20 Le Mans Entries Taken Up?
This is where it gets very interesting….

Teams wishing to take up their guaranteed entries for the Le Mans 24 Hours had to do so by January 5, and the French newspaper Ouest France has somehow found the list of those teams that have done so – writes Claude Foubert.

The newspaper provides this list of those teams not taking up their places:

LMP 900
Bentley (2)
Joest Audi
Pescarolo Courage

LMP 675
Dyson Lola
DBA-Zytek

LM GT
Alex Job Racing (2)

The new list of the guaranteed Le Mans 2004 entries is therefore shown as:

LMP 900
Champion Audi
Goh Audi
Lister

LMP 675
Courage-JPX
Reynard-Lehmann
Intersport Lola (2)

LM GTS
Ferrari 550 Maranello (4): (Veloqx-Prodrive Racing, Prodrive, Veloqx-Care Racing, BMS Scuderia Italia)
Chevrolet Corvette (2)

LM GT
Ferrari 360 Modena (Risi Competition)
Ferrari 360 Modena (Cirtek Motorsport
Ferrari 360 Modena (JMB Racing)
Orbit Porsche
PK Sport Porsche
Freisinger Porsche (2)

So it looks as though 20 cars are definitely in the race, with the remaining 30 to be selected in late March / early April.

Most of the above makes perfect sense: for example no one expected Bentley to take up its entries, Reinhold Joest is doing other things in 2004, as is John Nielsen (the DBA sold to Creation Autosportif), while Dyson Racing and Alex Job Racing seem not to have taken up their entries. Neither has Henri Pescarolo, Ouest France suggesting that this is because of the change of engine (Peugeot to Judd), although perhaps budgetry factors come into play too.

The Lister place has popped in and out of the ACO list (of guaranteed entries), but it now seems that a spot was reserved thanks to FIA GT success (and not two to BMS Scuderia Italia), and this place has been transferred to the 900/LMP1 Class Lister Storm LMP.