Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta’s pit lane will be filled to capacity for the Motul Petit Le Mans, as 54 entries are slated to contest the 10-hour endurance race that serves as the season finale for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Beyond the full-season entries, that includes 12 teams contesting the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds.
With each team adding a third driver for the race, there are some interesting additions in the GTP class, including 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button joining Tijmen van der Helm and Mike Rockenfeller, Button’s partner in the NASCAR Garage 56 Le Mans entry, in the JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963. Porsche Penske Motorsports drafts from both its WEC squad – Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 6 963 as Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet go for the championship – and its IndyCar ranks, with Josef Newgarden joining Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasr in the No. 7.
Other IndyCar Series drivers joining their teams’ sports car efforts include Scott Dixon teaming with Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing, and Helio Castroneves once again jumping into the Meyer Shank Racing (2022 race winner) Acura ARX-06 with Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist, who will be contesting his final sports car race for the foreseeable future as he becomes and IndyCar Series driver for 2024.
Two drivers who become full-timers next year are back in their team’s cars as they have been for all the IMEC races so far. Jack Aitken will become Pipo Derani’s full-time co-driver next season, but for Petit Le Mans he will once again serve as the addition to Derani and Alexander Sims as they attempt to win another title for Whelen Engineering Cadillac Racing. Louis Deletraz will join Jordan Taylor in the second Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Acura ARX-06 next season, but for this race he’ll by trying to help propel Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque to the championship. BMW M Team RLL is pulling in a couple of BMW factory shoes, Marco Wittmann (No. 24 M Hybrid V8) and Sheldon van der Linde (No. 25). Proton Competition reunites its WEC squad; Neel Jani joining Harry Tincknell and Gianmaria Bruni in the No. 59 Porsche 963.