Kessel Racing will field Ferrari machinery across the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), Michelin Le Mans Cup and 24 Hours of Le Mans during a busy 2026 campaign.
The Swiss team will operate two Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo entries in the ELMS, alongside two Ferrari 296 GT3 Evos in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. It will also take two LMGT3 cars to the Circuit de la Sarthe for the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Several drivers will continue their existing relationships with Kessel Racing, while Romain Leroux and Oscar Ryndziewicz will begin new programmes with the team. Kessel Racing still has two positions to confirm across its ELMS and Le Mans line-ups.
Kimura and Serra return in the #57 Ferrari
Takeshi Kimura will begin his fifth consecutive ELMS season aboard Kessel Racing’s #57 Car Guy Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo.
The Japanese driver will once again share the car with Ferrari factory driver Daniel Serra. Kessel Racing will confirm the third member of the crew at a later date.
Kimura and Serra will compete in a 14-car LMGT3 field during the six-round European campaign. Ferrari will hold the largest presence in the category, with six updated 296 LMGT3 Evo entries on the grid.
The 2026 season will take the #57 crew to Barcelona, Le Castellet, Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone and Portimão.
Gilbert and Rueda continue with the #74 crew
Andrew Gilbert and Fran Rueda will return to Kessel Racing’s #74 Ferrari after completing their first ELMS campaign with the team in 2025.
Romain Leroux will join them for the new season and make his first appearances with the Swiss operation. Together, the trio will form Kessel Racing’s second LMGT3 crew.
The #74 entry gives Gilbert and Rueda continuity as they enter another six-round campaign, while Leroux will adapt to the team and its Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo programme.
Kessel Racing will therefore begin the ELMS season with one returning partnership in each car. Kimura and Serra will continue in the #57, while Gilbert and Rueda remain together in the #74.
Two Ferraris enter the Michelin Le Mans Cup
Kessel Racing will also operate the #17 and #21 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evos in the Michelin Le Mans Cup.
David Fumanelli will contest his third consecutive season with the team. The Italian will share the #17 Ferrari with compatriot Lorenzo Innocenti.
Meanwhile, Oscar Ryndziewicz will make his Michelin Le Mans Cup debut in the #21 entry. The British driver joins Kessel Racing after competing in the Ferrari Challenge Europe during 2025.
Giacomo Altoè will complete the #21 line-up. The Italian brings experience from several GT championships as he starts his programme alongside Ryndziewicz.
The two-car entry will run alongside Kessel Racing’s ELMS operation and give the team four Ferrari GT cars across the two European series.
Blattner, Patrese and Marschall prepare for Le Mans debuts
Kessel Racing will field two cars at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the race scheduled for 13 and 14 June.
Dustin Blattner will make his first appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Lorenzo Patrese and Dennis Marschall will join him, with both drivers also preparing for their Le Mans debuts.
The three drivers will share Kessel Racing’s #74 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo. Their programme will place the full crew into the 24-hour event for the first time.
The race will form the centrepiece of Kessel Racing’s season and add another major programme to its ELMS and Michelin Le Mans Cup commitments.
Kimura reaches an eighth consecutive Le Mans appearance
Kimura will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for an eighth consecutive year in Kessel Racing’s #57 Ferrari.
He will also share the car with Serra for the third time at the event. Kessel Racing has not yet announced the final member of the line-up.
The #57 crew will enter the LMGT3 category alongside the #74 Ferrari. Therefore, the team will take both of its ELMS car numbers and driver groups into the 62-car Le Mans field.
Kimura and Serra will combine their Le Mans programme with their full ELMS campaign, while the final driver will complete the team’s second three-person crew.
Kessel Racing sets out a three-programme campaign
Kessel Racing’s 2026 schedule will cover three major endurance racing competitions.
The team will run two Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evos throughout the ELMS season, two Ferrari 296 GT3 Evos in the Michelin Le Mans Cup and two LMGT3 entries at Le Mans.
Kimura, Serra, Gilbert and Rueda will continue with the team after previous campaigns, while Leroux and Ryndziewicz will make their Kessel Racing debuts. Blattner, Patrese and Marschall will also prepare for their first appearances in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The ELMS season will begin at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in April, before Kessel Racing turns its attention towards its remaining European rounds and the June trip to La Sarthe.
