8 Full-Time WeatherTech Championship Teams Set For 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans

No. 68 Ford GT taking flag at LeMans last year

Led by the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT team that won the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class in last weekend’s Rolex 24 At Daytona and the GTE Pro class in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, a total of eight full-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams have confirmed entries for the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing plans to return to Le Mans with a four-car effort in GTE Pro. The No. 68 car returns with the same lineup that won last year, with Joey Hand, Dirk Muller and Sebastien Bourdais sharing the wheel. The other Ganassi WeatherTech Championship full season entry will use No. 69 for Le Mans, driven by Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook and Scott Dixon. The Ford lineup will be rounded out by the pair of full season FIA World Endurance Championship entries.

“When we came to Le Mans last year there was a lot of pressure on the team to deliver a win to commemorate the Ford GT40 1-2-3 finish in 1966," said Raj Nair, executive vice president of Global Product Development and chief technical officer, Ford Motor Company. “It was fantastic to win but we will not rest on our laurels. We return to Le Mans in June with another year of experience racing the Ford GT behind us, seven wins including the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours and the 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and we can’t wait to compete again at this incredible event."

In total, seven full-time WeatherTech Championship race cars will compete in GTE Pro. After a thrilling Le Mans win in 2015, Corvette Racing returns with two cars, the Nos. 63 and 64. While no big surprises are expected at this time, the team will unveil its full driver lineups at a later date. Also returning is last year’s runner up at Le Mans, the No. 82 Ferrari 488 GTE of Risi Competizione.

The five GTE Pro entries will be joined by three additional WeatherTech Championship teams at Le Mans.

In LM P2, Keating Motorsports will enter the No. 43 Gibson-powered Riley MK30. While the full driver lineup has not been announced, Ben Keating, driver of the No. 33 Riley Motorsports Team AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the WeatherTech Championship, will lead the team to Le Mans.

Two cars will be fielded in GTE Am by defending WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona champions Scuderia Corsa, the Nos. 62 and 65 Ferrari 488 GTEs. Full lineups for the pair of cars have not been announced either, but Christina Nielsen and WeatherTech Racing’s Cooper MacNeil are on the initial entry list as designated drivers.

The No. 43 Keating and No. 63 Scuderia Corsa entries came via automatic invitations from IMSA by virtue of those competitors’ success in the 2016 WeatherTech Championship.

The French endurance classic on the Circuit de la Sarthe will be held on June 17-18, 2017.