All eyes within the FIA WEC paddock are on this Saturday’s 8 Hours of Bahrain, which is able to deliver the exceptional 2024 season to a detailed. However the motion doesn’t fairly finish that evening, because the Rookie Take a look at is ready to happen on Sunday within the aftermath of the ultimate race of the 12 months.
A full entry record is now accessible for the day-long take a look at, that includes 36 vehicles and 46 drivers.
In Hypercar, the headline is the take a look at for MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who will get his first style of prototype equipment in an M Hybrid V8, a 12 months on from his first WEC take a look at in a BMW M4 GT3 forward of his LMGT3 program with WRT. He’s listed in each BMWs.
Rossi shall be joined by BMW works drivers Max Hesse and Dan Harper, who may even be utilizing the take a look at as their first alternative to drive a prime class FIA WEC prototype.
Elsewhere, Esteban Masson has been confirmed for a drive at Toyota Gazoo Racing following his run with AKKODIS ASP and Lexus in the course of the season in LMGT3.
Fred Vesti has been handed a drive with Cadillac to assist him put together for his maiden IMSA GTP begin at Daytona in January. Additionally within the 32 are full-season Corvette LMGT3 Professionals Charlie Eastwood and Dani Juncadella.
In 2025, former F2 racer Vesti, who spent the 2024 season competing within the ELMS LMP2 class with COOL Racing, will compete within the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds with Motion Categorical.
“It’s a pleasant begin as a result of I do know Bahrain, so it’s a identified monitor, new automotive, which is an effective place to begin,” he mentioned.
“It is going to be some good driving to get going with the Cadillac and I’m wanting ahead to getting my first actual expertise with the automotive.
“Fairly quickly now we have the primary correct take a look at at Daytona, the place I’ll get my first actual expertise with IMSA. Actually pleased to be doing that take a look at to study in regards to the Cadillac.”
The trio of Ferraris have a driver apiece with Arthur Leclerc within the No. 50, Thomas Neubauer in No. 51 and Yifei Ye within the No. 83
“Arthur is doing the Rookie Take a look at however he isn’t a alternative for subsequent 12 months, our objective is to maintain him rising so he shall be able to catch extra alternatives in prototypes,” Antonello Coletta, Ferrari’s sportscar boss mentioned throughout his Finali Mondiali press convention earlier this month.
“We need to assist our drivers develop and we’re doing the perfect we will. Subsequent 12 months he’ll most likely be within the GT3. Subsequent 12 months, actually, we haven’t taken a closing choice. However it’s clear that our dream and his dream is to go forward in an important championship.”
At Proton, 2025 Porsche Penske Motorsport driver Julien Andlauer is joined by second-generation racer Charlie Wurz.
The record additionally contains the set of beforehand confirmed names, together with 2023 F2 champion Theo Pourchaire and Clement Novalak set to drive with Peugeot, Victor Martins listed with Alpine and Franck Perera at Lamborghini, the place he shall be joined by Jordan Pepper.
Reshad De Gerus, in the meantime, will drive the No. 6 Porsche 963 after being nominated by LMEM.
In LMGT3, AKKODIS ASP’s set of drivers contains Silver drivers Aurélien Panis and Paul Evrard and Silver-ranked Petru Razvan Umbrarescu.
Ben Barnicoat, who examined within the Toyota Hypercar ultimately season’s Rookie Take a look at, may even be in attendance on Lexus duties with ASP, alongside Conrad Laursen, who appears to realize extra monitor time, including to his one-off look with the crew scheduled for this weekend rather than Clemens Schmid.
Ex-Audi manufacturing facility GT driver Mattia Drudi joins Coronary heart of Racing within the No. 27 Aston Martin, and WRT’s BMWs see a pair of Silver-ranked drivers – Swiss Gregory de Sybourg and Belgian Gilles Stadsbade – named, forward of what RACER expects to be a new-look line-up for the crew in 2025.
Vista AF Corse fields a driver apiece, too: Matteo de Palo and Mahaveer Raghunathan and United Autosports will take a look at Alex Sedgwick and Tom Gamble.
Mathey PureRxcing Porsche sees Michelin Le Mans Cup Iron Dame Celia Martin alongside Michelle Gatting and LMEM nominee Gillian Henrion.
The take a look at in Bahrain follows the ACO’s end-of-season European Le Mans Sequence Rookie Take a look at, held after the 4 Hours of Portimao in Portugal earlier this month.
Quite a few attention-grabbing vehicles, groups and drivers took half in that too, together with two of the 4 new-for-2025 LMP3 vehicles from Ligier and ADESS.
One of the crucial notable faces available was now-former Porsche Penske Motorsport driver Dane Cameron, recent from capturing the 2024 IMSA GTP Drivers’ title. The American drove an ORECA 07 from newly-crowned ELMS LMP2 champion AO by TF, which had two vehicles on-site.
PJ Hyett and Gunnar Jeanette will not be prepared to substantiate their full LMP2 plans for 2025 simply but, however Hyett examined all through the operating in a spare TF automotive, with Cameron, 2024 ELMS champion Louis Deletraz and IMSA GTD Professional Champion Laurin Heinrich.
Heinrich’s take a look at was a ‘thanks reward’ from AO Racing following his championship-winning success in GTD Professional this 12 months. Cameron in the meantime, was understandably tight-lipped about his 2025 program, although it seems very probably that he’ll function in AO’s plans.
Swiss Aston Martin buyer crew Racing Spirit of Leman’s actions over the three days of monitor time was notable, too. The crew seems to be closing in on an FIA WEC LMGT3 program with Aston Martin for 2025 following its successes within the Le Mans Cup and ELMS. The squad is wanting set to switch D’Station Racing alongside Coronary heart of Racing within the 2025 WEC LMGT3 line-up.
IndyCar driver Kyffin Simpson was additionally available. The 2023 ELMS LMP2 Champion drove together with his title-winning crew Algarve Professional Racing and was understood to be utilizing the chance to work together with his IndyCar engineer on tire administration.
From the WEC paddock, WRT’s Darren Leung took half, driving the 2024 ELMS LMGT3 title-winning Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan. Leung was non-committal when requested a few potential swap from BMW to race the Huracan subsequent 12 months, making it clear that he was having fun with the chance to attempt one thing totally different.
Lastly, 2024 FIA WEC LMGT3 championship-winning crew Pure Rxcing had a presence. The Lithuanian-flagged crew — forward of its transfer into LMP2 over the winter within the Asian Le Mans Sequence – utilized the time to get Alex Malykhin dialled in with the ORECA 07 and TF Sport, which it has partnered with for its new enterprise.
