Examining the IMSA and WEC 2025 entry lists, part 2: LMGT3/GTD and LMP2

WEC's LMGT3 class will see 18 full-time entries, matching the Hypercar class, from nine manufacturers. There'll be nine full-time entries in the GTD Pro class in IMSA, with 21 entries listed on the IMSA entry list for GTD. Meanwhile, in IMSA's LMP2 class, there'll be 12 entries.

Examining the IMSA and WEC 2025 entry lists, part 1: GTP and Hypercar

Taking a look at the storylines in the IMSA and WEC 2025 entry lists.

The Racing LinePhil Oakley

No Rossi in WEC?

One of the most curious things to come out of the WEC entry list is the lack of the #46 car in the LMGT3 class.

Motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi raced in WEC in 2024 with the BMW WRT team, alongside Maxime Martin and Ahmad Al Harthy in the #46 BMW M4 GT3. By all accounts he's done well, largely on par with Martin and his colleagues and rivals in other cars.

Indeed, when The Racing Line analysed Rossi's performance from Spa 24 Hours — not a WEC event, but an Intercontinental GT Challenge race — he was well within the performance window of other BMW pro factory drivers.

While he suggested earlier in the year he may not return to WEC in 2025, choosing to do a lone GT World Challenge season instead, this stance appeared to have changed by the final race of the WEC season in Bahrain.

When asked directly by The Racing Line whether he'd return in 2025, he responded with 'I think so'.

He later expanded on this answer to a group of selected media, The Racing Line included, where he said BMW's preference was for him to race in WEC, but it was ultimately his decision.

However, listed on the WEC entry are two BMW WRT cars, #31 and #32. Does this imply he won't be back in 2025?

Not necessarily. When asked in Bahrain, Rossi also said he'd make his decision on 2025 after the Jeddah round of the GT World Challenge, which takes place this weekend, November 23rd.

The Racing Line reached out to WRT and asked whether the lack of a #46 entry is a sign Rossi may not be back in WEC in 2025. We were told, 'Line ups are still being finalised at this moment in time'.

So, hold your horses on Rossi not returning to WEC next year. It could still happen.

BMW's new M4 evolution

BMW will introduce a the new evo version of its M4 GT3 next year. Although this isn't listed on the WEC entry list, it will make its competition debut next year in all GT3-based classes globally, including WEC, IMSA, and the various SRO-hosted championships.

The German manufacturer says the new version of the car has improved aerodynamics and chassis components to reduce tyre wear, plus new head and tail lights.

Alongside this, one of BMW's main customers in IMSA, Paul Miller Racing, will expand to two cars in GTD Pro, up from the single car in previous years.

Iron Lynx, the Dames, Mercedes, and Lamborghini

As is now common knowledge, there are quite a few changes to the Iron Lynx and Iron Dames set up next year. In brief:

• The main Iron Lynx squad will switch from Lamborghini machinery to Mercedes
• There will now be two Iron Lynx cars on the grid, alongside a single Iron Dames car
• The Iron Dames will switch (back) to Porsche, with the team run by Manthey
• Claudio Schiavoni and Matteo Cressoni will no longer share a car in WEC, being listed in the #60 and #61 Mercedes-AMG GT3s on the entry list
• The familiar Bovy/Frey/Gatting Iron Dames lineup will change as Sarah Bovy will be upgraded to a silver rating in the 2025 FIA driver rankings. She will be replaced in the team by Celia Martin
• The IMSA Lamborghini GT3 is listed just as 'Automobili Lamborghini', implying Iron Lynx will not be involved in the entry

That's a lot of changes!

Iron Lynx will need to find new drivers for the expanded programme with Mercedes. It's likely we'll see some factory drivers in there somewhere — Maximillian Gotz, Maro Engel, Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz, etc. They're all platinum-rated, so in the #60 car, with the bronze-rated Schiavoni, they'll need a silver to complete the lineup. And, in the #61 car with Cressoni, they'll need a bronze-rated driver.

The bronze-rated driver will likely be an amatuer of some description. However, both Doriane Pin and Sarah Bovy will be silver-rated next year...

Out of the two, Bovy is the more likely to slot into an Iron Lynx lineup, with Pin signed up to another year of F1 Academy amid her attempts to break into single seater racing. But, never say never. After all, she's been racing for the Prema-run Mercedes-AMG team in F1 Academy.

Or, Mercedes/Iron Lynx could find a young silver driver to slot into the lineup.

The other interesting thing is the lack of Iron Lynx in Lamborghini's GTD Pro IMSA entry. It's listed simply as 'Automobili Lamborghini'. At the time the IMSA entry list was released, the strained relationship between the two wasn't public knowledge. But internally it was likely still a problem. We'll have to see when a more detailed list is released.

The Dames are also listed in GTD and will run a Porsche operated by Proton Competition. They're familiar with the Porsche GT3 car, given they've been racing it this year in the European Le Mans Series.

The (possible) return of Ben Keating

Ben Keating, possibly the world's best amateur racing driver, has been very public in the past about GT3 cars and his dislike for them.

However, it seems the tide may be changing. He raced a Ford Mustang GT3 at Lone Star Le Mans at COTA earlier this year, and one of the TF Sport Corvettes in the WEC entry list has the number #33. This is the number Keating raced with in 2023, the final year of WEC's GTE-Am class, also in a Corvette, next to it.

The entry currently has platinum-rated Daniel Juncadella listed, who made his debut in WEC in 2024 alongside Sébastien Baud and Hiroshi Koizumi. The former is silver-rated, so with Keating rated as a bronze, that line up would work well. The other car has long-time WEC GT class Charlie Eastwood in it.

LMP2

A quick word on IMSA's LMP2 class. Not much has changed here from 2024, with United Autosports having two cars, the #2 and #22, plus single car entries from everyone else.

Interestingly, Pratt Miller Motorsports, who has operated the Corvette sportscar programme for its entire existence, is listed with a #73-numbered car. Pietro Fittipaldi and Irishman James Roe will drive the car, with a compulsory bronze-rated driver yet to be announced.

This marks a return to prototype racing for Pratt Miller, who competed extensively in the 1990s, having built and raced the Intrepid GTP, plus the Corvette Daytona Prototype (remember those?).

Otherwise, the PR1 Mathiasen-Inter Europol partnership from last year is no more, with each having separate entries in LMP2 for next year.

And, of course, Spike, a.k.a #99 AO Racing, is back in LMP2. Excellent.

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