WEC: Entries for tenth FIA WEC season-opener in Sebring announced
The entry list for the 1000 Miles of Sebring on March 16-18 – the opening round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship – features a grid fit to begin the celebrations of the series’ tenth anniversary year with a 36 car field. Appropriately, the season will begin at the scene of the very first event in WEC history.
Leading the entry list are the elite Hypercar contenders in which the defending champions from Japan, Toyota Gazoo Racing, take on the American-flagged Glickenhaus Racing and the works Alpine squad from France. For the huge crowd in attendance at the trackside, attention will likely be focused upon local hero Ryan Briscoe, an Australian-American who will share his Glickenhaus entry with Frenchmen Olivier Pla and Romain Dumas in the 1000 mile race.
In the LMP2 category for private teams, the strength in depth of teams and drivers will be joined by Algarve Pro Racing on a race-by-race basis throughout 2022, starting at the 1000 Miles of Sebring. The team will be joined on the grid this year by another newcomer to the WEC: America’s celebrated Penske Racing.
Sebring will also mark the debut of all-American brand Corvette Racing as a full-time WEC competitor, chasing the World GT Manufacturers’ Championship in the LMGTE Pro category for production-based sports cars. The No. 64 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will be driven by American ace Tommy Milner, sharing his car with Englishman Nick Tandy as they prepare to go head-to-head with the perennial favorites from Ferrari and Porsche.
Meanwhile, in the LMGTE Am class where both professional and amateur drivers share the cars, the winners from the WEC’s most recent Sebring event, Dempsey-Proton Racing, will field two cars. The No. 77 and 88 Porsche 911 RSR entries have close ties to the USA due to the co-ownership of celebrated actor and 2014 Le Mans podium finisher Patrick Dempsey. Unfortunately, the British Gulf Racing team Porsche will not be present at the opening round in the LMGTE Am class.
The action begins with the Prologue pre-season launch and test event at Sebring on March 12/13. Official WEC track action starts on Wednesday 16 March, with the 1000 Miles of Sebring beginning at midday local time on Friday 18 March.
1000 Mile of Sebring Preliminary Entry List
No. |
HYPERCAR |
NAT |
T |
CARS |
MISC |
DRIVER 1 |
DRIVER 2 |
DRIVER 3 |
4 |
||||
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 |
||
36 |
ALPINE ELF TEAM |
FRA |
M |
Alpine A480 – Gibson |
André Negrão (BRA) |
G |
Nicolas Lapierre (FRA) |
P |
Matthieu Vaxiviere (FRA) |
G |
|||
708 |
GLICKENHAUS RACING |
USA |
M |
Glickenhaus 007 LMH |
Olivier Pla (FRA) |
P |
Romain Dumas (FRA) |
P |
Ryan Briscoe (USA) |
P |
|||
No. |
LMP2 |
NAT |
T |
CARS |
MISC |
DRIVER 1 |
DRIVER 2 |
DRIVER 3 |
15 |
||||
1 |
RICHARD MILLE RACING TEAM |
FRA |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Lilou Wadoux (FRA) |
S |
Sébastien Ogier (FRA) |
P |
Charles Milesi (FRA) |
G |
|||
5 |
TEAM PENSKE |
USA |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Dane Cameron (USA) |
G |
Emmanuel Collard (FRA) |
S |
Felipe Nasr (BRA) |
P |
|||
9 |
PREMA ORLEN TEAM |
ITA |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Robert Kubica (POL) |
P |
Louis Deletraz (CHE) |
G |
Lorenzo Colombo (ITA) |
S |
|||
10 |
VECTOR SPORT |
GBR |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Nico Müller (CHE) |
P |
Ryan Cullen (GBR) |
S |
Mike Rockenfeller (DEU) |
P |
|||
22 |
UNITED AUTOSPORTS USA |
USA |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Philip Hanson (GBR) |
G |
Filipe Albuquerque (PRT) |
P |
William Owen (USA) |
S |
|||
23 |
UNITED AUTOSPORTS USA |
USA |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Paul di Resta (GBR)° |
P |
Oliver Jarvis (GBR) |
P |
Joshua Pierson (USA) |
S |
|||
28 |
JOTA |
GBR |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Oliver Rasmussen (DNK) |
S |
Edward Jones (GBR) |
G |
Jonathan Aberdein (ZAF) |
G |
|||
31 |
WRT |
BEL |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Sean Gelael (IDN) |
S |
Robin Frijns (NLD) |
P |
René Rast (DEU) |
P |
|||
34 |
INTER EUROPOL COMPETITION |
POL |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Jakub Smiechowski (POL) |
S |
Alex Brundle (GBR) |
G |
Esteban Gutierrez (MEX) |
P |
|||
35 |
ULTIMATE |
FRA |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Pro/Am |
Jean-Baptiste Lahaye (FRA) |
S |
Matthieu Lahaye (FRA) |
S |
François Heriau (FRA) |
B |
||
38 |
JOTA |
GBR |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Roberto Gonzalez (MEX) |
S |
Antonio Felix da Costa (PRT) |
P |
William Stevens (GBR) |
P |
|||
41 |
REALTEAM BY WRT |
CHE |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Rui Andrade (PRT) |
S |
Ferdinand Habsburg-Lothringen (AUT) |
G |
Norman Nato (FRA) |
G |
|||
44 |
ARC BRATISLAVA |
SVK |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Pro/Am |
Miroslav Konopka (SVK) |
B |
Mathias Beche (CHE) |
G |
Tijmen van der Helm (NLD) |
S |
||
45 |
ALGARVE PRO RACING |
PRT |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Pro/Am |
Steven Thomas (USA) |
B |
James Allen (AUS) |
G |
Rene Binder (AUT) |
S |
||
83 |
AF CORSE |
ITA |
G |
Oreca 07 – Gibson |
Pro/Am |
François Perrodo (FRA) |
B |
Nicklas Nielsen (DNK) |
G |
Alessio Rovera (ITA) |
G |
||
No. |
LMGTE Pro |
NAT |
T |
CARS |
MISC |
DRIVER 1 |
DRIVER 2 |
DRIVER 3 |
5 |
||||
51 |
AF CORSE |
ITA |
M |
Ferrari 488 GTE EVO |
Alessandro Pier Guidi (ITA) |
P |
James Calado (GBR) |
P |
– |
||||
52 |
AF CORSE |
ITA |
M |
Ferrari 488 GTE EVO |
Miguel Molina (ESP) |
P |
Antonio Fuoco (ITA) |
P |
– |
||||
64 |
CORVETTE RACING |
USA |
M |
Chevrolet Corvette C8.R |
Tommy Milner (USA) |
P |
Nick Tandy (GBR) |
P |
– |
||||
91 |
PORSCHE GT TEAM |
DEU |
M |
Porsche 911 RSR – 19 |
Gianmaria Bruni (ITA) |
P |
Richard Lietz (AUT) |
P |
– |
||||
92 |
PORSCHE GT TEAM |
DEU |
M |
Porsche 911 RSR – 19 |
Michael Christensen (DNK) |
P |
Kevin Estre (FRA) |
P |
– |
||||
No. |
LMGTE Am |
NAT |
T |
CARS |
MISC |
DRIVER 1 |
DRIVER 2 |
DRIVER 3 |
12 |
||||
21 |
AF CORSE |
ITA |
M |
Ferrari 488 GTE EVO |
Simon Mann (USA) |
S |
Christoph Ulrich (CHE) |
B |
Toni Vilander (FIN) |
P |
|||
33 |
TF SPORT |
GBR |
M |
Aston Martin Vantage AMR |
Ben Keating (USA) |
B |
Florian Latorre (FRA) |
S |
Marco Sorensen (DNK) |
P |
|||
46 |
TEAM PROJECT 1 |
DEU |
M |
Porsche 911 RSR – 19 |
Matteo Cairoli (ITA) |
G |
Mikkel Pedersen (DNK) |
S |
TBA |
B |
|||
54 |
AF CORSE |
ITA |
M |
Ferrari 488 GTE EVO |
Thomas Flohr (CHE) |
B |
Francesco Castellacci (ITA) |
S |
Nicholas Cassidy (NZL) |
G |
|||
56 |
TEAM PROJECT 1 |
DEU |
M |
Porsche 911 RSR – 19 |
Brendan Iribe (USA) |
B |
Olliver Millroy (GBR) |
S |
Ben Barnicoat (GBR) |
P |
|||
60 |
IRON LYNX |
ITA |
M |
Ferrari 488 GTE EVO |
Claudio Schiavoni (ITA) |
B |
Matteo Cressoni (ITA) |
S |
Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) |
P |
|||
71 |
SPIRIT OF RACE |
CHE |
M |
Ferrari 488 GTE EVO |
Franck Dezoteux (FRA) |
B |
Pierre Ragues (FRA) |
S |
Gabriel Aubry (FRA) |
G |
|||
77 |
DEMPSEY-PROTON RACING |
DEU |
M |
Porsche 911 RSR – 19 |
Christian Ried (DEU) |
B |
Sebastian Priaulx (FRA) |
S |
Harry Tincknell (GBR) |
P |
|||
85 |
IRON DAMES |
ITA |
M |
Ferrari 488 GTE EVO |
Rahel Frey (CHE) |
G |
Michelle Gatting (DNK) |
S |
Sarah Bovy (BEL) |
B |
|||
88 |
DEMPSEY-PROTON RACING |
DEU |
M |
Porsche 911 RSR – 19 |
Fred Poordad (USA) |
B |
Patrick Lindsey (USA)° |
S |
Julien Andlauer (FRA)° |
G |
|||
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 |
Tomonobu Fujii (JPN) |
G |
Charles Fagg (GBR) |
S |
|||
Total Entries = 36 |