Magnussen family may reunite at Le Mans if Peugeot defers entry
Peugeot driver Kevin Magnussen could team up with this father Jan at the Le Mans 24 Hours for a second season if the French manufacturer opts against contesting the race.
Last season's father-and-son line-up at the High Class Racing LMP2 squad looks set to be repeated at the double-points World Endurance Championship round on 11/12 June should Peugeot decide not to take part with its new Le Mans Hypercar and the Danish entrant gains the necessary entry.
The plan would be for the Magnussens to share an ORECA-Gibson 07 in the pro/am LMP2 sub-class together with veteran Mark Patterson, who raced with High Class in the 2019/20 WEC.
Peugeot has stated that it will make a decision on whether to take its new 9X8 to Le Mans prior to publication of the entry list for this year's 90th edition of the race, which is due next Monday.
It remains unclear whether it will communicate its decision ahead of the release of the full 62-car list.
"I really hope to go back to Le Mans again, because I love the race so much," Magnussen Sr told Autosport.
"I'd love to do it with Kevin again, but I've got mixed emotions about it because I'd really like to see him there in the Peugeot going for the overall victory."
Magnussen Sr would be on course for his 23rd Le Mans participation if his High Class entry is accepted, though he said he would count it as his 24th even though his Chevrolet Corvette C7.R was withdrawn from the 2015 event after he crashed heavily in during qualifying.
"It will be my 24th as far as I'm concerned: I know we didn't start in 2015, but I've still got the bruises to show for it, so I know I was there," he explained.
Magnussen father and son finished last in LMP2 class in 2021 with Fjordbach after several delays
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
A 23rd start this year would put Magnussen in joint eighth position on the list of all-time Le Mans participations.
High Class team principal Anders Fjordbach confirmed that the squad had made two entries for Le Mans this year.
He would race the second car together with team regular Dennis Anderson, with whom he is contesting the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2022.
Fjordbach explained that the third driver for this car has yet to be decided.
High Class fielded two ORECAs at Le Mans last year, its full-season WEC entry and an additional car to which Magnussen Sr and Fjordbach swapped.
Together with Kevin Magnussen, they finished 29th overall and last in class after a long delay for repairs necessitated by a tyre deflation caused by contact with another LMP2 car.
Related video
Le Mans town scrutineering returns for 2022 edition of 24 Hours
Peugeot delays WEC return until after Le Mans 24 Hours
Who will race in WEC and IMSA with LMDh/LMH cars in 2023?
Sportscar racing is set to enter a new golden era from 2023, with new rules bringing back much needed life to a motorsport discipline that has been moribund in recent years. Here’s the full list of manufacturers who are building cars to LMDh and Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) regulations.
NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson retires from full-time racing
Seven-time NASCAR champion and IndyCar sophomore Jimmie Johnson has announced he is to step down from full-time racing in 2023.
Friday Favourite: The era-defining Porsche that brought Stuck his fondest memories
The instantly identifiable car of the Group C era, the Porsche 962 still figures in Hans-Joachim Stuck’s dreams. He explains what made the car his ideal muse in Autosport’s ongoing series
Porsche’s hopeful Le Mans future meets its illustrious past
Rising sportscar star Adam Smalley had to pinch himself when offered the chance to drive the car that won the world’s most famous enduro in 1987
Porsche’s hopeful Le Mans future meets its illustrious past
Rising sportscar star Adam Smalley had to pinch himself when offered the chance to drive the car that won the world’s most famous enduro in 1987
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
How Formula E's double-duty drivers influenced their Le Mans teams' fortunes
Eight Formula E drivers made the 7,000-mile sprint from the streets of Jakarta to the fabled Circuit de la Sarthe and every one had a story to share at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a range of triumphs and disappointments, each driver doubling up on the day job played a key role in their teams' fortunes
Le Mans 2022: The team by team guide
The 90th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours is here. Here's Autosport's run down of the full field and who to look out for in each class
The great Le Mans garagistes that challenged factory might
Glickenhaus is the latest in a line of small-time constructors to take on the big names. Here are some of the finest in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours
When the moribund GTE Pro class stole the show at Le Mans
The GTE class faces a time of transition, with Ferrari and Porsche both committing resources to Hypercar programmes for next year's World Endurance Championship and GT3 cars confirmed to take over from 2024. But at its pomp in the recent past, the GTE Pro class pitched manufacturers and top drivers into the tightest of duels
How an Italian junior formula giant is readying for its Le Mans future
Prema remains a colossus in single-seaters, but the serial Formula 2 and Formula 3 title-winning squad has joined forces with top GT squad Iron Lynx for an attack on sportscars in the World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. Ahead of its debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours, its sights are firmly fixed on LMP2 glory – and a future in Hypercars next year...