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

There is no such thing as a scarcity of expertise within the LMP2 class at this yr’s Le Mans 24 Hours, with a number of Hypercar/GTP drivers stepping all the way 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 at all times boasted some large names through the years, quite a lot of components have led to a good greater inflow of star expertise. Porsche’s exit from the Hypercar class is the single-biggest contributing issue, leaving plenty of 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 yr, including to the depth of the sphere.

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

Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz

Staff: DKR Engineering
Finest Le Mans consequence: 4th (Hypercar)

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

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

Laurin Heinrich

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

Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen by way of Getty Pictures

Staff: CrowdStrike Racing by APR
Finest Le Mans consequence: N/A

Laurin Heinrich will probably be making his Le Mans debut with CrowdStrike by APR, sharing the crew’s Professional-Am-entered Oreca 07 with George Kurtz and Alex Quinn. After a baptism of fireplace in final yr’s WEC finale in Bahrain, the place he changed Michael Christensen, Heinrich has starred aboard the Porsche 963 in IMSA, profitable 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 yr, however Heinrich is without doubt one of the a number of drivers flying the flag for the German model within the intermediate class.

Kakunoshin Ohta

Kakunoshin Ohta, DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING

Photograph by: Masahide Kamio

Honda driver Kakunoshin Ohta will contest Le Mans for the primary time this yr, 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 will probably be relying on his expertise in Japan, the place he has received a number of Tremendous Components races and completed on the rostrum in Tremendous GT.

Kevin Estre

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre

Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz

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

Kevin Estre is well one of many largest points of interest on this yr’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 want to struggle for an outright Le Mans win once more.

Mikkel Jensen

Mikkel Jensen, McLaren

Photograph by: McLaren

Staff: United Autosports
Finest Le Mans consequence: 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 recognized 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

Photograph by: FIAWEC – DPPI

Staff: Duquenie Staff
Finest Le Mans consequence: 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 kind among the best driver line-ups within the class.

Though Andlauer made his identify in GT and GTP lessons 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

Photograph by: Rainier Ehrhardt

Staff: Inter Europol
Finest Le Mans consequence: 1st (LMP2)

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

The Frenchman acquired 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 consequence within the ELMS final yr.

Nick Yelloly

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

Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz

Staff: Inter Europol
Finest Le Mans consequence: 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 latest exploits with Inter Europol have proved massively profitable.

Romain Dumas

#236 RD Restricted Ford: Romain Dumas

Photograph by: A.S.O.

Staff: RD Restricted
Finest Le Mans consequence: 1st (LMP1)

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

The veteran Frenchman brings with him a formidable 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

Photograph by: Marc Fleury

Staff: RD Restricted
Finest Le Mans consequence: twenty sixth (LMP2)

Tristan Vautier will crew 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 Specific 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

Photograph by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photograph

Staff: AO by TF
Finest Le Mans consequence: 1st (LMP2 Professional-Am)

Dane Cameron is well one of the profitable drivers on the LMP2 grid, having received three general IMSA titles with as many various producers (Cadillac, Acura and Porsche).

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

Matthieu Vaxiviere

#183 AF Corse Oreca 07 – Gibson: Matthieu Vaxiviere

Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz

Staff: AF Corse
Finest Le Mans consequence: 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 yr, 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

Photograph by: Andreas Beil

Staff: Inter Europol
Finest Le Mans consequence: twelfth (Hypercar)

After lacking Le Mans final yr, Nico Muller will return to La Sarthe as a part of Inter Europol’s second LMP2 entry. The Swede will crew 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 yr in a deal primarily targeted on Components 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 Riot 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 received the 2022 DPi title with Acura.

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