On 21 March, the Le Mans entry list for 2019 was revealed for the 24-hour race which is to be held on 15-16 June. Just as in 2018, no less than ten 911 RSRs will be in action, with the potential for that number swelling to twelve if the two 911s on the Reserve list are moved up into contention as a result of other teams not taking up their places.
This year there will again be four 911s in the GTE Pro class with six cars in the GTE Am class, so Porsche enthusiasts are in for a treat again in the summer. The 2018 GTE Pro winners, Christensen/Estre/Vanthoor will once again be driving their #92 Porsche while last year’s second placed trio, Lietz/Bruni/Makowiecki, will be in the #91 car. Winners of the GTE Am class in 2018, Ried/Campbell/Andlauer will likely be piloting the #77 Porsche 911 RSR.
2019 Grand Marshal to be Hurley Haywood
Seasoned endurance racing veteran, Hurley Haywood, has agreed to serve as Grand Marshal at the 2019 Super Season finale. The American driver, born on 4 May 1948, has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times (1977 – Porsche 936/77, 1983 – Porsche 956 and 1994 – Porsche Dauer 962 Le Mans), and he was also on the podium in 1978 and 1982. Haywood has also won the Rolex 24 at Daytona five times and the 12 Hours of Sebring twice, so the 2019 field will be in safe hands. Among his other duties, the Grand Marshal will also set the pace during the formation lap before the start of the race.
The 2019 Le Mans 24 Hour race will bring down the curtain on the WEC Super Season, the first double-season to be held by the organisers in which the Le Mans 24-hour race has featured twice in the same season.
The drivers that have been announced to date in the two GTE classes in 2019 are as follows:
2019 GTE Pro class
| No. | Team | Car | Drivers |
| 91 | Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Richard Lietz |
| Gianmaria Bruni | |||
| Frédéric Makowiecki | |||
| 92 | Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Michael Christensen |
| Kévin Estre | |||
| Laurens Vanthoor | |||
| 93 | Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Patrick Pilet |
| Earl Bamber | |||
| Nick Tandy | |||
| 94 | Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Sven Müller |
| Mathieu Jaminet | |||
| Dennis Olsen |
2019 GTE Am class
| No. | Team | Car | Drivers |
| 56 | Team Project 1 | Porsche 911 RSR | Jörg Bergmeister |
| Patrick Lindsey | |||
| Egidio Perfetti | |||
| 77 | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche 911 RSR | Matt Campbell |
| 78 | Proton Competition | Porsche 911 RSR | Han-Chen Chen |
| 86 | Gulf Racing UK | Porsche 911 RSR | Michael Wainwright |
| Benjamin Barker | |||
| 88 | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche 911 RSR | Satoshi Hoshino |
| Giorgio Roda | |||
| Matteo Cairoli | |||
| 99 | Dempsey-Proton Racing | Porsche 911 RSR | Patrick Long |
2019 Reserve teams
| No. | Team | Car |
| 80 | Ebimotors | Porsche 911 RSR |
| 58 | Team Project 1 | Porsche 911 RSR |
Porsche Road & Race will keep abreast of developments on the Le Mans front, so stay tuned for further news. Of course, the first of the 2019 European WEC races, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, takes place on the first weekend in May, so we will also bring you first-hand information from the classic Belgian race in due course.
Written by: Glen Smale
Images by: Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale
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