Brendon Hartley: "This race still gets me excited." Photo / Getty Images
Three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Brendon Hartley feels this could be his year to notch up another win. The Kiwi is no stranger to the Circuit de la Sarthe on the outskirts of the French city, as this is his 12th time at the iconic event.
Along with his wins in 2017, 2018 and 2021, the 35-year-old has finished on the podium a further three times.
The endurance race – often regarded alongside the Indianapolis 500 as the hardest motorsport event to win – is long, dangerous, weird and often character-building. Hartley still gets a buzz each time that he and his Toyota Gazoo Racing team rock up to Le Mans.
“This race still gets me excited and we’re definitely going for the win this year, which I reckon we can do,” Hartley told the Weekend Herald.
“Although we do the whole World Endurance Championship, the build-up to Le Mans is something different.
“There is so much involved in getting ready for Le Mans. The history of the race and what it means to the team [its 40th anniversary of racing at Le Mans].
“They open the roads up once a year for us and it still means a lot to me. Every year I come back here, it reminds me how much I love this track. These cars [Toyota Hypercar GR010 Hybrid] were made to drive around here and, after each practice, I can’t wait to get back on track again.
“Effectively, it’s the same car as last year, but we have made a few steps to improve the setup and we’re learning how to get the most out of the car.
“We haven’t been the fastest car so far in the WEC this year [they sit fourth in the championship], and on paper we had no right to be finishing fourth and fifth in races.
“We’ve executed well and bought the points home, and we’re happy with that.”
Gone are the days when only a few cars would enter the top category. The last couple of years have seen more manufacturers enter the Hypercar category, which for the 93rd running of Le Mans boasts 21 cars from Porsche, Toyota, Ferrari, BMW, Cadillac, Peugeot and Alpine.
The competition for one of the most desired motorsport trophies has always been fierce, but it’s on a whole new level these days. There are now 15 former Formula One drivers - Felipe Nasr, Pascal Wehrlein, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries, Sebastien Buemi, Hartley, Will Stevens, Kevin Magnussen, Mick Schumacher, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson Button, Antonio Giovinazzi, Robert Kubica, Paul di Resta and Stoffel Vandoorne - and nearly a quarter of the 63 cars on the grid are previous Le Mans winners, either outright or in their class.
“It’s never been so tough,” Hartley said. “When there were fewer cars, it was still hard to win, but with so many cars and the depth of talent, it’s never been like this.
“There is not one Hypercar car you can write off. All the drivers are top professionals and have a career in endurance racing.
“Every driver and team take everything very seriously, and there are no weak links in the field. The great thing for me is that I’m in the most experienced team and my teammates Sebastien [Buemi] and Ryo [Hirakawa] have been together for a few years now and work well together.
“It’s more difficult now than ever, and it’s not going to get any easier, especially with even more manufacturers set to join the WEC, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Hartley is joined on the Hypercar grid by fellow New Zealander Earl Bamber, a two-time winner. Bamber drives for Cadillac Racing, alongside Bourdais and former Formula One champion Button. The Kiwi put the car on the front row after Hyperpole alongside the sister Cadillac of Alex Lynn. Hartley will start 10th.
Eric Thompson has covered motorsport for the Herald for decades, with an eye on the domestic racing scene and Kiwis abroad.