Le Mans 24 Hours
The complete entry list :
new era, new challenges
Newcomers, variety and top level competition are the outstanding
features of the entries selected for the 74th Le Mans 24 Hours.
On the brink of new challenges, the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours
looks like being a great race in the year the club celebrates
its 100th anniversary.
As previously announced the Selection Committee met after
drawing its conclusions from the Sebring 12-Hour race, whose
outcome was marked by the first victory of a diesel engine
in a major international event.
The Committee’s work consisted mainly of completing
the LM P1 field with eight additional cars from six different
entrants. “We must congratulate those who have decided
to build a new-generation car,” commented Daniel Poissenot,
the ACO Sports Manager and 24 Hour Clerk of the Course. “The
arrival of these new cars in the category is a source of great
satisfaction. But it’s not the only one. We’re
delighted by the variety in each category, especially in LM
GT2.”
Fifty cars maximum will take part in the Test day
on Sunday 4th June.
The categories show a well-balanced spread:
Le Mans Prototype Categories: 24 cars
12 LM P1s
12 LM P2s
Le Mans Grand Touring Categories: 26 cars
12 LM GT1s
14 LM GT2s
From what is at stake, and the different challenges that
have been taken up for the 74th Le Mans 24 Hours, one thing
stands out: last year’s winner Audi’s wish to
be the first major manufacturer to win Le Mans with a diesel
engine. At Sebring the R10 TDI scored a brilliant victory
but in the Sarthe Audi will have to double up in terms of
race duration, and will also be up against much tougher opposition
defending the petrol engine. Hence the thrill of another battle
between the R10s and the Pescarolos (with the confirmation
of Rally World Champion Sébastien Loeb’s second
consecutive presence on the Le Mans circuit), Courage, Zytek,
Lola, Lister, Creation etc. in a category where every car
is new, or almost.
The quality of the LM P1 entries is reflected in LM P2. Chamberlain-Synergie
Motorsport, Intersport Racing, Binnie Motorsport, RML, Paul
Belmondo Racing... A look at the teams selected shows that
the 2006 field consists of the international elite in LM P2
with a first – class duel in perspective between the
winning teams or rostrum finishers in the 24 Hours, the American
Le Mans Series and Le Mans Endurance Series (now called Le
Mans Series). In addition to the Epsilon team (and the Barazi
Epsilon Association) winner of the World Series by Renault
FR 3.5, the LM P2 category welcomes a very important newcomer
for the 2006 season, the Judd-powered Radical entered by the
British team Rollcentre Racing.
Grand Touring: GT1 and GT2 have received an unprecedented
variety of entries. Topping the bill the Corvette C6-Rs are
out to repeat their 2005 victory in LM GT1. The make’s
recent success in the Sebring race shows that Corvette is
well placed to fight off challengers whether they come from
the official Aston Martin Racing works team, BMS Scuderia
Italia (winner of the 2005 Le Mans Endurance Series) and Russian
Age Racing. The Corvette entered by Luc Alphand Racing will
be the first privately entered C5-R ever seen at Le Mans in
a category reinforced by three Ferrari 550 Maranellos, a Saleen
S7R and another major attraction of the 2006 race, the Lamborghini
Murcielago entered by the Japanese JLOC team for the Japanese
Lamborghini Owner’s Club.
From GT1 to GT2, the Ferrari 430 GT will be to LM GT2 what
the Lamborghini is to LM GT1, another major Le Mans newcomer
in the 2006 24 Hours. This category is no longer the private
hunting ground of a particular make or car whether it is an
evolution or a new model. The Ferrari 430 has already given
a glimpse of its potential and the Dutch Spykers have a wild
card to play. The Panoz Esperantes won the Sebring round and
have to show it was no fluke; and of course Porsche is back
to repeat its 2005 success. The LM GT2 category is a perfect
summing up of the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hours. It looks like being
a very open battle for outright victory, and for victory in
each of the categories.
Finally, in addition to the fifty cars chosen the 2006 Le
Mans 24 Hours Selection Committee had drawn up a list of eight
reserves. The rule is that for each withdrawal before 26th
May 2006 a reserve will take its place in accordance with
the order established by the Selection Committee. Thus, the
category affected by a withdrawal has no bearing on the technical
definition of the car replacing it.
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