All eyes in the FIA WEC paddock are on this Saturday’s 8 Hours of Bahrain, which will bring the remarkable 2024 season to a close. But the action doesn’t quite end that night, as the Rookie Test is set to take place on Sunday in the aftermath of the final race of the year.
A full entry list is now available for the day-long test, featuring 36 cars and 46 drivers.
In Hypercar, the headline is the test for MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who will get his first taste of prototype machinery in an M Hybrid V8, a year on from his first WEC test in a BMW M4 GT3 ahead of his LMGT3 program with WRT. He’s listed in both BMWs.
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Rossi will be joined by BMW works drivers Max Hesse and Dan Harper, who will also be using the test as their first opportunity to drive a top class FIA WEC prototype.
Elsewhere, Esteban Masson has been confirmed for a drive at Toyota Gazoo Racing following his run with AKKODIS ASP and Lexus during the season in LMGT3.
Fred Vesti has been handed a drive with Cadillac to help him prepare for his maiden IMSA GTP start at Daytona in January. Also in the 32 are full-season Corvette LMGT3 Pros Charlie Eastwood and Dani Juncadella.
In 2025, former F2 racer Vesti, who spent the 2024 season competing in the ELMS LMP2 class with COOL Racing, will compete in the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds with Action Express.
“It’s a nice start because I know Bahrain, so it’s a known track, new car, which is a good starting point,” he said.
“It will be some good driving to get going with the Cadillac and I’m looking forward to getting my first real experience with the car.
“Quite soon we have the first proper test at Daytona, where I’ll get my first real experience with IMSA. Really happy to be doing that test to learn about the Cadillac.”
The trio of Ferraris have a driver apiece with Arthur Leclerc in the No. 50, Thomas Neubauer in No. 51 and Yifei Ye in the No. 83
“Arthur is doing the Rookie Test but he is not a choice for next year, our goal is to keep him growing so he will be ready to catch more opportunities in prototypes,” Antonello Coletta, Ferrari’s sportscar boss said during his Finali Mondiali press conference earlier this month.
“We want to help our drivers grow and we are doing the best we can. Next year he will probably be in the GT3. Next year, honestly, we haven’t taken a final decision. But it’s clear that our dream and his dream is to go ahead in the most important championship.”
At Proton, 2025 Porsche Penske Motorsport driver Julien Andlauer is joined by second-generation racer Charlie Wurz.
The list also includes the set of previously confirmed names, including 2023 F2 champion Theo Pourchaire and Clement Novalak set to drive with Peugeot, Victor Martins listed with Alpine and Franck Perera at Lamborghini, where he will be joined by Jordan Pepper.
Reshad De Gerus, meanwhile, will drive the No. 6 Porsche 963 after being nominated by LMEM.
In LMGT3, AKKODIS ASP’s set of drivers includes Silver drivers Aurélien Panis and Paul Evrard and Silver-ranked Petru Razvan Umbrarescu.
Ben Barnicoat, who tested in the Toyota Hypercar at last season’s Rookie Test, will also be in attendance on Lexus duties with ASP, alongside Conrad Laursen, who looks to gain more track time, adding to his one-off appearance with the team scheduled for this weekend in place of Clemens Schmid.
Ex-Audi factory GT driver Mattia Drudi joins Heart of Racing in the No. 27 Aston Martin, and WRT’s BMWs see a pair of Silver-ranked drivers – Swiss Gregory de Sybourg and Belgian Gilles Stadsbade – named, ahead of what RACER expects to be a new-look line-up for the team in 2025.
Vista AF Corse fields a driver apiece, too: Matteo de Palo and Mahaveer Raghunathan and United Autosports will test Alex Sedgwick and Tom Gamble.
Mathey PureRxcing Porsche sees Michelin Le Mans Cup Iron Dame Celia Martin alongside Michelle Gatting and LMEM nominee Gillian Henrion.
The test in Bahrain follows the ACO’s end-of-season European Le Mans Series Rookie Test, held after the 4 Hours of Portimao in Portugal earlier this month.
A number of interesting cars, teams and drivers took part in that too, including two of the four new-for-2025 LMP3 cars from Ligier and ADESS.
One of the most notable faces on hand was now-former Porsche Penske Motorsport driver Dane Cameron, fresh from capturing the 2024 IMSA GTP Drivers’ title. The American drove an ORECA 07 from newly-crowned ELMS LMP2 champion AO by TF, which had two cars on-site.
PJ Hyett and Gunnar Jeanette are not ready to confirm their full LMP2 plans for 2025 just yet, but Hyett tested throughout the running in a spare TF car, with Cameron, 2024 ELMS champion Louis Deletraz and IMSA GTD Pro Champion Laurin Heinrich.
Heinrich’s test was a “thank you gift” from AO Racing following his championship-winning success in GTD PRO this year. Cameron meanwhile, was understandably tight-lipped about his 2025 program, though it appears very likely that he will feature in AO’s plans.
Swiss Aston Martin customer team Racing Spirit of Leman’s movements over the three days of track time was notable, too. The team appears to be closing in on an FIA WEC LMGT3 program with Aston Martin for 2025 following its successes in the Le Mans Cup and ELMS. The squad is looking set to replace D’Station Racing alongside Heart of Racing in the 2025 WEC LMGT3 line-up.
IndyCar driver Kyffin Simpson was also on hand. The 2023 ELMS LMP2 champion drove with his title-winning team Algarve Pro Racing and was understood to be using the opportunity to work with his IndyCar engineer on tire management.
From the WEC paddock, WRT’s Darren Leung took part, driving the 2024 ELMS LMGT3 title-winning Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan. Leung was non-committal when asked about a potential switch from BMW to race the Huracan next year, making it clear that he was enjoying the opportunity to try something different.
Finally, 2024 FIA WEC LMGT3 championship-winning team Pure Rxcing had a presence. The Lithuanian-flagged team — ahead of its move into LMP2 over the winter in the Asian Le Mans Series – utilized the time to get Alex Malykhin dialled in with the ORECA 07 and TF Sport, which it has partnered with for its new venture.