory at Le Mans (at the 20th attempt) and in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), which they won in 2014, would be an embarrassment.
Toyota's star driver is Fernando Alonso, who will share one of the two Toyota TS050 Hybrids with Sébastien Buemi from Vaud and Kazuki Nakajima from Japan. Because of Alonso and the clash of dates with a Grand Prix, even the Fuji race was postponed.
Five private teams with eight cars from four different manufacturers will take on Toyota in the LMP1 class, including Rebellion Racing. For months, Oreca has been developing two Rebellion R-13s based on the LMP2 chassis exclusively for the Swiss team in the south of France, powered by a naturally aspirated Gibson V8 engine from the LMP2 that has been upgraded to around 700 hp.
As Toyota is sticking with the #7 and #8, Rebellion, as the LMP2 world champion team returning to LMP1, has the honor of competing with the number #1. For Neel Jani as one of the three drivers in this car (alongside André Lotterer and Bruno Senna), it is a case of déjà vu, as the Biel native drove the #1 last year as defending champion with Porsche. The second Rebellion R-13 with the #3 will be driven by Mathias Beche from Geneva, Gustavo Menezes (USA) and the 20-year-old super talent Thomas Laurent from France.
The other private LMP1 teams are Bykolles Racing (one Enso CLM-Nismo) from Germany, CEFC TRSM Racing (two Ginetta-Mecachromes) from England, Dragonspeed (one BR-Gibson) from the USA and SMP Racing (two BR-AERs) from Russia.
Thomas Flohr catches GP winner Giancarlo Fisichella
As things stand, there will be 15 cars on the grid in LMP2, 17 in LM GTE Pro and 13 in LM GTE Am. Hugo de Sadeleer from Lausanne has been nominated as the first driver in a Ligier LMP2 from United Autosports.
The GT works cars come from Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche. BMW returns to the WEC with the newly developed M8 GTE, which was tested for the first time at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Currently the only Swiss GT representative in the WEC (Marcel Fässler only drives at Le Mans and possibly Sebring 2019 for Corvette Racing) is aviation entrepreneur Thomas Flohr (VistaJet) with a Ferrari 488 GTE from the Spirit of Race team managed by AF Corse in Italy (based in Balerna TI). With former GP winner Giancarlo Fisichella, driver and main sponsor Flohr has brought reinforcements to the team in the fight for the GTE-Am title.
