On June 10th and 11th, the 24 Hours of Le Mans will celebrate the centenary of its first edition in 1923. It is also the fourth round of the 2023 World Endurance Championship (WEC). This Friday, May 5th, is the The list of 186 registered drivers, representing 62 cars allowed at the start, has been announced by the organizers.

Among these drivers we find three Canadians: Quebecer Jacques Villeneuve with the Vanwall team in Hypercar prototypes and Zach Robichon with the Proton Compétition team in a Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE class; and Ontario’s John Farano, recent winner of the LMP2 class at the Sebring 12 Hours, who will drive the Oreca-Gibson LMP2 prototype for his own team, Tower Motorsports.

Among these three drivers, Farano seems best equipped to win his category as not only will his car be prepared by TDS Racing, one of the best LMP2 teams in Europe, but his teammates will also be two excellent professionals the renowned Winners, the American Ricky Taylor and the German René Rast.

Along with his teammates Ryan Hardwick and Jan Heylen, Zach Robichon could also be fighting for victory in GTE. On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine that Jacques Villeneuve, who will share the wheel of the Vanwall 680 with Esteban Guerrieri and Tom Dillmann, will go head-to-head with LMH Hypercars’ favorite teams like Toyota, Cadillac, Porsche and of course Ferrari, including the 499P (photo below. above) appear to be Toyota’s most serious rivals for overall victory.

No fewer than 16 cars will fight for victory in this hypercar category, divided between seven different brands: Porsche, Peugeot, Ferrari, Vanwall, Glickenhaus, Toyota and Cadillac, manufacturers that have already left their mark on motorsport history. With the presence of new legends of the 24 Hours of Le Mans such as Sébastien Buemi (four wins), André Lotterer (three wins) or Romain Dumas (double winner and holder of the course record), this hypercar category promises a grandiose spectacle, because , for the first time since 2018 we can no longer assume that Toyota is aiming for victory alone.

As is so often the case, the LMP2 category was to be the scene of big battles. 24 cars have been entered with prestigious teams such as Jota, United Autosports, Prema Racing, WRT and the Alpine brand, which will return to Hypercar next year, as well as the Canadian car from Tower Motorsports.

Fans can also count on the only GT category (called LMGTE Am by the organizers) accepted this year to animate this 91st edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 21 cars are entered for the final year of GTEs before the move to GT3 in 2024. Among the drivers we note the absence of Paul dalla Lana, who retired after the 6 Hours of Portimao in April, but whose team is still registered ( AMR Northwest), although it is now managed by the American structure Heart of Racing and no Canadian driver has in his crew.

In this category we also find the actor Michael Fassbender, who is pursuing his dream of the 24 Hours of Le Mans after a first participation in 2022, where he was characterized more by his deviations from the track than his lap times. Fassbender is one of the Proton Compétition drivers, but as mentioned above, not in the same car as Zach Robichon this year.

We will also note the participation of 5 female pilots among these 186 announced pilots. Only one will become prototypes (LMP2 class): Doriane Pin, the promising French driver aged just 19 who is aiming for victory in her category alongside former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat and endurance specialist Mirko Bortolotti.

The 4 other female pilots find themselves in GTE. At the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 6 days ago, Lilou Wadoux was the first woman to win a class in the WEC. It will develop at Le Mans on one of the AF Corse team’s Ferrari 488s. Finally, of course, we find the trio of Iron Dames, made up of Sarah Bovy, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey, at the wheel of a Porsche rented by Proton Competition while waiting for the new Lamborghini GT3 to be available from 2024.

Not forgetting the presence of two former Formula 1 world champions: alongside Jacques Villeneuve, champion of 1997 and taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Peugeot for the third time after 2007 and 2008, Jenson Button, champion of 2009, will be there for the second time behind the wheel of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 NASCAR from Henrick Motorsports. Button will be joined by 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Mike Rockenfeller and Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will make his Le Mans debut.

For the full list of 62 cars and 186 registered drivers see Click here.