Photo : OLIVIER BEROUD / VISION SPORT AG

 

Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche are names that dreams are made of, and they will all be on the grid for the 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours. Even though there are only nine entries in LM GTE Pro, as always it promises to be one of the most hotly-contested categories given the tiny gaps between the four manufacturers.

Grand touring cars have been part and parcel of the Le Mans 24-Hours tradition since the creation of the event in 1923. At the time cars were not specifically designed for motor racing and many of them arrived in the Sarthe by road! While times have changed there is still a real link between the track and the road as the GTs must be based on series production vehicles.

To be homologated a GTE (E for endurance) must be derived from a road-going car of which a minimum of 100 units has been built (25 for a manufacturer whose production is less than 2000 units per year). The racing version must retain the shape of the road-going model, and the installation, position and layout of the engine cannot be changed with a few rare exceptions laid down in the regulations, which will be obsolete at the end of 2015.

As is the case for prototypes the number of sets of tyres (except for rain tyres) is limited: eight sets are allocated for free practice, qualifying and the warm-up and 16 sets of the race itself plus four additional tyres in case of extra time. For the duration of the event entrants can use only two engines, while their use is free at the test day.

The Pro label that designates this category means that it is reserved for professional drivers as the cars are entered or backed by manufacturers. There are no restrictions on the line-ups and they may comprise three Platinum drivers (of international renown), which is usually the case.

Cécile Bonardel 
Translation by David Waldron

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SUNDAY JUNE 15 2014, RACE.