The Argentine, who was to compete in this legendary event in a Lexus LMGT3, will step into a Toyota 7 to replace Mike Conway, who was injured in a bike accident.
Jose Maria Lopez was ready to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the WEC World Championship, in a Lexus RC car From the Akkodis team in the LMGT3 category with Japanese Takeshi Kimura and Frenchman Esteban Masson. but, It was announced on Friday that the Argentine will have the opportunity to race in a Toyota Hypercar, the largest category.
The two-time World Endurance Champion (2020 and 2021) will replace Mike Conway in the Toyota 7. The Englishman was involved in an accident while riding a bike on Thursday and suffered broken ribs and a collarbone. Injuries immediately deprived him of the opportunity to compete in the 2024 edition of the legendary event at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Pichitto is part of the Toyota chassis and was part of the official team from 2017 to 2023. This year, he was replaced by Dutchman Nyck de Vries. The former AlphaTauri Formula 1 driver was set to replace Cordoba in 2023, but his signing with the Faenza Formula 1 team allowed Lopez to continue for another year in Hypercar. This year, the Argentine moved to the second category in the World Endurance Championship, but always under the aura of the Japanese house. Due to Conway’s injury, he was the first to fill the position on the roster and not Ritomo Miyata, who races in Formula 2 and is a test and reserve driver for Toyota in the WEC.
Lopez will share the Toyota 7 with De Vries and Japanese Kamui Kobayashi He will be aiming for his second success at Le Mans, after the success he achieved in 2021 with Conway and Kobayashi.
“Analyst. Web buff. Wannabe beer trailblazer. Certified music expert. Zombie lover. Explorer. Pop culture fanatic.”