H24 Racing team launched to campaign hydrogen power
As part of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s Mission H24 project – the aim of introducing hydrogen-powered cars to the WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024 – the ACO and GreenGT have announced the creation of the H24Racing team.
With the future of the automotive industry and endurance racing in mind, H24Racing aims to run the LMPH2G, an electric-hydrogen-powered racing prototype, as soon as possible in a yet-to-be named championship.
In 2024, the 24 Hours of Le Mans – which will be the final round of the 2023-2024 FIA World Endurance Championship – will see for the first time on the starting grid a category dedicated to racing prototypes powered by hydrogen alongside cars with combustion engines.
The ACO is working on the introduction of this new class, which will use a completely new energy at this level of competition and the regulations are currently being developed. Once again, the ACO proves that Endurance is one of the best laboratories for sustainable development.
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: "A new team spells excitement, enthusiasm, expectancy and promise. I have to admit a sense of fulfilment in announcing the arrival of H24Racing. With this team, we are making our project real. GreenGT’s accomplishments in research, development and implementation in fuel cell technology are unprecedented.
"Last September, the ACO and GreenGT launched MissionH24, to promote hydrogen power and zero-emission solutions and draw attention to how fast this energy is progressing. The aura of Le Mans will help raise the profile of the technology.
"H24Racing is the result of the ACO-GreenGT partnership. With this team, our joint venture becomes a truly sporting endeavour with a tangible demonstration of our intentions. We’ll be putting our new technology to the test, on track, pitting it against other fuels and power trains. The realisation that 2024 is just around the corner and the 24 Hours of Le Mans will soon have a hydrogen car on the grid is particularly gratifying. But, make no mistake, we are well aware that this is just the beginning of an immense challenge. Today H24 Racing is setting out on a long journey."
Gérard Neveu, CEO of FIA WEC / ELMS: "In 2012, when the FIA World Endurance Championship hosted the first hybrid prototypes, endurance racing led the way. It was a pioneer. Today, with MissionH24 and H24Racing, the ACO and GreenGT's sporting convictions about hydrogen show that our series, our championships will enter a new dimension. They will be the testing ground, the launch pad to achieve MissionH24's stated objective: a category for Hydrogen cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024. We are racing in the present and we are racing for the future."