Update
The press release from the team has been withdrawn, after it was pointed out to them, that it’s NOT allowed to replace another team completely. The status of the d project is currently unknown.
Formula Racing will do the 24 Hours of Le Mans after all in 2024.
The Danish outfit has bought the entry of Spirit of Race, which is another Ferrari team, who already was given the entry to the classic race. So they won’t be racing under their own name, since the change of team names isn’t allowed, once you are on the entry list.
Johnny and Conrad Laursen are two of the three drivers on the car, with the third driver still to be revealed. The father and son combination share the Ferrari 296 LMGT3 in the European Le Mans Series with Ferrari Works driver Nicklas Nielsen – but he will be racing the 499P version in the Hypercar category, which is his full season job in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The Laursen combo was running in ELMS 2023 too, and at the single round that Nielsen wasn’t able to participate in, they called in Mikkel Mac.
Formula Racing has had one previous start at Le Mans, which was back in 2016, after winning the ELMS title in 2015, and therefore receiving an automatic invite. They didn’t make it straight onto the 2024 entry list, but was put in as a 5th reserve.
The team got the best possible start to 2024, by winning the opening round of ELMS at Circuit de Barcelona- Catalunya, just two weeks ago.
Photo: JJ Media
If we look at it from the Spirit of Race angle, who is one of their season-long ELMS rivals, it is kinda strange to say no-thanks to an entry for the 24 hours race. And it’s not the first time that they do so. The green Ferrari with Duncan Cameron, Matt Griffen, and more recently joined by David Perel, has been running at the 24 hours race before, and the years where they weren’t selected, they were not too chuffed about that, having supported the ELMS for many years. But as previous mentioned, they have indeed turned their entry down before, but that year it went on to a team on the reserves list, opposite to handing their name over to another team this year.
And when you think about that, it could potentially be the final time that we see the green Ferrari invited straight into the big race. With so many teams wanting to do the race, and only 62 slots available, it is really tough to actually get on the list, unless you have an automatic invitation – and then to say no… Don’t be surprised if LMEM and ACO will hand out the ticket to somebody else, if Spirit of Race actually put in an entry for the 2025 race.
The 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be run on 15-16 June 2024.
