Le Mans Ultimate brings to life GT racing from the World Endurance Championship as the all new LMGT3 class was introduced to replace the GTE class that was dropped at the end of the 2023 season.
Manufacturers entering in the LMGT3 category would only be allowed to enter a maximum of two cars, to allow for a greater diversity in the category, and priority was given to manufacturers who had also entered a car in the Hypercar category.
LMGT3 requires at least one Bronze-rated driver and one additional driver who is Bronze or Silver-rated in each lineup, alongside a gold or platinum driver in most cases. This ensures that amateur drivers participate alongside professionals. Drivers are classified based on the FIA Driver Categorisation system (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum).
The Inaugural LMGT3 Season
The class was made up of 18 entries in its inaugural 2024 season, comprising of 9 manufacturers including McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ford, BMW, Chevrolet and Lexus.
A massive step up in entries and competition compared to its dying counterpart from 2023, the GTE class, with only 4 manufacturers seeing the final season of that class.
The 24 hours of Le Mans allowed for an even larger entry list, however, with 23 entries total. It saw extra manufacturer entries from Ford, McLaren and most notably Ferrari, with 5 cars on the grid.
The champions at season end were Porsche, who occupied the top two spots in the standings thanks to Manthey Racing in the #92 & #91 machines. Taking 4 wins and several podiums between them.
The LMGT3 Cars Now in Le Mans Ultimate
Thanks to Le Mans Ultimate and its association to the World Endurance Championship, it’s able to bring the LMGT3 cars to life as part of its 2024 season integration. You can now race as your favourite team and drivers whilst repping your favourite liveries from the 2024 season, including any special liveries teams ran at the 24 hours of Le Mans.
In two separate GT3 DLCs, one of which is already here, you can currently get your hands on the McLaren, Ferrari, Corvette and BMW. The McLaren as part of a free update to the game in line with the DLC Pack 3, which then contains the other 3 LMGT3s.
The other LMGT3 machines, including the Porsche, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Lexus and Ford, will come in the final DLC Pack 4 early in 2025.
Before we dive into the intricacies of each individual machine there are several points of interest we think you should know based on personal and professional inputs.
Comparing The New LMGT3’s to LMGTE’s in LMU
- Generally speaking the GT3 and GTE ‘feel’ is quite similar. The main differences are that the GT3 cars are more stable and have the same type of rotation, but less top speed.
- Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans as the example, will see the GTE cars top out at around 295kph as a top speed on the Mulsane Straight with qualifying fuel, whereas the GT3 cars ‘only’ reach about 280kph top speed.
- The BMW M4 GT3 is your pick if you are trying the LMGT3 cars for the first time and want to experience the new physics with a reliable stable car.
- The Ferrari 296 and Corvette Z06 are for drivers who love and can deal with some rotation mid corner where you might need to fight the car.
- The McLaren is for those who are happy with oversteer and want a mid-engine car feeling but still have the entry stability like it’s a front engine car.
The McLaren 720s GT3 Evo
| Car | Ruleset | Engine |
| McLaren 720s GT3 Evo | FIA WEC GT3 | 4.0 litre twin turbo V8 |
The McLaren 720s GT3 made its way onto the World Endurance Championship grid thanks to United Autosports with a two car entry repping the #59 and #95 machines. The GT class marked a new WEC venture for United Autosports, which had celebrated extended success over four consecutive seasons in the LMP2 sports-prototype category.
At the recent 2023 season finale in Bahrain, the Yorkshire-based team signed off its LMP2 WEC programme with a total of 8 victories, 16 podiums, 11 pole positions and 18 front row starts from 27 full season races – and the record for the most pole positions achieved in one season. The McLaren 2024 entry means United maintains its presence in the WEC, dating back to 2019.
The team picked up a season best result at the 6h of Sao Paulo with the #95 and #59 finishing 3rd and 4th respectively, before finishing the season in 9th and 14th overall.
One other McLaren 720s GT3 made its way onto the WEC grid, for the 24 hours of Le Mans, courtesy of Inception Racing. Inception Racing secured their entry into the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans through an automatic invitation, a reward for their performance in the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Driver Brendan Iribe’s achievement as the highest-placed Bronze driver in the GT Daytona class earned him the prestigious Bob Akin Cup, which granted the team this coveted spot. They would end the race in 13th place, some 5 laps down on the leaders.
The McLaren 720s GT3s Key Characteristics in LMU:
PROS:
- Good acceleration
- Good over curbs
- Good entry stability
- Many different setup philosophies possible
CONS:
- Can be a bit unstable when lifting off the throttle
- Lacks performance in high-speed corners
- Can understeer on corner exit
The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R
| Car | Ruleset | Engine |
| Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R | FIA WEC GT3 | 5.5-litre naturally-aspirated V8 |
Chevrolet was not a new name in the World Endurance Championship for 2024, fielding a Corvette C8.R in the GTE class for 2023. The actual season was a roaring success. Victories at Sebring, Portimao and the 24 hours of Le Mans, along with consistent podium finishes, enabled them to clinch the LMGTE Am Teams’ Championship. The drivers’ consistent performances also earned them the LMGTE Am Drivers’ Championship titles
In 2024, TF Sport transitioned from their longstanding partnership with Aston Martin to collaborate with Corvette Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. This strategic move involved fielding two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R cars in the newly introduced LMGT3 category.
Throughout the 2024 WEC season, TF Sport’s Corvette entries demonstrated competitive performance. Notably, the #81 Corvette secured a 2nd place finish at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, contributing to a double podium for the team in the LMGT3 category as the #82 car took the final podium spot to end the season on a high. As for the season, the team finished 10th and 12th in the overall standings, struggling to get on top of the Z06 in its first season of GT racing in WEC.
The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Key Characteristics in LMU:
PROS:
- Very good acceleration
- Good low speed performance
- Good on the brakes
- Great mid corner rotation (if you can control it)
CONS:
- Most difficult to drive (Note: Often has to be driven one gear higher than other cars for better traction)
- Most difficult to set-up
- Tends to oversteer mid corner in the slow speed stuff
- Lacks top speed
The Ferrari 296 GT3
| Car | Ruleset | Engine |
| Ferrari 296 GT3 | FIA WEC GT3 | 2.9 litre V6 turbo |
Ferrari came into the 2024 season on the same boat as Chevrolet, in that they were not a new name in the World Endurance Championship, having previously run with the ever popular Ferrari 488 GTE.
The 2024 season began on a challenging note for Vista AF Corse, the primary team campaigning the Ferrari 296 GT3 for the full season entry. However, they found their stride as the year progressed, securing notable victories with the #54 car at the 6 Hours of Fuji and the #55 car at the 8 Hours of Bahrain.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans featured five Ferrari entries, including Spirit of Race—affiliated with AF Corse and earning their spot through the ELMS—GR Racing, formerly known as Gulf Racing, securing their place via previous WEC participation, and JMW Motorsport, also qualifying through ELMS. These teams joined Vista AF Corse, which fielded two entries, completing a strong Ferrari presence on the grid.
The Vista AF Corse team would finish the 2024 campaign in a respectable 3rd and 7th place overall for the two entries, marking it as a successful campaign with those victories and several podiums to their name, alongside a successful Hypercar programme that also saw them finish the season in 3rd place whilst winning back to back 24h of Le Mans.
The Ferrari 296 GT3 Key Characteristics in LMU:
PROS:
- Very good over curbs
- The best top speed on low wing tracks
- Note: Has the least “vibrations” from the ABS
- Very powerful straight line braking
CONS:
- Can have instability when combining braking and steering
- Lacks acceleration
- Lacks agility
- Oversteers into fast corner entries
The BMW M4 GT3
| Car | Ruleset | Engine |
| BMW M4 GT3 | FIA WEC GT3 | 3.0 litre straight six turbo |
In the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, BMW M Motorsport, in collaboration with BMW M Team WRT, fielded two BMW M4 GT3s in the newly introduced LMGT3 category. This marked BMW’s return to the WEC’s GT class, aligning with the series’ transition from GTE to GT3 regulations.Â
BMW Team WRT would field two cars to tackle this campaign in the form of the #31 and #46 machines. With the most notable result coming at the 6 hours of Imola where they picked up a 1-2 finish with the #31 leading home the #46. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans the #31 BMW M4 GT3 secured a second-place finish as the other highlight of the year before Rossi and co picked up a final podium at the 6 hours of Fuji.
The team ended the 2024 season 4th in the standings at their first attempt in the LMGT3 World Endurance Championships class, whilst also juggling their racing programme over in the Hypercar class with the BMW M Hybrid V8 Hypercar, where they only managed one podium all season.
Around the world the BMW M4 GT3 was a huge success, claiming titles in DTM, GT World Challenge Europe and British GT, so expect them to be back fighting at the front again in 2025.
The BMW M4 GT3’s Key Characteristics in LMU:
PROS:
- Most neutral car
- Good to drive on low fuel runs
- Easy to drive
- Easy to set-up
- Very good in high speed corners
CONS:
- Lacks acceleration
- Lacks low speed performance
- Not good over curbs
