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MP 1699: LMGT3 24 Hours of Le Mans Preview 2026
MP 1699: LMGT3 24 Hours of Le Mans Preview 2026
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About this episode
It's The Week In Sports Cars show LMGT3 Le Mans Preview featuring DailySportsCar.com's Stephen Kilbey and Graham Goodwin
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Chevrolet Corvette
"...hing into the letter C, whether it's Chevrolet or Corvette, it is Corvette, and this is another mark where t..."
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"...he Fs because F is also a course for Ford and the Mustang GT3, the second of the cars with an Evo. It's qui..."
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Ford Gt3 Ford
"We stay with the Fs because F is also a course for Ford and the Mustang GT3, the second of the cars with an Evo. It's quite a big evolution for the Mustang GT3. Ford has had some success at along with that earlier package, car on the podium at the 24 hours of the morning. It's a format that"
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Well, welcome to the LMGT-3 part of our three-part preview for what we hope is going to be a spectacular
2026, 24 hours of Le Mans. As always, with the weekend sports cars part of the Marshall
Group podcast collection and brought to you with the help and support of the Justice Brothers
and Toronto Motorsports.com.
Joined again by Steven Kilby, editor of Daily Sports Car. Steven, 25 LMGT-3 cars to run through.
LMGT-3 now in year three of its status as the production-based representative of motorsports
at the 24 hours of Le Mans. And with what we've been seeing on track with this class over the last year
and the opening part of this season, I think we can reasonably say, can't we? This could well be very close.
Yeah, it's going to be extraordinarily tight with so many fantastic lineups here. And let's
me forget it's not just a bundle of teams that are racing in WC that anyone who follows WC regularly
will be familiar with. You've got a mixture. You've got some IMSA names in there. You've got a
smattering of E-LMS teams. You've got a solo outfit from GT World Challenge Europe from
Kessel Racing, from an auto-enviant there. So yeah, it has that amazing feel of almost like an all-star
race in places. It is obviously a pro-am class, so every lineup will have a bronze driver. But when
you look down some of the names in the silver category in particular, some really stand out
young talents there. And then of course in the pros, there's loads of GT talent kind of everywhere
you look. And so many manufacturers represented. So how do you want to do this, Graham? Do you want
to kind of go manufacturer by manufacturer, or do you just want to kind of talk about general
storylines? What do you reckon? I think it's manufactured by manufacturer. And I think you're
right. I mean, what we've got, remember, in addition to the 18 full season cars from the
FI World Endurance Championship, two times nine. So it's nine different manufacturers.
No fewer than four of those manufacturers have got other cars in the mix, earned through a variety
of success. And in one case, the selection committee for 24 hours, out of one. Where do you want to,
how do you want to do it? You want to do it alphabetically? Do you want to do it in terms of,
well, in which case, stop with us and Martin, shall we? Yep, two cars, three cars, my apologies,
rest and Martin. It's the two cars from the Heart of Racing team from the FI World Endurance
Championship. And it's a solo car from Racing Spirit Le Mans that's earned its way in, I think,
through success last year. Yeah, it's a new LMS. It's a new LMS entry from racing spirit. Well,
I think they're just from the pool of from the LMS team. So, and let's forget this time last year,
we were talking about racing spirit Le Mans as a WC team. So they've got real pedigree not only at
this race, but but in the world championship as well, they know what it takes to race up front. So
a really strong free-pronged attack, I'd say. And certainly doesn't feel like, I don't know about
you, Graham, but it doesn't feel to me like we've seen the best of Heart of Racing just yet.
Not yet. In WC terms, it was a difficult outing, a Imola for the 27 car retiring from that race.
And the second car just sort of got into the top 10. But we did then see at Spa a second place
finish for the 27 crew. And that's Mattia Drudi in James and Zach Robichon. Some real continuity
there from last year. Free, very capable hands, I'd say. For me, this is the standout lineup of the
three. I think it's very well balanced. I think with the likes of Mattia Drudi as the pro in there,
that's going to be a car that wants the likes of Ian James and Zach Robichon have done their
drive time. At the end of this race, if it's close, I'd back Mattia Drudi all day.
I know you're a big fan of Mattia and I am too. I would add though, the sister car, the 23 car
from Heart of Racing, Johnny Adam knows how to win at Le Mans and anybody remembers the
Gloridation GTE, both our man pro will will know that Johnny's got fighting spirit. Doodoo,
Eduardo Barrakello. I think a growing lucky charm for Heart of Racing for us to Martin Racing. And
this is a big stage for him to go out and play on. I think that's going to be quite interesting.
Zero doubt is Dave Rubens is going to be in the garage to watch this one. So it's an awful lot
of the pressure here is going to be on their new faces, the bronze and that is Gray Newell,
son of Gabe Newell, who's the man that makes this happen at Heart of Racing without a shadow of a
doubt. It's a very early doors for Gray and it's a mighty task to expect him to be quick, consistent
and error free for what is going to be a long time at the wheel for the 24 hours of Le Mans.
I agree with you, but principally for that reason, if Gray knocks it out the park,
then I think what you've got is two very capable pro drivers alongside him. The third car, the
racing spirit Le Mans car, Marius Fossar, Valentino Vazerclou and Clemence Mertier. Well, Valentino
is absolutely passionate about this race. Clemence Mertier was mighty last season in the Lexus
cars across the FI World Insurance Championship. This is a kind of wait and see effort, I think.
I can see that car having pace at some times. Can it sustain a race long run? I don't know what you
think. I'm not as certain as maybe some of the others are going to be talking about little later.
I think Valentino is going to have to do potentially quite a lot of heavy lifting.
That's not to say that I expect them to be propping up the bottom of the
timing screen. Principally because I think racing spirit Le Mans, they're a team that for anyone
who hasn't really followed them or taken much notice of them when they're in WC.
They do have a habit of doing a lot with a little. They're a very plucky young family run team
that in quite a short space of time have gone from running at a very low level in motorsport,
all the way through doing GT4 stuff, doing LMP3 and now doing GT3 regularly now,
and have won titles and races. I wouldn't expect them to be miles off by any means,
but yeah, I do agree that it's going to be a very tough one for them. I wouldn't expect them to be
on the podium or better, but you don't know. We don't know how this race is going to pan out.
One of the really exciting things is going to be comparing it to last year because last year's
race, there was only one safety car and it was so green and that was so out of the ordinary for
Le Mans 24 hours to have so little interruption. If we have a race like that again, then it is
going to be your bronze drivers that really make a huge difference. If we do get 15, 16 hours into it
and you get loads of safety cars bunching up the field, maybe not so much, but if the race is like
last year's, that's when they're going to need to lean on the likes of a Gray Newell and Ian James
or a Clement Mattia. So yeah, interested to see how they do. Worth mentioning at this stage that
Odd Enough LMGT-3 has tended over the last couple of years to get less
debates about balance performance. It's a key thing in the GT-3 class. Always has been, always will be.
That's why you've got such a depth of variety in this class. For me, the one area where that
balance performance can make a massive difference, particularly at Le Mans, is straight line speed.
If you've got straight line speed advantage, there's so many places at Le Mans where that
can be put to good effect. So that is one to watch as we work our way through the test day,
where frankly we'll learn as always absolutely nothing through into free practice in qualifying
and hyperpol. But it's going to be interesting to see just which, and there will be at least one,
that is going to have a bit of an edge. It doesn't need to be much of an edge. It's about
being able to go by and stay ahead with straight line speed that you've got. So watch for that.
And managing tyres, Graham. This is a big race, even though you only have one option with
Goodyear, they're just going to bring the medium compound eagle as they are for every race in the
WEC this year. You still need to be able to extract the most out of that tyre for a long
period of time. So the cars that are kinder on the tyres will over the course of a 24-hour race
kind of rise to the fore if teams nail the execution of their strategy. Because you can
double, triple, stint regularly during this race and gain time, particularly if it gets cooler
during the night. Yeah, we've seen in the past, Porsche and I are beaten.
This race, none of the LMGT3 era, they've won both races so far since this became the new class.
But generally speaking, if the balance of performance across the field is good, there tends to be
pretty good advantage the way of the big banger front engine cars at Le Mans. Just it suits that
form of car. But they need to be reliable as well, and they need to be lucky as well,
and they need to be clean on pit lane as well. And that's going to be just as much to think.
As us to Martin, number two as we work our way through the alphabet, BMW. Just two cars there,
both the WRT cars from the full season. The 32 car, which has got Augusto Farfus,
Jean-Gliel Darren Leung aboard, and the 69 car, which will feature, and as we go to record this
unknown legend's livery from BMW on the 69, one at each race this season. That's Dunharper,
Parker Thompson and Tony McIntosh. What do you think of those two pairs?
Well, three of the two, sorry, incredibly strong trios for me. The biggest question mark is the car,
which it seems odd to say because the M4 GT3 around the world has won so often,
and in the hands of WRT, normally you'd just back them to the high hills. But in LMGT3 competition,
with the Goodyear tyre, with the torque sensors, they've struggled a little bit to have any sort
of consistency, haven't they? And at Le Mans, again, we've not seen the best from BMW with this car.
It is obviously the Evo package. There's plenty more data now that WRT have got their hands on of
how the car copes with the Goodyear tyre, and you've got two really strong lineups there. If
they can be in the running, if they can manage their tyres well enough through this race,
you've got two sets of drivers here and more than capable of delivering a podium or better,
and fighting for the win. And principally, that is because the foundation here with the bronze
drivers is so strong. Darren Leung is his own harshest critic. He's a real data analyst. He
works incredibly hard on these detail, which some bronze drivers just don't. They're more
drive on feel, they're more drive on just doing a bit of sim time, bit of track time here.
Darren sits and studies data more than just about anyone else I know in his driver rating.
And when it comes to a race like this, when it is all about precision and endurance over a long
period of time, I think that can help you. He's also got plenty of experience with Sean Galail
and Augusto Farfers. They seem to work really well as a trio. As for the other car, Tony
McIntosh is just rapid. He's really rapid. He came to racing late in life, didn't he, Graham?
But safe to say, since he made his first steps into the WC last year with racing spirit LeMond,
funnily enough, he's been consistently one of the quickest bronzes out there. So if he can keep it
clean, have a good race, then the likes of Barca Thompson, Dan Harper, will be in the driving
seat, I think, for something quite special. I agree with you. Tony McIntosh, I think we can
be talking about him for an awfully long time. Tony sort of followed the lead of Darren Young in
making sure he's in a race car as often as he possibly can be. And that's paid dividends.
Dan Harper, for me, one of the quickest GT drivers in this entire field. Another exciting new talent.
And BMW are going to do well to hang on to him as things move forward. But I think they've got
long term plans for him. The excitement for me in those two cars, because we expect great things
from the gold drivers and for that matter, the Silvers as well, is the fact they've got such
two high quality bronze drivers. And I think if they can be quick and consistent, I'm going to say
this an awful lot through this show, I'm sure they've absolutely got the talent that if it comes down
to wheel to wheel moments, those two have both got talent and the guts to come out on top.
WRT as well, or a team and you know, both driver lineups, too, will be kind of have one eye on
the championship as well, I'd imagine, because they're both Tony and Darren are highly motivated
by the World Championship aspect of this. And the 69 car that Tony's driving
is currently third in the championship, just five points off the lead. So we've only had two races,
let's just forget, because we didn't have Qatar at the start of the year. But you look at the
championship stands, that kind of tells you a little bit of what you need to know about which
are going to be the contenders going into this race. Imelda, of course, where they won, first
time out, very different track to Le Mans, not much to compare to their, but as a unit, they just
seem to work very well in that 69 car. So another thing to look out for is if they get a really
good result with Le Mans, second half of the WC season or the rest of the WC season, could be
very, very interesting indeed, if they can emerge with a lead or close to it. Absolutely right.
Third up, we come crashing into the letter C, whether it's Chevrolet or Corvette, it is Corvette,
and this is another mark where there are additional cars, four cars with the 06 GT3R,
the two full season cars from TF Sport, a third TF Sport car coming in with Prince Jeffrey, Ben
Green and I think Iqwan, and that is under the TF Sport banner, but no doubt there will be a fair
amount of the other Corvette team that represents the two Malaysian princes involved in the background
there, and then 13 Autosport. So let's start with that car, the number 13 car previously operated
under the AWA banner for Matt Bell, the British Matt Bell, Ori Ferdani and Lars Kern. That's an
catching squad, we've not yet seen what we're going to see by way of livery after the epic
look at us, we're Canadian livery last time, I'm expecting this car to arrive at Stephen Kilby,
literally drizzled in maple syrup. Yes, yes, and pushed through scrutiny by a pair of bears.
Bear of bears and a couple of elk. Yes, a really, really interesting setup this, and of course
they're flying the flag of IMSA, one of the IMSA rewards to get the space on the grid,
like you say, very patriotic for Ori Ferdani, take a lot of pride in the way that they work,
and they're an incredibly well-run organisation, you know, the way that they deal with it and the
way that they conduct themselves in IMSA, because let's be forget racing the GTD class,
which isn't all bronze, the lines of bronze drivers. So Ori Ferdani is used to racing in a field
where a lot of his competitors don't have a bronze and used to still get in results.
So what will be fascinating with this one is how much of a step will they take year to year,
because it is very hard for new drivers or new teams, and yes, they've obviously got assistance
and had assistance from TF Sport last year to help them make the trip. But the second time round,
doing going through that event and going through that process is always easier, because you kind
of know what to expect from the schedule. So it's a huge event, event. It really is.
So if they can kind of build on what they built last year, it's a car that seems to be getting
better and better now that it just feels like a pretty mature platform, whereas it didn't when
LMGT3 first started. So if they have a good run, I can see them being somewhat in the mix.
What it lacks is perhaps the quickest of quick pros, but we have seen in the past
like a Matt Bell, and I'm thinking back to when they won the Rolex 24 Hours on his day,
can go toe to toe with anyone, and he's very, very feisty. So kind of stare at the time
in screen when he's in the car at the end of this race, if it is a train of cars.
And we have had a late restart, because I think there's only reason to believe they could be
in there and they're about. What do we think about the third TF Sport entry, which has got
flavours of JMR, Johor Motorsports around that car. It's a huge moment for Prince Jeffrey.
He's been racing for quite some time coming into the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and frankly,
a major headline as well for his nation. Ben Green will be looking to put his stamp on this one.
He's perhaps been a name that's been overlooked on the international scene,
and certainly on the ACO racing scene for too long. What do we think there is this too early
for that squad? Potentially, yeah. I mean, what I would say is that Prince Jeffrey is a very good
bronze, and we've seen him really hustle that Corvette in the Leicester GT World Challenge Asia.
He's a race winner there. We saw him over the winter, didn't we? JMR guys in the really hotly
contested Asian Le Mans series GT class. Weren't there winning races with the Corvette?
But we're very entertaining to watch from what I remember.
Yeah, it's TF Sport, isn't it? So there's going to be an element of,
it's going to be a well-run car. The pit stops are going to be good. It's going to have an opportunity
in terms of strategy to be there. It's just going to come down to what pace these guys can extract
out the car. It is a really deep field. So I don't know. Not expecting them to be up there winning
this race, but certainly a storyline to follow. Absolutely. Well, we're then into seamlessly
the two final Corvettes. It's the two full season cars. Let's start with the 34 car,
the Racing Team Turkey car. back in the day with Aston Martin and
TF Sport are used to success. It's a very different effort here. It is Sully Ollich. It is Jolly Eastwood,
but it's Peter Dempsey as the bronze. And this is quite the story, isn't it? And there seems to be
an acknowledgement from the team that they're aware that what they've got is a very, very
high quality bronze. There's a story to come with that. And that Sully, for a long time,
has believed he should never have been a silver in the first place. And that's been acknowledged
in the way that they've run their strategy so far on the WEC. Yeah. So Peter Dempsey, for those who
aren't familiar with him, climbed all the way to Indy Lights in his career before stopping,
focusing on running his team, which he still does. And has now just decided off the back,
I think a pretty chance meeting with Charlie Eastwood to take that seat and get back in,
get back behind the wheel. And he's been rapid. And for someone who's never really raced GT cars
before, he's looked right at home since we've seen him in that Corvette. And it's such a
strazy balanced lineup, but it kind of works because, like you say, Sully, he would admit
he's not the best silver. And probably if he had to choose what category he thinks he deserves to
be, and he probably say would probably want himself to be a bronze. But because Peter's such a
strong bronze, he essentially acts as the silver seat anyway. Now, in a six hour WEC race, or one
of the shorter races, that does change the way that the team approaches the race. Because normally,
you'd put bronze in for the start, let them lay the foundation of a race, then put the silver in,
then put your pro in at the end over six hours. Tia have been, you know, had the, you know, the
the ability to put Sally in for the start, and then put Peter Dempsey in against the silvers. And
it's that weird kind of thing, the timing screen with, you know, a silver, a bronze in amongst
silvers and going past them. In a 24 hour race, though, not quite as much of a, not an advantage,
but I don't expect there to be such a huge variation in what they can do on strategy because of that.
But as a trio, it's really strong. If Sully, you know, he has made the odd mistake here and there,
and I'm thinking back to Imola in particular, but if they qualify well, and they'll certainly
make hyperpoor because Peter Dempsey will be flying, no doubt. Then I can see someone like
Charlie Eastwood putting the icing on the cake and delivering something really strong here.
Last but fundamentally not least is the other full season Torvet for the WEC from Tia Sport.
It's number 33 car and that sees the seasonal debut in the WEC for the up until now injured Ben
Keating joined by Johnny Edgar and Nikki Katzberg on form that is one heck of a trio.
And that is the car from those four that I would expect to be leading the vanguard of Corvette's
attack. Yes, Ben Keating is the key here, isn't it? Because he's been there, done that and got the
t-shirt everywhere at this point. And is still extremely quick behind the wheel. But what I
would say is, and I saw him at Spa, still in the last stages of his recovery, seemed to be very,
very keen to get in the car. He would have driven the car that day, I think if he'd been allowed to,
has been doing a lot of sim work on his way back from that horrible elbow injury he got from a
mountain biking incident. But it's a case of how comfortable is he going to be? Your first race
back being Le Mans is a tough ask, even for someone young. And he's, God bless him, not the
youngest man on the grid. I hope, I really hope we see Ben Keating seamlessly back to what we'd
expect. But it's something to keep an eye on as to how he gets through the week. And physically,
it's going to be a real challenge for him. So how they manage him through the race could well
decide the fate of that car. Well, remember what we've got to so far through Aston Martin, BMW
and Corvette. And we are going to come and each was discussed where we think the top three might
be and which of those three we think might take it, all things considered. That's Corvette,
moving further through the alphabet. Next up is Ferrari. Ferrari with five cars on the entry,
the most of any manufacturer it is again, it is the two Vistra A of Corsa cars, the
two full season cars, two castle racing cars, one through success in the Agena Montes, one through
success in the GT World Challenge Europe. And then it is the Richard Mille A of Corsa car,
which finished second in the European Amon series last year. Five of those. Let's start with the
two castle cars. First things first, what a rebirth from castle racing. They pretty much late
comers to the 24 hours of the month had success with their customers. This is Guderia Corsa before
we ever saw them under their own names. But to earn two places through two different championships,
that is some going from the Swiss team. And they appear to have made two fundamental changes. In
the back room, it just looks a different team. And in terms of the the squads they're pulling
together, and we'll talk about those in just a moment, they have focused on building quality in
depth. Yes. And you know, the Ferrari 296 GT3 in particular is a car that is not cheap to run,
and for a customer not cheap to get off the ground for a program. And they know that to get the best
customers, they have to operate at the level that of course does, because of course, one of the
you know, benchmarks in the sport. And it's a really good barometer for where Kessel knows it
needs to be. And I think yeah, they have closed that gap, they do operate cars extremely well.
And for me, Graham, certainly in the last couple of years, they've just become one of the standouts
in European Le Mans series. They're just, you know, what they've done with Takeshi Komura and his
partnership, particularly with Daniel Sarah, has been really, really impressive. And so for me that
57, yeah, that's the 57 car that is the car guy, the holiday yellow colored car with
Takeshi Komura, the Japanese gentleman driver, the car guy, Daniel Sarah, the Ferrari factory
driver, a man with GT Pro wins for two different factories on his CV, and Conrad Laursen,
the addition as the silver for this race, the 74 car. He's in the place of, we should note,
he's in the place that's normally, the seat that's normally filled by Metis Chalbert,
who has been trying his hand in GT3 racing and looked very good so far. He's taken the seat at
Genesis in hypercar, so that's what's freed up the seat for Conrad to join the fun.
The sister car, the 74 car, with their bronze, Dustin Blackmore, talk about Dustin in a minute,
Dennis Marshall and Lorenzo Patrese in that car, and that's another switcheroo for the silvers
around that car. I'm struggling to look much further past that car in terms of the Ferraris
we've got here. I think that if Lorenzo Patrese is as good as he should be, I think that's going
to be one to watch. Dustin Blackmore is a bronze, he's a pocket rocket, isn't he?
He is. And Dennis Marshall, if this is not a name you're familiar with, you're going to be.
He's got it all. all in a kind of Nikki Katzberg sort of way. He's got the attacking
skills, he's got the defensive skills, he's a proper full pro all-rounder who is able to take
the fight to anybody else out there and take the fight from anybody else out there in a sort of
Kevin Magnuson sort of way. Elbow's firmly out and tricky to catch, tricky to pass.
Somebody four-car wants a watch from me. Yeah, definitely. I think both cars really
could be there, there or thereabouts. It's a guess you perhaps not the quickest bronze,
but he has proven to be incredibly consistent and has lost a bit of that. There was a period of
time where he had a bit of an edge, didn't he? And you'd see him get quite feisty out on track.
That's, he's calmed and mellowed a bit and I think he's kind of all the better driver for it. So,
yeah, both crews there, one obviously flying the flag for El Ames, the other flying for
flying the flag for SRN GT2 World Challenge Europe. Yeah, that's a really interesting angle
and a really interesting couple of cars that will be up against the kind of might of the WC pack.
Before we get into the two Vistra F Corsa cars, let's talk about the Richard Mille F Corsa car,
the 150. It's going to be a fan favorite for two reasons, I think. One, the way it looks,
we'll come to that in a moment. Two, the fact that Longs-Sigastedia Toledo, the Brazilian
bronze driver, Ricardo Agostini, is the silver driver there, is Lili Waddu, who is a Ferrari
contracted driver and is developing a real following for the way she goes racing.
Yeah, it's going to, especially without Iron Dames being on the grid, she will attract
even perhaps even more attention than she otherwise might have as a female driver on the
grid. And yeah, she can go toe to toe with anyone and the class is all the best for having her in it.
And ultimately as a trio, I think it's been a tough start to the season for them. We talked about
Kessel and the CarGuy car leading the championship in El Ames going into this one. They'll be kind of
flying high. I mean, the car in El Ames doesn't have Lili Waddu at the wheel, but it does have
Ricardo Agostini in a studio Toledo with Francesco Castellacci. And they've had a tough start to
the year and retired for the most recent race. That's not true. Sorry, that's not true. Francesco
stood in for one race, I think. For one race. Apologies. But yeah, that's right.
But you know, Lili, the only female driver in the field in the LMGT3 field this year, and will
therefore, unless I'm forgetting somebody and I don't think I am, therefore will attract
significant attention. But the way the car looks for Brazilian colors for Kitesco,
a Castello Toledo, looks absolutely fantastic. Squint and you'll think that since a year upon
I've entered LMGT3, but I think it looks magnificent. I think the scheme really suits it.
Brings us crashing into, and let's not hope that had to be literally the case,
to the final two cars, which are the two full season entries for Vista A, of course, the 54 car
and the 21 car. Let's talk about the 54 first. That is Francesco Castellacci with WD Rigauna
and Thomas Fleur. For me, Thomas has just not looked to have hit the track running this season.
It finished last season with a big accident with Jensen Button, of all people, at Bahrain. And this
year does not seem to have got either the speed or the consistency we've come to expect of him.
Yeah, zero points on the board through two races is not where you want to be when you're preparing
for the biggest race of the season. What we have often seen with this car is it's taken most of the
season to get warmed up and there's common strong when it's almost a bit too late. Usually in that
car just wins at Fuji every time. But you're quite right. Thomas Fleur doesn't quite look himself.
As you say, the bronze driver is incredibly important in this format and this formula.
And so there's going to be a lot of pressure on him if they are going to get a good result
to make sure that he can at least keep within shouting distance of the main pack. Because
right now, if you're going off form from what we've seen so far this year, you're not going to
expect them to see them starting high up the grid and you're not going to expect to see them
running up the front early in the race. So yeah, interesting to see if it all turns around for
them here. And I hope it does because Thomas is a lovely guy and he does put a lot of effort into
his racing but does seem to have struck on a bit. I remember with the hyper pole format, it is going
to be on Thomas to see if they get to that top 10. And I have to tell you with the current form book
he's not going to be in that top 10, which means you're going to be much further down
with a 25 car grid. Let's wait and see. I hope he can find his form. I hope he can find his happy
place because a happy Thomas Fleur is a delight to see. But Francesca, Gastonacci and Davide
Regon operate well together. But I suspect they're going to be the least, the less pacey of the two
Vistera, of course, are cars. The 21 car though with Francois Haryo, there's a pocket rocket,
Simon Mann, who is increasingly impressive in that car. And Alessio Rivera, I think for most people,
a man that's looking likely to be given a chance in the hypercar by Ferrari sooner rather than later.
That car, I'd expect to be potentially quite significantly competitive
with the other cars around them. And potentially alongside maybe the 74 castle car, the most front
running of the front running Ferraris. Yeah, they've had quite a sort of quiet, but solid start to the
year. Two strong points finishes, finish just off the podium from right, it's bar and fourth.
So they come into this race with a bit of confidence that they have got consistency and speed. But
yeah, it's just going to be a bar fight, isn't it, a race like this. And what I would say is for
that car, I'd want a left, you're a Vera on my team, certainly, when the going gets tough
late in the race, especially if it's a hot one. Absolutely. Should mention by the way that Ferrari
is first the cars we've mentioned so far with an EVO upgrade for 2026. And
the morning is a very different challenge, but certainly the surface ability of that car should
have improved in some regards, with one exception. I think you sniffed out something about the
changes they've made to the underfloor for that car means that the rear clip is now not quite as
one piece as it used to be. No, correct. So yeah, you used to be able to basically take
everything from the driver's seat back directly off the car and just mount a new clip on.
Yeah, it looks like with the way that the car has been slightly redesigned, that's not as quick
and easy as possible to do at a pit stop anymore. So yeah, definitely think I want to be looking
at mirrors a little bit more. If it gets chaotic, you don't want to get rear-ended by anyone because
it won't be pretty. Well, that's for manufacturers done with Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette and Ferrari.
We stay with the Fs because F is also a course for Ford and the Mustang GT3, the second of the
cars with an Evo. It's quite a big evolution for the Mustang GT3. Ford has had some success at
along with that earlier package, car on the podium at the 24 hours of the morning. It's a format that
does seem to work. The big Coyote V8, herring down the main, the big straights, has tended to be a
kind of a happy hunting round for them. Just the two cars from the FI World Endurance Championship
to talk about here with, let's talk about the 77 car first. That is Seprio, who is bound next year
for Ford's hypercar effort, Bentuck, the Silver and a great signing for Ford for that one. And
another new name as a bronze, Eric Powell. Now, I think definitely a star to come in this. There
was one sign that maybe Eric may need a little bit more time and that came with an astonishing run to
the front at Spa, but then a telling mistake, Stephen. Yeah, I just went off the track, didn't he?
Bind it from the lead and essentially dropped that car immediately out of contention way too early in
that race. It would have been a really interesting run, I'm sure, from that car because it looked
quick or weak. So he'll want to make up for that error because it didn't. Yeah, he won't have got
a round of applause in the garage for that one. But if you're going to make a mistake like that,
better to get it out of the way before you get to Le Mans. And the signs are that he's got the speed
that a race like this with the 12 punch of Bentuck and Cent Priot. This could be a car that
features, like you say, the Ford has had success. Didn't last year though, wasn't anywhere close to
the front, but that was with the old package. But they did get that podium in the first year,
kind of almost out of nowhere. But I want to see more. The Proton Ford effort hasn't delivered
what you'd expect on paper from Proton plus Ford in WC terms. What a place to do it when you've got
so much going on in the background. And I'm sure we're going to hear some news from Ford during
the week about the way their hypercar program is progressing and what the driver roster looks like.
There's a lot of buzz around Ford in sports car racing right now. So for them to get a big result
at Le Mans with the Bustin GT3 would kind of come at the perfect and perfect time.
Well, let's talk about the 88 car. Before we do that, though, I will say there is one change that
we've seen in the rule book in the last year or so that I don't like. And that is that you won't be
able to hear the rumble of those Fords and the way that you and I, I think we'd love to hear the sound
of freedom. The the quietening of those LM GT3 cars. I think you know me well enough to know that
if I disagree with the populist view, I'll say so. But I absolutely agree that I think reeling in the
sound of those cars has been a negative for the experience of endurance racing fans around the
world and none less so at the 24 hours of Le Mans where we we love to hear the GT cars. We love to
hear difference and it's not just the the volume. It's the quality of the sound and
I'm picking Ford to make this point because in particular that's always been one of the real
pluses of that package. Yeah, I completely agree. And it's almost odd that you go to these WC races
and they have the big banners don't they up around the sort of fencing around the fan area saying
pure sound, pure emotion, pure sound. Yeah. Well, we'll wait and see. Let's let's talk about the
88 car and with Stefano Gattuso, Gianmarco Leverato and Logan Sargent with the exception of Logan,
there may not be the best known names but that for me is a car that we could see something from
across the the full race distance. Logan, of course, X4 Formula One star, he's another one bound for
the hypercar program. But is racing with pride racing, moving forward with a bit of a rebirth in
his career. And with the two guys alongside him, that could be quite a capable package.
Yeah, and they'll be highly motivated to follow and Gianmarco to get something out of this race
because last year was so bitterly disappointed for them. They were first retirement after just 46 laps,
didn't go well for them at all when they had Dennis Olsen as the third driver. So, yeah,
there's nothing to motivate you more when you're coming to a race like Le Mans than having a bad
result from previous year that you've had an entire 365 days to stew on. Well, okay, let's move on to
another two car effort for a manufacturer. It's Lexus. Lexus seemed to have two sorts of races,
races where they are absolutely outstanding with the RCF GT3 and races where it's beyond
disastrous. It's actually, you know what, not unlike the Ford Mustang effort. Now, unlike the Ford
Mustang, which is still a relatively new car, this is the grand old lady of the LM GT3 package,
car that we don't expect to be back in WC service next year. We expect that to be the new Toyota.
But in its final year, it shows potential to be something of a dominant force.
As a platform, it's a bit similar to the Ford as well in the sense that it is a rumbling car that
just flies down the Alson straight and gains a lot. If the car setup's right, can gain a lot from
top end speed. It suits the track very nicely. We saw that all the way back to the first year
that the Kodas ASP had the platform. It was a pretty miserable year from start to finish
that first year that they brought Lexus in there. But Le Mans was one of those rare exceptions where
they actually looked capable of delivering something. I expect them to be there and there
about in hyperpol. Let's talk about the eight to seven car first with Jose Rario Lopez, a previous
overall race winner of course, Stenny Schmitz and Raslan Umarescu. That's proved to be
quite a capable trio with the 87 car. The 78 car meanwhile with Adrian David, Tom Van Rompuy
and Jack Hawksworth. For me, that's probably the car I would expect to be further forward. David,
we've seen how quick he's been in a junior prototype form. Tom Van Rompuy has performed
previously very well with TF Sports and the Corvette. Jack Hawksworth is a high quality
factory driver. Talk to me, Stephen, about the two squads. Yeah, I honestly don't think there's that
much between them. Like you say, I think 78 probably has a little bit more sa power and you've got that
Jack Hawksworth factor because he's been so strong with Vasa Sullivan and fought in a really,
really competitive GTD and GTD Profield with this car. So he knows what it takes to win big races
and he has raced Le Mans with the team and he's had some late call-ups in the past to be sort of
thrown into this event with the team. He knows them well. So yeah, both lineups strong enough to get
a result here. It's just over the course of a 24 hour race. It is going to be tough for them and
this car. But I just wouldn't want to put anything past like your own Polycon and his team. Like through
the years, they've always shown that if they've got a platform, no matter what it is, they're going
to get the most out of it. And it is a home race for them. So there's that additional motivation
there. But like you say, it's just been such a roller coaster season. You know, I'm looking at the
age seven and the point standings retired from Imola finished six foot, six foot spar and the 78,
14 foot Imola retired from spar. If it's going to turn round, there's double points off for this
race. And the championship standings will improve for them if they do.
Needs me right now, doesn't it? Let's move forward to the seventh in our list of nine
alphabetically. And that is McLaren. Now, what a season. We've seen just the two cars. It's the
Garry's 59 pair that will be here. Garry's 59 have featured in the on the grid for them on
the track. And they took over an entry. It's an odd year. They ran with a Ferrari that had earned
its way forward with inception racing. But this is the first year under their own banner. They are
full season FIWC entries look to be cruising to an impressive win on debut at Imola before
an alternator failure and then came up with the goods at spar with second time outs.
Stephen, let's talk about the two cars. The number 10 car has been the car to the four with
Antares Al. We're talking about Antares a moment. Tom Fleming, the extremely talented young Brit
silver driver Marvin Kitchoffer. We know, of course, well, and is of high factory quality.
In the 58 car, finger sits moves over from oddly enough from Lexus with Benjigerta and Alex West,
the team co owner and bronze driver. Let's talk about the 58 first.
Yeah, 58 for me, one of the big pleasant surprises so far in this season has been Benjigerta.
So I don't watch as much as you do. Well challenge Europe because there are so many clashes as I'd
like. And you know, by all measures, been pretty good there. But this is the first time I've had a
proper look at what you can do in a GT kind of sport. Spy in particular, he was incredibly strong.
Fingers is as well. Last year with the Lexus team is one of the quickest pedals they had
across both crews. So the two of them are quite an exciting prospect. The question mark is going
to be Alex West here. He's new to the formula still. He knows the car very well, though,
knows the team, obviously being a key part of that entire setup.
Haven't seen the best of him yet in WC competition. What I will say is that that car,
certainly its bar, did look to take a step from where it was at Imola. I think they can have,
they can have, if it stays reliable, and this is the thing with both of them is that the McLaren,
as a whole, I would say as a package, is probably if you were going to pick one for a 24 hour race,
it's not probably top of the list or maybe even in the top three. It's always lacked
that reliability over the longer races and often that's been its downfall. If
Gage 59 can get both cars to the finish, it's fault free, then there's no reason that they can't be
in with a shout here because they've shown that even though they're new to this type of race,
and they're new to WC, ACO racing, not entirely because they did do a brief stint at
Le Mans, and they're a few years back with Ferrari, but certainly new to this formula. If they can get
the most out of this package, they can get a result here, but the question mark for me is the car.
So, yeah, 58. I'm excited to see. I think it's going to be quite an interesting one. Of course,
they're going to want to win Le Mans, and I think you'll see the number 10 in amongst it without
without a doubt. Of course, with Le Mans, it is double points and you only get points for finishing.
And with the number 10 in a strong position, a strengthening position for the championship,
it'll be interesting to see if they're not in a position to push to the front,
whether or not they might run a conservative race in the second part of the 24 hours of Le Mans.
One thing that is worth pointing out with on that front, Graham, is the fact that they're not
penalized like you would be in other WC rounds for winning a race. So, normally, you would have
success ballast applied to a car, the maximum success ballast for winning the previous race.
At Le Mans, there is no success ballast. So, that's one of the things to mention is that you can carry
over momentum race to race when it comes to Le Mans because you're not carrying an extra
3550 kilos. Yeah, I think that's a very good point. I'd agree with you as well. I mean, the McLaren,
it's a fabulous GT3 car, but it does have that spectre hanging over it of, you know, the cartoon
Anvil that all too often comes into it. Tell you right now, when we get to talking about
the 1, 2, 3, were it not for that, I'll tell you right now, I'd be talking about the number
10 being potential winner, but I probably won't be. And that is something that you and I know,
we've sat down with George Osana at McLaren Motorsport talking about the issues. He's fully
well aware of that. He, with his senior team, including Rob Bill around him, know that that is
the biggest thing they've got to deal with now. And as they move towards the next GT3 platform,
what do I expect? I think the number 10 car is going to be in the mix for Pol.
And I think the number 10 car is going to be in the mix for the lead in the early stages.
And then we're into the lap of the gods. What is the Le Mans 24 hours going to throw an ask,
throw at an ask from that team? I think garage 59 are going to make some friends at Le Mans in terms
of the way they go racing. There will certainly be a following for McLaren as always is.
And let's wait and see what happens come the middle of the afternoon on Sunday.
That's McLaren. That's number 72 more to go. And the first of them is another with
an additional car. That's Mercedes AMG and I'm links. The three cars are the two cars, of course,
from the FI World and Jones Championship. And a third car, which is the team Qatar by
iron links, the 62 car for Juliano Lacy, yet another that's this is a point to raise, by the way,
second generation racer, Julian Hanses and Abdullah Al-Qalifi, who has been
mesmerically good in qualifying and then into the race as a bronze. You know, how much longer he
can remain a bronze is beginning to be a question. But he's a very quick bronze indeed. Now zero
doubts. He's got the capability of showing well at the start of this race at the very least. So
let's talk about that 62 car. Yeah, I mean, is it fair to consider Abdullah the sort of Georgia
roader of GT three or GT three? I mean, I was watching him in Asian Le Mans was and that was
the first time I'd encountered him over the winter. I was highly impressed. But he does look like a
complete package. And for that reason, you could make the case, I'd say that that car could be
up there of the free could potentially be the one that finishes highest up the order.
Yeah, the question mark is over the other drivers and Juliano Lacy bringing another famous
family name into this one. We've had already already talked about a portrays of me and a barrakello.
Juliano as well, done a lot of racing in Japan. So for anyone who's like, I didn't know he existed.
Well, that's because he's raced a lot over on the other side of the world, part of that racing
community. So yeah, interested to see how he he gets on in what, you know, for any rookies. It's
just it's a really tough event. And it kind of separates the the men from the boys, just in
it in terms of how high the pressure can be. Well, let's talk about the other two cars. And they are
the 61 Rui Andrade, Martin Berry, Maxine Martin. That is an eye catching squad. And the 79,
Matterri Cressoni, Lin Hedinius, and your Hannah Selga. Talk about 79 first. Matterri Cressoni
didn't didn't show his best at Spa at that. Ron almost off track and then trying to stay on track
was the hapless spinner collected by poor old Melty Jacobson. Lin Hedinius, I think is looking
good as a Sylvia Hannah Selga is, you know, an increasingly strong bronze. Expect that to be
a car that runs for a finish. I'll be blunt for 79. The 62, though, sorry, excuse me, the 61 Rui Andrade,
we know is a very capable driver indeed. Martin Berry, another emerging bronze talent, and seems
to like this Mercedes-AMG platform. And Maxine Martin will be Maxine Martin. I expect that car
to be another strong contender. If that's Mercedes-AMG arrives in competitive form, has got a decent BOP,
if they can run with luck, I expect them to be running close to the front.
Yeah, it's just we're just kind of still waiting, aren't we? I mean, it's not this time last year,
it was all very new. The Iron Links Mercedes-AMG partnership and Mercedes-AMG as a whole being
the IMGT-3 was just it all came together very late. And then you just thought, yeah, not making
up the grid is unkind. But at that point, it was just too early to expect a big result. A year later,
still waiting to see what they could do in LMGT-3 terms. We know that Iron Links is an
organization that can win races and titles. They have shown form in LMGT-3 competition in ELMS.
But through two races to start the season, neither Iron Links and MG has made an impact. Now, that
doesn't necessarily mean it will carry on to them on that form at all. But again, a bit like what we're
saying with Proton and the Ford program on paper looks like a marriage made in heaven. And Mercedes-AMG
GT-3 is an astonishing car. You know, everywhere you look and it's still it's an old one of the
older cars in the field now, but well, like these weeks and it won the Nurburgring 24 hours,
didn't it? Yeah, so it's a rapid car. Yeah, likely it's last offering here at the 25 hours of the
moment with a brand new car set to take the track in 2027. We do expect that car to be
looking to earn slots in the FIWC in its first season. Let's move on then to the final manufacturer.
And the only two cars from this manufacturer on the grid as a whole, that's an incredible thing to
be saying is Porsche. They come, Stephen, to this race on beaten in the GT-3 in the two years prior.
It is the two cars put together by Monti, Monti, Dek engineering, 91 car for Timer
Bogaclowski, James Kottingham and ancient guvant. And then the number 92 Bend Monti car,
Richie Leeds, Ricky Perra and Yasser Shaheen. Where do you want to start with that pair?
Should we start with the 92 because they are the leaders in the GT-3 championship in WC.
I mean, both are really just outstanding lineups and Mantyne LMGT-3 with that car is just a lethal
combination. Well, Yasser Shaheen moved to this effort in search of consistency and speed. I think
they found it there. There's a huge amount of pressure on him. We've talked about a number of
exciting new prospects in bronze. Yasser has got to find his place in that pecking order.
Ricky Perra, still there's a silver and I think he would agree, lucky to still be a silver.
He is one of the strongest. He is rapid. And then Richie Leeds is just the Swiss army knife of
racing drivers. I love Richie Leeds. I love his attacking style. I love his attitude to life and
to his racing. And boy, oh boy, if you were leading a race, the last person you'd like to see
you marry is Richie Leeds because you know he's got it. Because he's got four. He's won the race six
times. Is it? Six times is great. Yeah, it's nuts. That, I think, right there, you can't look past the
92 car as being a prospect to be there at the end. So I think that one right there is one that we'll
certainly be talking about in the final section of this podcast, which is who's going to be in the
top three. The 91. James Cottingham, epic in the McLaren with United Order sports. Sort of a surprise
to me that he made the move to Porsche. Timer Bogoslowski can be good Timor or bad Timor.
Can have fantastic form and then can
maybe unimpressed, you know, with his ability to attack or defend. Unchunguvan, a properly exciting
talent. No doubt about it. DTM champion in the most traumatic of circumstances. But this is a very,
very different Kettler fish. I expect him to be on the hunt when he's aboard. Expect James Cottingham
to be in the mix with the leading pack of bronze drivers. It's going to be interesting to see which
Timer Bogoslowski we get. What do we think about the 91? Yeah, it's a again, it's a strong line-up.
Perhaps not quite as well-rounded as the 92, but not by much. I mean, like you say, James
Cottingham, it was an interesting move for him, but he does seem to suit the car very nicely.
And Timer Bogoslowski spent some time with him. Seems to be a nice chap. But I get the impression
that he's one of these drivers who when the team atmosphere is good, when the car's got good prospects,
when they're in the mix, he turns it on and he's at his best. When things are not going so well,
we often see him either disappear or, you know, he's just not as much of a factor as you'd like.
For a hot silver with someone with as much speed as he's got. But then, yeah, he's talking about
Inchen Guven and he's a bad first 12-hour winner. That for me is enough to say you can go in and
win a race like this. He's a DTM champion. He's finished second at the Nurburgring 24 hours twice.
He's an absolute Porsche superstar. And, you know, there aren't many, you know, there's only two full
proceeds for Porsche drivers in a Porsche this year at Le Mans, which is just, like you say,
remarkable. And it's just going to be so strange that there won't be a train of them at Le Mans
for the first time, certainly in my memory. There's always been at least sort of 56
But he thoroughly deserves to have that opportunity to represent Porsche in a race that means so much
to that brand. So, yeah, fully expect him to be red hot at the end of this one if the car's still
in the mix. Here's where it gets tough. I need three numbers. Your picks for the three, top three
in LMGT3, be warned. We're going to ask you for one of them. You think it's going to win it?
Team Tarky racing, racing team Tarky. You think so?
74 Corvette. Yep. 27 heart racing. Okay. And the 92 Ben Manty.
Well, I can tell you that two of those three are wrong. So we'll pull up. I do agree with you
with the 92 car, but I think the 74 Kessel Ferrari and the 33 Corvette, oddly enough, the Ben Keating
effort, I think, get a bit of top three. And who are you going to go for for the win, Stephen Kilby?
I'm going to go for the heart of racing and the 27 car. It's a bold call and the likes of Ian
James, you know, it hasn't gone as well as they hope to this race. It wasn't that long ago. We
saw that car have that horrendous accident, wasn't it? Indianapolis a couple of years back.
But they were in the mix. Indianapolis at Le Morte, upside down. Yes. Yes.
Good effort, Ian. Good effort. Great effort. But yeah, I think this could be the year that we
see the best that car. I do rate the Vantage the new Vantage. I think it's a cracking car. And
after seeing them last year and last year's race finish fourth, this feels like a lineup that could
go perhaps one better and end up on that podium and fight in the top step. I was tempted to say
the 92 Porsche. But the sportsmen would like Porsche not to come out this race with a third
back to back win. And I'm going to go for a squad that I properly rate. I've been really
impressed every single time I've seen them hit the track. And I'm going to go for the 74
Kessel Racing Ferrari. Oh, to not take a wet car. But I like it. Yeah, I think that has got real
prospects here. A lot hanging on the abilities, particularly of Dennis Marshall and Dustin
Blackman. And I think Dustin, if he arrives with his A game, it's going to turn some heads massively.
Come a couple of weekends time as we're recording this one. But we're both going to be wrong because
Manthey are just going to come and obliterate everyone like they do. That's it. Just over an hour,
by the way, to get through those 25 cars. If you're following them on on TV with the
Weck TV plus app or your trackside, do pick a couple from the LMGT3
field. Follow it on live timing. You will become entranced by the fact that it is going to be so
close. And there's going to be some fantastic battles. And those battles develop as well.
You know, these cars operate so very differently on the tires and the energy from each other.
And there's such a wide variety of skill levels to bring to the to the mix as well.
It's a race with real ebb and flow. So do do recommend keeping an eye on LMGT3. For now,
thanks for that, Stephen, with this one of our three roundups of the prospects, the runners,
the riders and the prospects for the 24 hours of Lamont in 2026.
Catch up to with the shows we're going to be doing for LMP2 and of course for the hypercar
field. For now, though, this has been me, Graham Goodwin, him, Stephen Kilby, with the backing and
the assistance as always of the Justice Brothers and Toronto Motorsports.com. This has been the
weekend sports cars, Lamont preview for LMGT3, part of the Marshall Pruitt podcast series.
And we'll be with you, well, whenever you download the other two on your run to Lamont,
or as you put together your watch party, the 24 hours of Lamont 2026.
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