WEC: Entries for WEC season-opener in Sebring announced

The entry list for the 1000 Miles of Sebring features a total of 37 cars including 11 Hypercars representing seven different manufacturers (Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche, Toyota, Glickenhaus and Vanwall).  Once again, the season will begin at the iconic Sebring International Raceway in Florida, USA – the scene of the inaugural WEC race just over a decade ago.

HYPERCAR

NAT

T

CARS

MISC

DRIVER 1

DRIVER 2

DRIVER 3

11

2

CADILLAC RACING

USA

M

Cadillac V-Series.R

Hybrid

Earl Bamber (NZL)

P

Alex Lynn (GBR)

P

Richard Westbrook (GBR)

P

4

FLOYD VANWALL RACING TEAM*

AUT

M

Vanwall Vandervell 680

Tom Dillmann (FRA)

G

Esteban Guerrieri (ARG)°

P

Jacques Villeneuve (CAN)

P

5

PORSCHE PENSKE MOTORSPORT

DEU

M

Porsche 963

Hybrid

Dane Cameron (USA)

P

Michael Christensen (DNK)

P

Frédéric Makowiecki (FRA)

P

6

PORSCHE PENSKE MOTORSPORT

DEU

M

Porsche 963

Hybrid

Kévin Estre (FRA)

P

André Lotterer (DEU)

P

Laurens Vanthoor (BEL)

P

7

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

JPN

M

Toyota GR010 – Hybrid

Hybrid

Mike Conway (GBR)

P

Kamui Kobayashi (JPN)

P

Jose Maria Lopez (ARG)

P

8

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING

JPN

M

Toyota GR010 – Hybrid

Hybrid

Sébastien Buemi (CHE)

P

Brendon Hartley (NZL)

P

Ryo Hirakawa (JPN)

P

50

FERRARI AF CORSE*

ITA

M

Ferrari 499P

Hybrid

Antonio Fuoco (ITA)

P

Miguel Molina (ESP)

P

Nicklas Nielsen (DNK)

P

51

FERRARI AF CORSE*

ITA

M

Ferrari 499P

Hybrid

Alessandro Pier Guidi (ITA)

P

James Calado (GBR)

P

Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA)

P

93

PEUGEOT TOTALENERGIES

FRA

M

Peugeot 9X8

Hybrid

Paul Di Resta (GBR)

P

Mikkel Jensen (DNK)

P

Jean-Éric Vergne (FRA)

P

94

PEUGEOT TOTALENERGIES

FRA

M

Peugeot 9X8

Hybrid

Loic Duval (FRA)

P

Gustavo Menezes (USA)

P

Nico Müller (CHE)

P

708

GLICKENHAUS RACING

USA

M

Glickenhaus 007

Romain Dumas (FRA)

P

Ryan Briscoe (AUS)

P

Olivier Pla (FRA)

P

LMP2

NAT

T

CARS

MISC

DRIVER 1

DRIVER 2

DRIVER 3

12

9

PREMA RACING

ITA

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

Filip Ugran (ROU)

S

Bent Viscaal (NLD)

G

Andrea Caldarelli (ITA)

P

10

VECTOR SPORT

GBR

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

Ryan Cullen (GBR)°

S

Matthias Kaiser (LIE)

S

Gabriel Aubry (FRA)°

G

22

UNITED AUTOSPORTS

GBR

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

Frederick Lubin (GBR)

S

Philip Hanson GBR)

G

Filipe Albuquerque (PRT)

P

23

UNITED AUTOSPORTS

GBR

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

Joshua Pierson (USA)

S

Tom Blomqvist (GBR)

P

Oliver Jarvis (GBR)

P

28

JOTA

GBR

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

David Heinemeier Hansson (DNK)

S

Pietro Fittipaldi (BRA)

G

Oliver Rasmussen (DNK)

G

31

TEAM WRT

BEL

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

Sean Gelael (IDN)

S

Ferdinand Habsburg-Lothringen (AUT)

G

Robin Frijns (NLD)

P

34

INTER EUROPOL COMPETITION

POL

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

Jakub Smiechowski (POL)

S

Fabio Scherer (CHE)

G

Albert Costa (ESP)

P

35

ALPINE ELF TEAM

FRA

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

André Negrão (BRA)

G

Memo Rojas (MEX)

S

Oliver Caldwell (GBR)

G

36

ALPINE ELF TEAM

FRA

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

Matthieu Vaxiviere (FRA)

G

Julien Canal (FRA)

S

Charles Milesi (FRA)

G

41

TEAM WRT

BEL

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

Rui Andrade (PRT)

S

Robert Kubica (POL)

P

Louis Delétraz (CHE)

G

48

HERTZ TEAM JOTA

GBR

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

David Beckmann (DEU)

S

Yifei Ye (CHN)

G

William Stevens (GBR)

P

63

PREMA RACING

ITA

G

Oreca 07 – Gibson

Doriane Pin (FRA)

S

Mirko Bortolotti (ITA)

P

Daniil Kvyat

P

LMGTE Am

NAT

T

CARS

MISC

DRIVER 1

DRIVER 2

DRIVER 3

14

21

AF CORSE

ITA

M

Ferrari 488 GTE EVO

Stefano Costantini (ITA)

B

Simon Mann (USA)

S

Ulysse de Pauw (BEL)

G

25

ORT BY TF

OMN

M

Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Ahmad Al Harthy (OMN)

B

Michael Dinan (USA)

S

Charlie Eastwood (IRL)

G

33

CORVETTE RACING

USA

M

Chevrolet Corvette C8.R

Ben Keating (USA)

B

Nicolas Varrone (ARG)

S

Nicky Catsburg (NLD)

P

54

AF CORSE

ITA

M

Ferrari 488 GTE EVO

Thomas Flohr (CHE)

B

Francesco Castellacci (ITA)

S

Davide Rigon (ITA)

P

56

PROJECT 1 – AO

DEU

M

Porsche 911 RSR – 19

PJ Hyett (USA)

B

Gunnar Jeannette (USA)

S

Matteo Cairoli (ITA)

P

57

KESSEL RACING

CHE

M

Ferrari 488 GTE EVO

Takeshi Kimura (JPN)

B

Scott Huffaker (USA)

S

Daniel Serra (BRA)

P

60

IRON LYNX

ITA

M

Porsche 911 RSR – 19

Claudio Schiavoni (ITA)

B

Matteo Cressoni (ITA)

S

Alessio Picariello (ITA)

G

77

DEMPSEY-PROTON RACING

DEU

M

Porsche 911 RSR – 19

Christian Ried (DEU)

B

Mikkel Pedersen (DNK)

S

Julien Andlauer (FRA)

G

83

RICHARD MILLE AF CORSE

ITA

M

Ferrari 488 GTE EVO

Luis Perez Companc (ARG)

B

Lilou Wadoux (FRA)

S

Alessio Rovera (ITA)

P

85

IRON DAMES

ITA

M

Porsche 911 RSR – 19

Sarah Bovy (BEL)

B

Michelle Gatting (DNK)

S

Rahel Frey (CHE)

G

86

GR RACING

GBR

M

Porsche 911 RSR – 19

Michael Wainwright (GBR)

B

Riccardo Pera (ITA)

S

Benjamin Barker (GBR)

G

88

PROTON COMPETITION

DEU

M

Porsche 911 RSR – 19

Ryan Hardwick (USA)

B

Zacharie Robichon (CAN)

S

Harry Tincknell (GBR)

P

98

NORTHWEST AMR

CAN

M

Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Paul Dalla Lana (CAN)

B

TBA

Nicki Thiim (DNK)

P

777

D’STATION RACING

JPN

M

Aston Martin Vantage AMR

Satoshi Hoshino (JPN)

B

Casper Stevenson (GBR)

S

Tomonobu Fujii (JPN)

G

37

Tires – M : MICHELIN / G : GOODYEAR
Categorization – P : PLATINUM / G : GOLD / S : SILVER / B : BRONZE
*Subject to car homologation
°Subject to the receipt of the license

HYPERCAR

Defending World Champions Toyota Gazoo Racing have an unchanged driver line-up for 2023 but will face stiff competition from six other marques including Porsche Penske Motorsport and Ferrari AF Corse who transfer their factory racing efforts from LMGTE Pro to Hypercar in 2023. Ferrari’s all-new Ferrari 499P will enter the WEC 50 years after the 312 P made its last appearance in the premier class.

Peugeot TotalEnergies will enter two Peugeot 9X8 Hybrid Hypercars, with home driver Gustavo Menezes sure to be a crowd pleaser alongside fellow Californian, Dane Cameron (Porsche Penske Motorsport). American-flagged teams Cadillac Racing and Glickenhaus Racing will also benefit from plenty of home support as both teams enter one car at Sebring. Finally, Floyd Vanwall Racing Team will be in Sebring with its all-new Vanwall Vandervell 680 and former F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve at the wheel.

LMP2

There will be 12 entries in LMP2 at Sebring including Hertz Team JOTA who will compete with an Oreca 07 Gibson before swapping to the Hypercar later this season. As always, the category attracts several high-profile names including former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kyvat who is entered with Prema Racing alongside French female driver, Doriane Pin. Another former F1 star, Robert Kubica, has been named to drive for Team WRT – the Belgian squad who won the LMP2 title in 2021, returning with a two-car entry for 2023.

Alpine Elf Team will prepare for its 2023 Hypercar campaign with a two-car effort in LMP2 while British squad United Autosports will field two of the championship’s youngest drivers with 17-year-old Josh Pierson as the only home driver at Sebring from the LMP2 line-up, and WEC debutant – 18-year-old Frederick Lubin. They will be joined at United Autosports by experienced endurance drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis and Phil Han-son. Other LMP2 entries include Italian powerhouse Prema Racing, British outfit Vector Sport, and Polish squad Inter Europol Competition.

LMGTE Am

Meanwhile in the LMGTE Am class where both professional and amateur drivers share the cars, the home fans will be cheering for Corvette Racing and American driver Ben Keating. Keating will be joined in the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R by Nicolas Varonne and Nicky Catsburg. A further six American drivers will race in GTE Am including Simon Mann (AF Corse), Michael Dinan (ORT by TF), PJ Hyett and Gunnar Jeannette (Project 1 AO), Scott Huffaker (Kessel Rac-ing) and Ryan Hardwick (Proton Competition).

The No. 77 Porsche 911 RSR entry also has close ties to the USA due to the co-ownership of celebrated actor and 2014 Le Mans podium finisher, Patrick Dempsey. Finally, a total of four females will compete in the GTE Am category as No. 85 Iron Dames entry returns with Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey as well as Lilou Wadoux who will drive the No. 83 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari.

The WEC action begins with the Prologue pre-season test event at Sebring from 11-12 March. Official track action starts on Wednesday 15 March, with the 1000 Miles of Sebring getting underway at midday local time on Friday 17 March.

Race Timetable (local US time)

Wednesday 15 March

Free Practice 1: 10:55 – 11:55

Free Practice 2: 16:35 – 17:35

Thursday 16 March

Free Practice 3: 11:55 – 12:55

Qualifying: 18:30 – 19:35

Friday 17 March

Race: 12:00 – 20:00