The Kiwi Drivers Looking to Reconquer Le Mans
This weekend, three Kiwi greats will be among the 186 drivers and 62 cars taking to the Circuit de la Sarthe for what is undoubtedly the world’s most fantastic race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 2024 will see a record-breaking number of top-level Hypercar entries, a class featuring 23 of the world’s fastest prototype sportscars from manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche. This is staggering when you consider that as recently as 2022 when the class was known as LMP1, its entry list numbered just five. The Kiwi trio of Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber and Scott Dixon are all in contention for overall honours; in the case of Hartley and Bamber, they are looking to add to the impressive history of Le Mans. Even Dixon, who has yet to taste victory, has been on the podium at the endurance classic.
Earl Bamber - Cadillac Racing - Starting P2
It’s been a season of huge ups and downs for Earl Bamber, summed up by the #2 Cadillac’s front row in qualifying at the 6 Hours of Spa, followed by Bamber’s massive crash. The car currently has just one championship point, but after securing a front-row start at Le Mans in qualifying, it’s clear that there is pace in their package.
The first climb Bamber took to the top step of the iconic Le Mans podium came on his debut in 2015, after working his way up through the ranks of the Porsche development ladder to eventually join their top-flight LMP1 program. Partnered with Nick Tandy and Formula One driver Nico Hulkenberg, the crew weren’t seen as a real contender due to their inexperience at the circuit, but the rookie approach of driving like a sprint race paid off, and the ‘third-string’ #19 Porsche 919 would win by more than a lap from their sister car.
His second Le Mans victory was made all the more special because this time, he shared the 919 with his childhood mate, Hartley.
Scott Dixon – Cadillac Racing – Starting P3
Scott Dixon has been having an absolute stormer of a year in IndyCar. The six-time Champion has multiple wins so far and sits just 11 points off the championship lead. The 43-year-old looks in top form and will carry this momentum across the Atlantic to the Circuit de la Sarth.
In 2016, Dixon had his Le Mans debut behind the wheel of the new Ford GT on the 50th Anniversary of Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren’s iconic 1966 win, where Ford took a 1-2-3 result with their new GT40 and ended Ferrari’s dominance at the race. Dixon scored a GT-E podium on debut but hasn’t been able to do better in his four further attempts.
This year he’s in to the #3 Cadillac V-Series R, teamed up with Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande. All three drivers are chasing a maiden outright victory. They're undoubtedly in winning form after setting the third-quickest time in qualifying.
Brendon Hartley – Toyota Gazoo Racing – Starting P11
Hartley leads the charge as our most successful driver at the world’s greatest race, with three wins, his first for Porsche, alongside Bamber in 2017.
After a stint with the Toro Rosso Formula One team in 2018, Hartley returned to the World Endurance Championship with a point to prove, taking two more wins with Toyota in 2020 and 2022.
Though Toyota Gazoo Racing has been the most experienced team in prototype endurance racing over the past decade, its success has waned as the top class and level of competition has increased four-fold over the last two years.
Hartley’s #8 Toyota hasn’t shown the pace to consistently compete at the front of the field this year, and a less-than-stellar P11 in qualifying means the #8 crew will need to find some serious race pace to match the frontrunners in the Hypercar field.
The flag drops at 2:00 am Sunday (NZT) and can be watched on a paid livestream through the WEC app.