Best get ourselves ready for Le Mans 2023!!
Monday, May 29, 2023
Having been multiple GTE Pro and Am class Champions at Le Mans, this 2023 event sees the final time that the GTE class will compete at the highest level of GT racing with the final bastions of the class due to be retired at the end of this season’s World Endurance Championship.
To help celebrate these facts, the three Aston Martin Racing powered entries presently competing as full season entries within the WEC will see two further stablemate entries compete around the Circuit de La Sarthe for that rare but lucrative honour.
This week has seen multiple lorry loads of equipment leave the Prodrive factory in the UK, destined for the circuit as well as one of these strictly invitational entries announce a very French, very Le Mans livery to go with their TF Sport prepared entry.
Also, out of the factory has come a repaired chassis for the GMB Motorsport invitational entry after their heavy impact during the opening round of the European Le Mans Series at the end of April.
Overseas, and the Japanese based D’Station Racing team have been busy mentoring both their own domestic racers at the recent Fuji 24 but also teaching their new recruits into the ways of 24-hour racing, both on track as an additional teaching aid but also in the cloud via the teams new sim facilities.
Going into this weekend’s Official Test Day will see all sixty-two scheduled entries partake within the now traditional Le Pesage or scrutineering process within full public view within the Place de Le Republique where cars and indeed drivers and team personalities are open to public scrutiny and conversation.
With that process extending into both Friday and Saturday, that evening will also see the official ‘launch’ of the 100 Year Anniversary Race Week before the first of two test sessions around the full 13.2km circuit where all rookie drivers must complete 10 laps apiece as well as getting some ‘housework’ in order being the start of race week proper.
For some, this will be just another exciting visit to Le Mans whilst many of those within the AMR ranks, this will all be for the first time or first time within the main event with more detail published as we get near to each significant occasion within the timetable.
For ourselves, we will not be at the circuit this year, but we have (hopefully) secured the use of someone else’s photographic material who going from next week.
Photo credits – Teams / social media
