37 cars confirmed for the 1000 Miles of Sebring

The first WEC entry list is known. 37 cars will be present at the 1000 Miles of Sebring for the opening of the season.

Published on 01/03/2023 à 12:08

Valentin GLO

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37 cars confirmed for the 1000 Miles of Sebring

Toyota puts its titles back on the line (Photo Frederic Le Floch / DPPI)

Of the 38 cars entered in WEC for the season, only Porsche 963 from Hertz Team JOTA and Proton Competition will be missing in Florida due to delivery delays from the German manufacturer. However, the British team will indeed field a second LM P2. She will wear No. 48 and will be led by Will Stevens, Yifei Ye as well as David Beckmann. The German replaces António Félix da Costa for this round. Indeed, the British team is obliged to field a Silver driver in this category, which forces it to reshape its planned crew for the Hypercar.

Briscoe and Pla at Glickenhaus

This entry list is also an opportunity to confirm the expected presence of Ryan Briscoe and Olivier Pla alongside Romain Dumas in Glickenhaus n°708. The reigning world champions, Toyota Gazoo Racing, have not changed drivers for 2023, but they will face competition from six other brands, including Porsche Penske Motorsport and Ferrari AF Corse, who are moving from LMGTE Pro to Hypercar. The all-new Ferrari 499P will make its debut in the WEC 50 years after the last appearance of the 312 P in the premier category.

Peugeot TotalEnergies will enter two Peugeot 9X8 Hybrids, including the local driver, Gustavo Menezes. Another Californian will be at the start, with Dane Cameron (Porsche Penske Motorsport). American teams Cadillac Racing and Glickenhaus Racing will also benefit from significant support from their home crowd, as both teams enter a car at Sebring. Finally, the Floyd Vanwall Racing Team will debut its all-new Vanwall Vandervell 680 and former world champion F1 Jacques Villeneuve at the wheel.

LM P2 debut for Doriane Pin

There will be 12 entries in LM P2 at Sebring, including Hertz Team JOTA. As always, the category attracts several big names, including former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kyvat, entered with Prema Racing alongside the young Frenchwoman. Dorian Pin. Another F1 veteran, Robert Kubica, will drive for WRT alongside Louis Delétraz and Rui Andrade.

Alpine Elf Team will prepare for its 2024 Hypercar campaign with two cars in LM P2, while British team United Autosports will field two of the youngest drivers in the championship, 17-year-old Josh Pierson, the only home driver at Sebring in this category, and Frederick Lubin , 18, who will make his WEC debut. They will be joined by experienced drivers Filipe Albuquerque, Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis and Phil Hanson.

Four women in LMGTE Am

In the LMGTE Am category, where professional and amateur drivers share cars, local fans will be cheering on Corvette Racing and American driver Ben Keating. The Texan will be joined in the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R by Nicolás Varonne and Nicky Catsburg. Six other American drivers will participate 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) as well as Ryan Hardwick (Proton Competition).

The No. 911 Porsche 77 RSR also has strong ties to the United States, as it is co-owned by actor Patrick Dempsey, who finished on the podium at Le Mans in 2014. Finally, four women will compete in the GTE Am category, the No. 85 Iron Dames being made up of 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 will begin with the Prologue pre-season test at Sebring on March 11-12. The start of the 1000 Miles of Sebring will be given on Friday March 17 at noon local time.

Discover the entry list for the 1000 Miles of Sebring HERE

ALSO READ > Currently on newsstands: WEC 2023 Guide

Valentin GLO

Journalist. Endurance reporter (WEC, IMSA, ELMS, ALMS) and sometimes F1 or IndyCar.

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