11/19/2009 Written by: John Dagys
Chicago, IL The Automobile Club de l’Ouest made the first step in the road to the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours Thursday, releasing the list of automatic invitations to next year’s twice-around-the-clock classic. Twenty-nine teams have been invited due to their success in various sportscar championships this year.
Peugeot gained three auto invites in total, two from its 1-2 finish at Le Mans last June, and one for its Petit Le Mans victory. (LAT) » More Photos
Team Peugeot Total heads the list with two invites, thanks to their 1-2 finish in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The top two finishers in each category last June will have a chance to repeat their fortunes. Class champions in the American Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series also gained entries, as did the top two in the Le Mans Series (plus Michelin Green X Challenge champion) and FIA GT Championship. Teams victorious at the Petit Le Mans were also rewarded entries, but the LMP2 winner is unmistakeably absent from the list.
Dyson Racing scored the P2 win in the rain-shortened enduro at Road Atlanta, but doesn’t gain an automatic entry due to running a 2008-spec rear wing. While given a choice to run the full-size wing from last year or the narrower LMP1-style design, all P2 teams opted for the former, which is no longer legal in Europe. However, questions remain as class champions Lowe’s Fernandez Racing, which ran a 2008-spec rear wing all season, did receive an invite.
Another oddity comes with the Le Mans Series invitations, with GT1 class runner-ups Larbre Competition also not being awarded an entry because it missed one of the five rounds.
It’s expected the majority of the 29 entries will be taken up, with the exception of the now-defunct Lowe’s Fernandez Racing, and GT1 teams such as Corvette Racing, which has moved to the GT2 ranks. Teams not on the list will complete 55-car grid by submitting entry requests between Dec. 21 and Jan. 20, 2010. The final list is usually published sometime in February.
2009 24 HEURES DU MANS
LMP1 : PEUGEOT SPORT TOTAL (Peugeot 908 HDI-FAP)
LMP1 : TEAM PEUGEOT TOTAL (Peugeot 908 HDI-FAP)
LMP2 : TEAM ESSEX (Porsche RS Spyder)
LMP2 : SPEEDY RACING SEBAH (Lola Judd)
GT1 : CORVETTE RACING (Corvette C6-R)
GT1 : LUC ALPHAND AVENTURES (Corvette C6-R)
GT2 : RISI COMPETIZIONE (Ferrari F 430 GT)
GT2 : BMS SCUDERIA ITALIA (Ferrari F 430 GT)
2009 AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
LMP1 : PATRÓN HIGHCROFT RACING (Acura ARX-02a)
LMP2 : LOWE’S FERNANDEZ RACING (Acura ARX-01b)
GT2 : FLYING LIZARD MOTORSPORTS (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
2009 PETIT LE MANS
LMP1 : PEUGEOT SPORT TOTAL (Peugeot 908 HDI-FAP)
GT2 : RISI COMPETIZIONE (Ferrari F 430 GT)
2009 LE MANS SERIES
LMP1 : ASTON MARTIN RACING (Lola-Aston Martin B 09/60)
LMP1 : PESCAROLO SPORT (Pescarolo-Judd)
LMP2 : QUIFEL ASM TEAM (Ginetta-Zytek)
LMP2 : SPEEDY RACING TEAM SEBAH (Lola Judd)
GT1 : LUC ALPHAND AVENTURES (Corvette C6-R)
GT2 : TEAM FELBERMAYER-PROTON (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
GT2 : JMW MOTORSPORT (Ferrari F 430 GT)
2009 MICHELIN GREEN X CHALLENGE
LMP2 : SPEEDY RACING TEAM SEBAH (Lola-Judd)
2009 FIA GT Championship
GT1 : VITAPHONE RACING TEAM (Maserati MC 12)
GT1 : PEKA RACING (Corvette Z06)
GT2 : AF CORSE (Ferrari F 430 GT)
GT2 : PROSPEED COMPETITION (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
2009 ASIAN LE MANS SERIES
LMP1 : SORA RACING (Pescarolo-Judd)
LMP2 : OAK RACING (Pescarolo-Mazda)
GT1 : JLOC (Lamborghini Murcielago)
GT2 : HANKOOK TEAM FARNBACHER (Ferrari F 430 GT)
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