American amateur Ben Keating has said he is not expecting to race in the new WEC LMGT3 class next year, when the GTE-Am category concludes at the end of 2023.
When asked by MotorsportWeek.com during the Super Sebring weekend if he had any idea of his plans for next year, Keating replied: “I don’t know yet. I’ve often said I don’t expect to race in GT3. But, I’m kind of waiting to see what happens in LMP2. I really enjoy racing in LMP2 in IMSA — the structure in IMSA is similar to the way GTE-Am is structured in WEC.
“So I think there’s a pretty good chance I would come back over here and run in LMP2, try and win a Le Mans entry in Pro-Am. But, I don’t know how long they’re going to have the Pro-Am category at Le Mans. So we’ll see.”
LMP2 currently races in WEC, with a Pro-Am category added to the field for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While LMP2 currently has high-take up in both the world championship and at Le Mans, with 24 cars registered on the entry list for the French endurance classic, including eight in Pro-Am, its existence in WEC is under threat.
That threat is due to the number of expected Hypercar and LMGT3 entries expected in WEC next year. With a hard limit to grid numbers in regular WEC rounds in the mid-high 30s, it’s possible that number will be reached by entries across both classes — which would leave LMP2 out to dry in the world championship.
Additionally, while LMP2 is expected to survive at Le Mans into at least 2024, this boom in Hypercar and LMGT3 could have a knock-on effect for the LMP2 Pro-Am subclass for Le Mans.
It’s known many teams currently competing in LMP2, have plans to step up to the Hypercar class next year, meaning amateurs such as Keating may struggle to find a team willing to run a car for them at all next year.
