WEC Hypercars new entries

6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 2023

Two Hypercars have been added to the Hypercar entry list for the upcoming TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps (27-29 April): Cadillac V-Series.R and Porsche 963.

The #3 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande, will compete for the victory alongside the sister #2 Cadillac V-Series.R in the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. The #2 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, is contesting the full WEC season.

The #2 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, is contesting the full WEC season. They combined to drive to a fourth-place finish in Cadillac’s WEC Hypercar debut March 17 in the 1000 Miles of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway and next will challenge for the win April 16 in the 6 Hours of Portimão at Algarve International Circuit.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to bring another Cadillac to the race at Spa in the FIA World Endurance Championship season. Any opportunity that we have to prepare for Le Mans within the WEC rules and regulations is great. This will get the team even more ready to tackle that race as well as an opportunity to bring more Cadillac participation to the European race,” said GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. Cadillac Racing #01 had to abandon the 12 Hours of Sebring 2023.

Van der Zande has competed twice at Spa in LMP2 (2012, 2021), while Bourdais co-drove an LMP1 entry in 2012 and an LMP2 car in 2022 at the 4.35-mile, 20-turn circuit. Endurance racing has been taking place at Le Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for nearly 100 years and the 6 Hours of Spa has been a part of every WEC season to date.
“We are looking forward to the first WEC race where both of our Cadillac Hypercars will be participating,” said Mike O’Gara, director of operations for Chip Ganassi Racing which campaigns the #2 and 3 racecars. “Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing believe that we are stronger when we race multiple cars on any given race weekend. The Spa event will serve as a much-needed dress rehearsal for the Le Mans 24-hour race. It will be a great opportunity for our ‘IMSA regulars’ to be immersed in the WEC rules and race procedures in anticipation of the big event in June.”

📷 © Hertz Team Jota courtesy.

Another new addition to the Hypercar category will be the #38 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 – the British-based team progressing up to the Hypercar class after two races in Sebring and Portimao with the Oreca 07 Gibson LMP2 car. After winning the LMP2 class of the 1000 Miles of Sebring Will Stevens and Yifei Ye will be joined by Antonio Felix da Costa, for the JOTA Hypercar debut.

6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 2023 official entry list. Source: WEC.

24 Hours of Le Mans 2023

The 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will see both Cadillac Racing and Porsche adding a third car each for the famous 24 Hours race Hypercar entry list.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R #31 won the 12 Hours of Sebring 2023 with Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken.

The #2 and 3 Cadillac V-Series.R racecars will be joined by the #311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R for the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The Action Express Racing-prepared car claimed the pole for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Twelve Hours of Sebring and went on to post Cadillac’s 28th prototype victory since 2017 and its third in a row at Sebring International Raceway with Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken sharing the wheel.

“We can’t wait for the Whelen Engineering Cadillac to join us at Le Mans and bring the whole family back together again,” Klauser added.

The gold #3 Cadillac V-Series.R, running as the #01 in IMSA’s Grand Touring Prototype class, earned a podium finish in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in January and started from the front row in the Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 18. The hybrid racecar led a field-high 120 laps and registered the fastest lap of the race (1 minute, 48.311 seconds; 124.308 mph) on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn course before retiring with a fuel distribution system issue. 

As we already relayed February 28th, Porsche is determined to maximise its chances of scoring its 20th overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by entering a third Porsche 963 with #75.

The Porsche Penske Motorsport works team has finalised its driver line-up for its third Porsche 963 at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. UK driver Nick Tandy and Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet join forces with Felipe Nasr from Brazil in the cockpit of the #75 hybrid prototype. Works driver teammate Matt Campbell from Australia supports the team at the highlight of the year as the reserve driver.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Daytona. At Rolex 24 At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring, #6 Porsche 963 was driven by M. Jaminet, N. Tandy and D. Cameron. Jaminet and Tandy will share the #75 with Nasr whereas Cameron will co-drive #5.

With ten starts in the world’s greatest endurance race under his belt, Nick Tandy brings a wealth of experience. In 2015, the UK racer secured overall victory at the wheel of the Porsche 919 Hybrid. For Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet, the race in June marks the second outing on the Circuit des 24 Heures. The local hero turned his first laps in Le Mans at the wheel of the Porsche 911 RSR in 2019. Felipe Nasr, who had already been selected as the driver in the #75 car when entries closed for the 24-hour race, can look back on three races at the Sarthe so far.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Daytona. At Rolex 24 At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring, #7 Porsche 963 was driven by F. Nasr who will drive the #75 at Le Mans and his then teammates M. Campbell will be reserve driver at Le Mans and M. Christensen will share duties on board of #5 Porsche 963 with Dane Cameron and Frédéric Makowiecki .

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Sebring. Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki share driving duties in #5 Porsche 963 for the WEC championship.

American Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen from Denmark and Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki share driving duties in the ca. 500 kW (680 PS) Porsche 963 with the starting #5. The #6 sister car is helmed by Kévin Estre from France, Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor as well as three-time outright Le Mans winner André Lotterer from Germany.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans was first contested in France 100 years ago. The 91st running will be held on 10/11 June. In the bid for overall victory in the new Hypercar class, Porsche and Cadillac will go up against manufacturers such as Ferrari, Toyota and Peugeot.

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📷 © Courtesy of Porsche Motorsport. Four Porsche 963 at 24 Hours of Le Mans 100th anniversary

📷 © Luc Warnotte. Three Cadillac V-Series R to compte at 24 Hours of le Mans 2023.

📷 © IMSA Courtesy: Porsche Penske Motorsport officialises the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the North American IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship lineups here.