Bentley eyes return to 24 Hours of Le Mans

In an interview with our colleagues de Road & Track, Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark confided that the famous British manufacturer plans to return to double the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Hypercar category.

“We took a look at it.”, confesses the CEO of Bentley. “It is clear that with the arrival of hybrid at Le Mans and our hybridization plan, with our desire to move entirely to pure hybrid in the next two years, this would be a good strategic opportunity to return to car racing before going all-electric. »

“Our core business is our priority, however tempered the person concerned. There is a lot of uncertainty on the global economic horizon, so we don't want to launch into a program and get caught halfway through, we want to do it right. »

With the arrivals of Porsche en 2023 et Lamborghini en 2024 ou encore la future implication d’Audi en Formula 1, the Volkswagen group to which Bentley belongs, would it authorize another of its brands to make a return to competition? “If we want to do it, there will be no resistance within the Group as long as we can finance it, operate it and conclude it. Porsche doesn't care because they think they will win and Lamborghini will do it, as always, with panache. »

Bentley has won the Le Mans classic six times. In 1924, he was even the first British manufacturer to win the event. Successes in 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 and more recently in 2003, for the last appearance of the Crewe brand in Sarthe, followed.

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