Each Hypercar and GTP driver racing in Le Mans 24 Hours’ LMP2 class

There isn’t a scarcity of expertise within the LMP2 class at this 12 months’s Le Mans 24 Hours, with a number of Hypercar/GTP drivers stepping right down to the intermediate class. A complete of 19 Oreca 07s are entered in LMP2, with 10 of these competing within the Professional-Am sub-class.

Whereas LMP2 has all the time boasted some huge names through the years, quite a lot of components have led to a good larger inflow of star expertise. Porsche’s exit from the Hypercar class is the single-biggest contributing issue, leaving various manufacturing unit drivers with out top-class seats.  However many outstanding drivers from IMSA have additionally jumped on the chance to participate within the largest endurance race of the 12 months, including to the depth of the sector.

Here’s a have a look at all of the drivers with Hypercar/GTP expertise racing within the LMP2 class at Le Mans.

Renger van der Zande

#22 United Autosports Oreca 07 – Gibson: Renger Van Der Zande

Picture by: Alexander Trienitz

Crew: DKR Engineering
Finest Le Mans outcome: 4th (Hypercar)

Renger van der Zande might be making his ninth successive look at Le Mans this 12 months, representing DKR Engineering alongside John Farano and Sebastian Alvarez. The Dutchman brings a wealth of prototype expertise, notably from the IMSA SportsCar Championship, and his CV contains two outright victories on the Daytona 24 Hours with Cadillac. 

Van der Zande hasn’t loved a lot success at Le Mans however might be hoping for a greater outcome this time round as he chases a brand new full-season programme for 2027 following Acura’s resolution to pause its GTP programme.

Laurin Heinrich

#5 JDC-Miller MotorSports: Tijmen van der Helm, Laurin Heinrich

Picture by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen by way of Getty Photographs

Crew: CrowdStrike Racing by APR
Finest Le Mans outcome: N/A

Laurin Heinrich might be making his Le Mans debut with CrowdStrike by APR, sharing the staff’s Professional-Am-entered Oreca 07 with George Kurtz and Alex Quinn. After a baptism of fireside in final 12 months’s WEC finale in Bahrain, the place he changed Michael Christensen, Heinrich has starred aboard the Porsche 963 in IMSA, successful Daytona and Sebring races with PPM earlier than registering one other GTP victory with JDC-Miller at Laguna Seca.

Porsche is probably not competing for outright honours at Le Mans this 12 months, however Heinrich is among the a number of drivers flying the flag for the German model within the intermediate class.

Kakunoshin Ohta

Kakunoshin Ohta, DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING

Picture by: Masahide Kamio

Honda driver Kakunoshin Ohta will contest Le Mans for the primary time this 12 months, sharing an Oreca 07 entered by Proton Competitors with Jonas Ried and Harry King.

Ohta has a restricted background in top-class prototype racing, having made lower than a handful of outings with Acura within the 2025 IMSA season. As a substitute, he might be relying on his expertise in Japan, the place he has gained a number of Tremendous Formulation races and completed on the rostrum in Tremendous GT.

Kevin Estre

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre

Picture by: Alexander Trienitz

Crew: TDS Racing
Finest Le Mans outcome: 2nd (Hypercar), 1st (GTE Professional)

Kevin Estre is definitely one of many largest sights on this 12 months’s LMP2 grid. The Porsche star will be a part of TDS Racing, racing its sole Professional-Am entry alongside Mathias Beche and Tobias Lutke.

Identified for his one-lap tempo and supreme racecraft, Estre’s first foray into the LMP2 class since 2015 comes within the wake of Porsche’s departure from the WEC – and indicators his need to battle for an outright Le Mans win once more.

Mikkel Jensen

Mikkel Jensen, McLaren

Picture by: McLaren

Crew: United Autosports
Finest Le Mans outcome: eighth (Hypercar)

Mikkel Jensen continues his preparations for McLaren’s upcoming Hypercar programme with an LMP2 outing at Le Mans. The Dane will be a part of fellow Scandinavian Rasmus Lindh and ELMS race winner Grogoire Saucy aboard United Autosports’ #22 Oreca. 

Though greatest identified for his time with Peugeot, Jensen has loads of expertise within the LMP2 ranks, together with a title within the IMSA SportsCar Championship and race wins within the ELMS.

Julien Andlauer

#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Julien Andlauer

Picture by: FIAWEC – DPPI

Crew: Duquenie Crew
Finest Le Mans outcome: 1st (GTE Am), sixth (Hypercar)

Rising star Julien Andlauer will be a part of fellow Porsche drivers Heinrich and Estre in contesting Le Mans’ LMP2 class on an impartial foundation. Along with Doriane Pin and Richard Verschoor in Duqueine’s #30 entry, Andlauer will type the most effective driver line-ups within the class.

Though Andlauer made his identify in GT and GTP courses with Porsche, the Frenchman has some background within the LMP2 formulation, having contested two seasons of the Asian Le Mans Collection.

Tom Dillmann

#43 Inter Europol Competitors Oreca 07 – Gibson: Jakub Smiechowski, Tom Dillmann, Nick Yelloly

Picture by: Rainier Ehrhardt

Crew: Inter Europol
Finest Le Mans outcome: 1st (LMP2)

Tom Dillmann might be aiming to defend his LMP2 crown as he reunites with Jakub Smiechowski and Nick Yelloly at Inter Europol.

The Frenchman bought restricted outcomes when he raced within the WEC’s prime class with ByKolles/Vanwall, however has made his mark since stepping again to the LMP2 division. In 2024, he claimed the LMP2 title in IMSA, earlier than following that with a runner-up outcome within the ELMS final 12 months.

Nick Yelloly

Podium LMP2: Race winner #43 Inter Europol Competitors Oreca 07 – Gibson: Jakub Smiechowski, Tom Dillmann, Nick Yelloly

Picture by: Alexander Trienitz

Crew: Inter Europol
Finest Le Mans outcome: 1st (LMP2)

Inter Europol’s LMP2 line-up additionally boasts GTP race winner Nick Yelloly. The Briton has been a daily in IMSA’s prime class since 2023, first with BMW and now with Acura.

Extra lately, he has additionally been dabbling in LMP2 racing, and his current exploits with Inter Europol have proved massively profitable.

Romain Dumas

#236 RD Restricted Ford: Romain Dumas

Picture by: A.S.O.

Crew: RD Restricted
Finest Le Mans outcome: 1st (LMP1)

Romain Dumas returns to Le Mans after a two-year hiatus along with his self-entered RD Restricted staff.

The veteran Frenchman brings with him a powerful CV that features two outright wins at Le Mans, the outright Pikes Peak file and even off-road expertise on the Dakar Rally.

He was a key member of Glickenhaus’ Hypercar effort with the SCG 007 and has expertise in earlier LMP2 equipment, most notably the Porsche RS Spyder.

Tristan Vautier

#37 CLX Pure Rxcing Oreca 07 – Gibson: Tristan Vautier

Picture by: Marc Fleury

Crew: RD Restricted
Finest Le Mans outcome: twenty sixth (LMP2)

Tristan Vautier will staff up with Dumas and Fred Poordad in RD Restricted’s Professional-Am-entered Oreca.

The Frenchman has spent a lot of his prototype profession in America, racing with groups like Motion Categorical and JDC-Miller in DPi/GTP. Nevertheless, he additionally contested the second half of the 2023 WEC with Vanwall and made three Le Mans appearances in prototype equipment. 

Dane Cameron

#199 AO by TF Oreca 07 – Gibson: PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron, Louis Deletraz

Picture by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Picture

Crew: AO by TF
Finest Le Mans outcome: 1st (LMP2 Professional-Am)

Dane Cameron is definitely probably the most profitable drivers on the LMP2 grid, having gained three general IMSA titles with as many various producers (Cadillac, Acura and Porsche).

He additionally loved a massively profitable 12 months in LMP2 with AO Racing final 12 months, successful class titles in IMSA and ELMS, and the Professional-Am sub-category at Le Mans. This 12 months, he’ll staff up with tech billionaire PJ Hyett and James Allen.

Matthieu Vaxiviere

#183 AF Corse Oreca 07 – Gibson: Matthieu Vaxiviere

Picture by: Alexander Trienitz

Crew: AF Corse
Finest Le Mans outcome: third (Hypercar)

Matthieu Vaxiviere loved a protracted affiliation with Alpine which noticed him end third general at Le Mans in 2021.

However following his cut up with the Renault model on the finish of 2024, Vaxiviere has been devoting extra time to his commitments with AF Corse within the LMP2 class.

This 12 months, he’ll be a part of gentleman driver Francois Perrodo and manufacturing unit Lexus driver Ben Barnicoat in an Oreca 07 entered within the Professional-Am sub-division.

Nico Muller

#93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Nico Muller

Picture by: Andreas Beil

Crew: Inter Europol
Finest Le Mans outcome: twelfth (Hypercar)

After lacking Le Mans final 12 months, Nico Muller will return to La Sarthe as a part of Inter Europol’s second LMP2 entry. The Swede will staff up with in-form Bijoy Garg and Reshad de Gurus, who began the 2026 ELMS with back-to-back runner-up finishes. 

Muller spent a bit of over two seasons with Peugeot in Hypercar earlier than becoming a member of Porsche final 12 months in a deal primarily centered on Formulation E. He made one look onboard the 963 earlier than Porsche curtailed its Hypercar programme.

Different notable names

Mathias Beche, Ben Hanley and Oliver Jarvis all have top-level prototype expertise, regardless of having by no means raced fashionable LMDH/LMH equipment.

TDS Racing’s Beche loved a protracted stint with Rebel in LMP1 that additionally noticed him rating an general WEC win at Silverstone in 2018.

In the meantime, United’s Hanley made a couple of dozen LMP1 outings with BR Engineering and Ginetta, whereas his team-mate Jarvis was a part of Audi’s manufacturing unit LMP1 programme within the early 2010s and gained the 2022 DPi title with Acura.

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