The FIA World Endurance Championship has published the entry list for the Rookie Tests that will be held in Bahrain at the end of the 2023 season and there are some rather interesting names.
On Sunday 5 November, 18 cars will lap on the Sakhir track, with 9 Hypercars, 5 LMP2s and 4 GTEs in action.
Starting with Ferrari, it will be Lilou Wadoux and Robert Shwartzman’s turn to share the wheel of the 499P. The Frenchwoman has already had the opportunity to gain experience with prototypes last year on board the Oreca of Richard Mille Racing/TDS and first earned the test of the Toyota GR010 Hybrid, then an official contract with Maranello for GT racing, always continuing in the World Championship in the LMGTE Class with the 488 of AF Corse.
For Shwartzman, also among the Prancing Horse’s roster of drivers, it is instead an opportunity for relaunch: the GT World Challenge Europe season passed a little below expectations and the Russian – equipped with an Israeli license – can instead show something more on a car more similar to the single-seaters, where he mainly spent his career.
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
#83 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVO: Lilou Wadoux
Toyota itself fields Josh Pierson, among the WEC guests as a reward for the results achieved, assisted by the official José Maria Lopez and the well-known Lexus duo in IMSA, namely Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat.
Cadillac will reward Nicolas Varrone for the title achieved in LMGTE AM with the Corvette by giving him the wheel of the V-Series.R together with Kyffin Simpson, while Vanwall had already announced Job Van Uitert last week, who will be joined by Esteban Guerrieri.
In Porsche Penske Motorsport they will instead give a nice recognition to Thomas Preining, fresh DTM Champion and eager to try the 963 LMDh. The private model of the Weissach car operated by Jota will see Pietro Fittipaldi on board, the one from Proton Competition will be for René Binder and Julien Andlauer.
Peugeot plays ‘at home’ alternating Mikkel Jensen and Stoffel Vandoorne with the youngster from the Junior programme, Malthe Jakobsen.
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
#99 Tresor Orange 1 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II: Lorenzo Patrese
Moving up to the LMP2 Class, Prema will bring American Bronze, PJ Hyett, seen in the AO Racing Porsche this year, plus Harry Tincknell and Paul-Loup Chatin. Jota and Team WRT have yet to decide who to put on their respective Oreca 07-Gibson, while United Autosports will have Daniel Schneider and Inter Europol Competition the Frenchman Clement Novalak.
Finally, as regards the GTEs, on the last outing of the series before retirement, Corvette Racing will make the expert Nicky Catsburg available to Antoine Doquin – another guest of the FIA WEC – to get to know the C8.R.
At AF Corse we will see Christoph Ulrich on the 488 #21 and the young Italian saplings, Nicola Marinangeli and Lorenzo Patrese, on the #54 and #83 respectively.
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