Porsche and Cadillac Will Each Race a Trio of New Hypercars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Bryan Hood
·2 min read

This year’s installment of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is getting some new blood.

The initial entry list for the centenary of endurance racing’s biggest event was announced on Monday. The field is made up of 62 vehicles, 16 of which will be competing in the new Hypercar Class. This includes three entrants each from Cadillac and Porsche.

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It’s not unheard of for a marque to bring three cars to Le Mans, but, as Top Gear points out, that doesn’t make the show of commitment from the brands any less impressive. Cadillac and Porsche have both spent much of the last year teasing their new hypercars—the recently renamed V-Series.R and 963, respectively—so it’s no shock they want everyone to see them. Still, entering three racers suggests the marques are focused on claiming victory in the class’s first year.

Front ¾ view of the The Cadillac V-LMDh race car in blue
Cadillac V-Series.R

The V-Series.Rs running at Le Mans will be operated by two teams. Two of the cars, nos. 2 and 3, will be raced by Cadillac Racing. The first V-Series.R will be driven by former Le Mans-winner Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, while the second will be piloted by Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon. The third example, meanwhile, will be run by Action Express Racing, which entered the car (when it was still called the V-LMDh) at the Rolex 24 in Daytona.

All three 963s will be raced by Porsche Penske Motorsport. The no. 5 car will be driven by Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen and Frederic Makowiecki; the no. 6 car by Kevin Estre, three-time Le Mans champion Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor and the no. 75 car by Felipe Nasr and two other drivers who will be named later. There’s actually a fourth 936 that will compete in the class, but it is being operated by the Hertz Team JOTA customer team.

Porsche's 963 LMDh race car.
Porsche 963

The 963 and V-Series.R aren’t the only high-profile new hypercars that will be part of the field. Ferrari plans to enter two examples of its new 499P, both of which will be raced by Ferrari AF Corse. The first car, no. 50, will be driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, while the second, no. 51, will be piloted by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi.

Are you looking forward to seeing the new hypercars in action? The 2023 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans—which will actually be the 91st running of the race—will take place on June 10 and 11. Tickets are already sold out, but you’ll be able to watch the whole race in the US on MotorTrend TV.

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