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Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: United Autosports United Autosports has retained Gregoire Saucy and Marino Sato for the second season of its McLaren LMGT3 effort in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The two drivers formed part of the Anglo-American squad’s first year of racing the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo in the globetrotting series, the peak of which came with a third place finish for Sato, Nico Pino and Josh Caygill in Sao Paulo. Saucy, meanwhile, secured three fourth-place finishes aboard the No. 59 car he shared with James Cottingham and Nicolas Costa. “Gregoire and Marino are extremely talented racing drivers and incredibly valuable members of our team,” said team CEO Richard Dean. “Their work and time this year, both in and out of the car, has been hugely important in the development of the WEC project with McLaren Automotive, so it is fantastic to have them onboard for what is set to be a very exciting 2025 season.” McLaren will tackle its sophomore LMGT3 season with a revised motorsport struct

You asked. We delivered! Watch @Max33Verstappen take his first ride in the ARX-06! #F1 #AcuraARX #HRC #RedBullRacing pic.twitter.com/WBdzhyHfyN — Honda Racing Global (@HondaRacingGLB) November 21, 2024 Max Verstappen turned laps in an Acura ARX-06 for the first time this week, as part of Honda’s ‘Hybrid Heroes’ event on Tuesday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The three-time Formula 1 world champion got behind the wheel of the LMDh car after instruction from Acura Meyer Shank Racing driver Colin Braun. The 27-year-old Dutchman reportedly got about 30 minutes of seat time in the hybrid-powered car, in what marked his first running in a Le Mans-based prototype. While Verstappen has no immediate sports car racing plans, he is a co-owner in a GT3 team that’s aiming to launch next year. Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: MPS Agency The Iron Dames will return to campaigning Porsche machinery in the FIA World Endurance Championship, aligning themselves with Manthey Racing as part of the German outfit’s LMGT3 effort. The all-female squad had been heavily linked to a move back to Porsche in WEC after a single season campaigning a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. Confirmed on Thursday, Celia Martin, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting will pilot the No. 85 Porsche 911 GT3 R for the globetrotting championship, which kicks off in Qatar on Feb. 28. Notably, the Dames’ lineup does not feature Sarah Bovy, who was a staple of the squad over the last couple of seasons but will be upgraded to a Silver grading next year. Additionally, Manthey confirmed that Ryan Hardwick will move from Proton Competition to join the team aboard the sister No. 92 Porsche, driving alongside Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz. Hardwick, Pera and Lietz will also drive together in the Asian Le Mans Series, which kicks off next mon

Source: Sports Car 365

Photo: Javier Jimenez/DPPI Ben Barnicoat will make his full-season FIA World Endurance Championship return, replacing Kelvin van der Linde in Akkodis ASP Team’s Lexus LMGT3 lineup next year. As previously reported by Sportscar365 , the British racer had been tipped to combine his current IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro commitments with a season in WEC. He sampled the LMGT3-spec Lexus RC F GT3 during the recent rookie test at the Bahrain rookie test. Barnicoat is set to pilot the No. 78 car, replacing Van der Linde, who leaves the team after a single season racing in WEC. Sportscar365 understands that Esteban Masson, who drove with ASP this year and is set to be upgraded to Gold status in 2025, will deputize for Barnicoat during clashes between WEC and the WeatherTech Championship. Barnicoat’s last full WEC campaign came in 2022, when he piloted a Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR-19 in the GTE-Am class. He has four 24 Hours of Le Mans starts to his name, the las

Photo: FIA Mercedes-AMG will be represented in the LMGT3 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship next year, having inked a deal with Iron Lynx to field a pair of Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos. Announced on Wednesday, the Italian team will make the switch from Lamborghini machinery, in a move that’s also expected to include the withdrawal of the Lamborghini SC63 from WEC competition. Claudio Schiavoni and Matteo Cressoni have been the first two drivers announced for the Mercedes-AMG effort, and will drive the Nos. 60 and 61 cars, respectively in the 2025 season that kicks off at Qatar in February. Iron Lynx will run as a two-car operation, with the Iron Dames widely expected to join Manthey as a Porsche 911 GT3 R entry. “We are extremely proud to welcome Mercedes-AMG as a partner,” said Iron Lynx team principal Andrea Piccini. “In addition to being an amazing brand, they are highly motivated, determined, and hungry for success. “With such strong support, I am confident we will be