Motorsport: Three Kiwi drivers lining up at Le Mans 24 Hour

Brendon Hartley (right) was part of the winning team at the 8 Hours of Portimao. Photo / Photosport

Three New Zealand drivers are lining up this weekend on the grid for the 89th running of the Le Mans 24 Hour.

Defending champion Brendon Hartley, former winner Earl Bamber and newcomer Jaxon Evans will all compete, with the trio spread over three different classes.

Hartley will contest the new Hypercar category in the Toyota GR010 Hybrid, Bamber the LMGTE Pro in a Porsche 911 RSR and Evans the LMGTE Am class, also in a Porsche 911 RSR.

Hartley won with Porsche in 2017 and Toyota in 2020 and Bamber won in 2015 and alongside Hartley in 2017.

Hartley, along with co-drivers Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, lead the World Endurance Championship on the back of wins at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 8 Hours of Portimao. His defence of the 2020 Le Mans title has got off to a great start with the team qualifying on the front row.

"It's great to get back in our Hypercar and fantastic to be back at the Circuit de la Sarthe," said Hartley. This is a different car to what we have raced [at Le Mans] before so we are learning a lot.

"The GR010 Hybrid really came alive here, especially in the fast parts, so it was an enjoyable day. We have learned a lot and we are going in the right direction and I'm looking forward to the week ahead.

"The car has felt really nice to drive again. It really feels like the car was made for here and it feels at home."

Bamber is a two-time overall champion in LMP1 at Le Mans, but he's also proven to be pretty adept at punting a GTE car around the Circuit de la Sarthe having finished third in the GTE class in 2019.

He missed out racing at Le Mans in 2020 and is happy to be back at a track he really likes.

"I am really excited to head back to Le Mans this year," said Bamber. "After missing the event in 2020, I can't wait to get back to one of my favourite tracks in the world.

"I am also looking forward to joining Cooper [MacNeil] and Laurens [Vanthoor] for the event. I have followed Cooper for years in the IMSA Championship and to see him get his first overall GTLM victory at the Sebring 12 hours this year was awesome.

"I hope we can achieve similar things this year at Le Mans. Porsche has always been strong at Le Mans and with the support that Porsche AG brings I am sure we will have a strong package for the race."

Vanthoor and Bamber were regular endurance teammates for a number of years and have an impressive record. Vanthoor has had five starts at Le Mans and had a GTE Pro win back with Porsche in 2018.

The team struggled early in practice, being down on top speed and missed out on the race for Hyperpole. They will start seventh in class and 38th outright.

Evans, the third Kiwi on the grid, is a Le Mans rookie, but by no means a novice when it comes to racing a Porsche. He is building an impressive resume in the GT racing especially in Carrera Cup and the Porsche Supercup.

It's a been a long-held dream to race at Le Mans for the 24-year-old and he's even more chuffed to be able race alongside his friend, housemate and previous winner Matt Campbell, as well as Christian Ried. The trio will start the race 12th in class and 51st overall.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be held in front of a reduced crowd of 50,000, with 62 cars and 186 drivers from 30 different countries.