The new look Michelin Le Mans Cup, with LMP3 cars added for the year, is set to see a 20 car grid from the start of the season with the majority opting for the LMP3 class.
GT3
A handful of GT3 cars are confirmed with a small number of additional teams and cars in negotiation with the Series organisers.
The pre-season test at Portimao sees five GT3 cars on the list, with a sixth confirmed for the full season.
The Mercedes AMG GT3s from RAM Racing and Lee Mowle were early announcements, following on from the Optimum Racing Audi R8 GT3.
For the test Tom Onslow Cole is absent, busy on Nurburgring duties leaving Remon Voss on solo patrol in the #5 RAM car but Phil Keen and Lee Mowle are both present for the #7 AMG, Joe Osborne and Flick Haigh return after a one-off at Paul Ricard last year for Optimum.
Cedric Mezard is joined at Portimao by the evergreen Andrea Belicchi in the Scuderia Villorba Corse (SVC) Sport Management Lamborghini and WEC racer Ben Barker joins forces with ex GT Cup racer Andrew Baker in a Gulf Racing UK entered Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Ebimotors have confirmed a Lamborghini too with the two Huracans switching drivers for race action from the test – Steeve Hiesse will join Mezard in the SVC car, Babini will move over to the Ebimotors machine with Emanuele Busnelli.
LMP3
The test is a little down on LMP3 entries compared to the expected entry with at least two teams busy at the opening round of the new ACO-sanctioned Henderson Insurance LMP3 Cup.
United Autosports and Nielsen Racing are both set to enter Ligiers, the two United cars both tested during the Monza ELMS Prologue (the Gulf liveried car of Shaun Lynn and Richard Means and a car in United’s more usual colours for Matt Bell and Jim McGuire), the Nielsen team racing at Donington Park but will be entered for a full season with the Ecurie Ecosse liveried Ligier of Colin Noble and Tony Wells.
Duqueine Engineering fielded their third car at Monza too and is expected to join the Michelin Le Mans Cup with at least one car.
The Motorsport 98 Ligier, announced for Andy Meyrick and Eric de Doncker isn’t listed in Portimao either, but is a full season entry (update via Andy himself) the car was only delivered on Tuesday, time for a shakedown but not to transport the new Ligier to Portugal. They’ll be there redy to race in Italy though.
The nine LMP3 cars that are listed for the test come from a mix of ELMS regulars and newcomers stepping up from elsewhere.
SVC field their Ligier at the test as a placeholder for the missing Ebimotors Lamborghini, this car is not a season entry in the Series.
RLR Sport field their second Ligier for Ross Warburton and ELMS/Le Mans Cup double duty man Alex Kapadia who went very well indeed in the first part of the ELMS race at Silverstone.
By Speed Factory attend the test too with Miguel Abello and Mirko Van Oostrum, the car and drivers though are not full season entrants, the team taking the opportunity to test new drivers and to investigate new potential programmes.
Graff Racing though, a 2016 ELMS LMP3 team stepping up to LMP2 in 2017 field one of their Ligiers for the test and the season, Silver ranked Emilien Cards and Bronze driver Adrien Chila on driving duties.
M.Racing YMR attend the test with a Norma and a Ligier, both with three drivers listed. For the season though it looks set to be a solo Ligier (the team have two available).
Whilst YMR don’t look set to field a Norma, DKR Engineering do, the #3 M30 is not listed for the test, but is on the full season entry for Belgian driver Jean Glorieux and Nurburgring racing regular Alex Toril.
SPV Motorsport made a one-off appearance subbing for By Speed Factory at the Spa ELMS round last season, they are back with their Ligier for the Le Mans Cup with Alvaro Fontes and Dane Kim Rodkjaer for the season but a couple of newer faces testing in Portugal.
The #33 Ibran Pardo Javier entry, handled by BE Motorsport, also attended the Monza ELMS Prologue, Javier Ibran and Mathjis Bakker back on duty in Portugal.
Listed for the season but not testing are N’Race, Vde V regulars fielding Jordan Perroy and Alain Costa.
And so too are Spirit of Race (AF Corse) this the second Ligier LMP3 fielded on behalf of a customer, Claudio Sdanewitsch’s car shared with Michele Rugolo, in the Le mans Cup joining the AT Racing branded car run by AF Corse in ELMS.
Finally Kox Racing move into a full season of racing with Nico Pronk’s Ligier, the Dutchman joining forces once again with Peter Kox, the pair combined to win a race in Dubai’s preview events for the 24H Proto Series.
Add that little lot together and you get around 14 cars LMP3 cars either testing or previously confirmed in addition to the quintet of GTs.
Portimao will see some 14 hours of available testing ahead of round one of the Series next month at Monza.
