Last week the FIA World Endurance Championship announced the 2021 season entry list of 33 cars including several ELMS teams making the step up to the world championship.
Since 2013 the European Le Mans Series has provided the perfect stage for teams and drivers looking to get to the pinnacle of endurance racing career ladder, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA WEC. Over the past eight seasons, ELMS championship winning teams such as Signatech, G-Drive Racing and United Autosports have gone on to take world titles and 24 Hours of Le Mans victories to add to their European crowns.
The 2021 WEC season entry includes four familiar names from the ELMS grid who will be making their LMP2 debut at the opening round in Portimão at the start of April.
All Danish team High Class Racing will be competing in the WEC with ELMS regulars Anders Fjordbach and Dennis Andersen being joined by fellow Dane Jan Magnesson, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times with Chevrolet.
Inter Europol Competition will become the first Polish team in the WEC, with Jakub Smiechowski being joined by Dutch driver Renger Van Der Zande and former ELMS LMP3 Champion Alex Brundle.
LMP3 race winning team Realteam Racing move up to the LMP2 category with Esteban Garcia being joined in the Oreca 07 by LMP1 race winner Norman Nato and 2013 World Endurance Drivers’ Champion Loïc Duval.
The final ELMS team making their WEC debut in 2021 is Richard Mille Racing Team. The French team retain the all-female line up of Tatiana Calderon, Sophie Flörsch and Beitske Visser.
Those teams will also join current and former ELMS teams DragonSpeed, United Autosports and Jota on the WEC grid.
The 13-car entry for the LMGTE AM category will feature two cars entered by the Iron Lynx outfit.The no60 Ferrari 488 GTE EVO will feature an all-Italian crew of Andrea Piccini, Matteo Cressoni and Claudio Schiavoni, with the no85 Ferrari featuring the second all female crew of regular ELMS podium finishers Rahel Frey, Manuela Gostner and Michelle Gatting.
The six round 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship is due to start with the 8 Hours of Portimão on Sunday 4 April, two weeks before the opening round of the 2021 European Le Mans Series, the 4 Hours of Barcelona.
