Why Glickenhaus should be taken seriously on its Le Mans bow

Many were quick to dismiss Glickenhaus when the boutique American sportscar firm's entry into the top class of the Le Mans 24 Hours was announced. It's all-new LMH racer, powered by an engine built by a rally specialist, goes in as the underdog against Toyota but the mathematical odds suggest that it has more than just a faint hope of success.

Gary Watkins Aug 18, 2021, 2:27 PM

Jim Glickenhaus doesn’t mind being called a privateer. In fact, he revels in that description and his underdog status. Yes, the American is a car manufacturer, or at least is well on the way to becoming a fully fledged one, but he’s in the tradition of a line of independents to take on the challenge of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The difference between his organisation and so many of the specialist builders that preceded him – think de Cadenet, WM and Panoz – is he’s pitching up with a genuine chance of victory. That’s what he thinks, and that’s what the new Le Mans Hypercar regulations were conceived to allow.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 32nd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 75 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Autoweek, Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.