LMP1 Class Expanded For WEC At Silverstone
An updated entry list for round one of Season 8 of the FIA WEC, the 4 Hours of Silverstone, will experience an increase to the LMP1 category as Rebellion Racing will bring both of its challengers to the season-opener. The entry list also features a staggering 19 British drivers who will represent their country on home soil – almost a quarter of the total.
Confirmed to drive the No. 3 Rebellion R13 – Gibson is former WEC World Champion and 2013 Le Mans winner, Loïc Duval. Frenchman Duval will be joined by another sportscar expert Pipo Derani, three-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring having taken the spoils in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Brazilian Derani has previously raced with Ford and Ferrari in LMGTE Pro and brings a wealth of experience to the team. Nathanaël Berthon, another driver well known to the WEC and who contested three races with Rebellion last season, will complete the trio.
Six LMP1 cars will battle it out in WEC’s headline category including reigning World Champions Toyota Gazoo Racing with former WEC Champion Brendon Hartley making his official race debut with the team. Team LNT will bring its new Ginetta G60-LT-P1 cars for four British drivers including former Le Mans winner and American Le Mans Series Champion, Guy Smith. Also joining the Ginetta line-up for the UK round will be two-time ALMS Champion, Chris Dyson and former SMP driver Egor Orudzhev. A total of five British drivers will compete on home turf in LMP1 including Mike Conway, Charlie Robertson, Ben Hanley, Mike Simpson and the aforementioned Guy Smith.
LMGTE Pro sees just one change to the previous entry list as Spain’s Miguel Molina joins Davide Rigon in the No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. The No. 51 AF Corse entry featuring Britain’s James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi remains the same. Aston Martin Racing’s Alex Lynn, who hails from Essex but is now London-based, will also line up on the grid in front of the home fans. Both AF Corse and Aston Martin Racing will be keen to get their Season 8 campaigns off to best possible start in order to beat reigning Champions, Porsche – whose line-up remains unchanged.
Eleven teams will battle it out in LMGTE Am, and there have been several driver amendments including the No. 57 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR which sees a brand-new trio made up of America’s Ben Keating, Brazil’s Felipe Fraga and the Netherlands’ Jeroen Bleekemolen. The No. 70 MR Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo sees Japanese-born Italian racing driver Kei Cozzolino replace Edward Cheever. Meanwhile, Dempsey-Proton Racing has confirmed that Italy’s Riccardo Pera will join regular drivers Christian Ried and Matt Campbell in the No. 77 Porsche 911 RSR, with just the drivers of the No.88 entry yet to be confirmed.
British team Gulf Racing will enter a trio of Britons including Mike Wainwright, Ben Barker and Northern Ireland’s Andrew Watson to drive the No.86 Porsche 911 RSR. Finally, Aston Martin Racing has refreshed its line-up in LMGTE Am with Aston Martin factory driver and three-time Le Mans class winner Darren Turner joining WEC stalwart, Paul Dalla Lana. Britain’s 22-year-old Ross Gunn will join Turner and Dalla Lana in the No. 98 Aston Martin Vantage AMR car.
