Isotta Fraschini’s Tipo6-C LMH Hypercar has withdrawn from the FIA WEC ahead of Lone Star Le Mans next week, with the revived Italian marque pulling its car from the forthcoming races at CoTA, Fuji and Bahrain.
This news comes just days before the WEC teams arrive in Texas ahead of the sixth round of the 2024 season at COTA in Austin, where the car is currently being shipped. Isotta pulling out means the entry list has been reduced to 36 cars for the race.
It also comes ahead of the two-car mandate for Hypercar manufacturers coming into force for 2025, which would require Isotta to scale up its program to two cars via either a second factory car or a customer car.
In addition to stating a wish to return to the WEC in the future, Miguel Valldecabres, who took over as Isotta CEO last month when Claudio Berro departed the company, said:
“We are immensely proud of our achievements in our debut season.
“Competing in the WEC has been an incredible honor and experience, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans being a particular highlight. This very difficult decision has not been made lightly, but it allows us to build on our successes, fostering the growth of our brand and the development of our products in both the racing and Hypercar markets.
“As a new manufacturer with great ambitions, not continuing in the WEC 2024 season is a strategic obligation to conserve our resources and ensure the continuity of our project.
“Despite this difficult setback, we are excited about the future. Our journey as a performance brand continues, and we are eager to achieve new milestones.”
RACER also believes that behind the scenes, Michelotto – which designed the car – has been working hard to save the program, attempting to sell the design to prospective manufacturers looking to join Hypercar in the future, but so far without success.
The racing career of the Isotta Fraschini Tipo-6 Competizione has numbered just five races, all in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. The team managed three finishes, the best of which was at Le Mans where the car finished 14th overall and just one position outside the Manufacturers World Championship points.
Isotta is believed to be restructuring its motorsports business, leading to the withdrawal.
This story has been updated since its original publication to include additional information.