The 2019 full season entry list is now out for the Michelin Le Mans Cup has been released, and it’s a record field.
32 cars are set to take on the full slate of races, marking the first time the series’ entry list has exceeded 30 cars (outside of the Road to Le Mans races which feature a number of guest entrants).
The biggest surprise for the season comes in the GT3 class, with 10 cars entered this year, making it the biggest entry of GT3 cars since the series’ inaugural season when it was GT3-only.
Not only is there a good number of cars this season, but the variety in chassis too, with Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Lamborghini all represented.
Leading the charge is 2018 Champion Kessel Racing, returning to defend its title and gun for another automatic Le Mans invite, with a two-car effort.
2018 Driver’s Champion Giacomo Piccini also returns at the wheel of the #8 Ferrari F488 GT3 and he will be joined by Claudio Schiavoni. Meanwhile, the #50 sister car will once again feature British duo, Ollie Hancock and John Hartshorne.
2017 Team Champions Ebimotors return to the Michelin Le Mans Cup this season with an unchanged line up of Paolo Venerosi and Alessandro Baccani in the #88 Porsche 911 GT3R. 2018 Vice Champion Christoph Ulrich will also be back at the wheel of the #51 Spirit of Race Ferrari F488.
Elsewhere, there’s a pair of entries from Scuderia Villorba Corse, the Italian team running with a Mercedes AMG GT3 for Swiss duo Roberto Pampanini and Mauro Calamia and Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for Cedric Mezard and Steeve Hiesse.
Another Italian team, Krypton Motorsport, has also signed up with a Mercedes AMG GT3, which will be steered by Marco Zanuttini and Stefano Pezzucchi.
And as previously announced, 2016 European Le Mans Series LMGTE Drivers Champion Andrew Howard, alongside Ross Gun, will bring his Beechdean AMR team to the Michelin Le Mans Cup with the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 racing the grid.
The two remaining cars are from, Luzich Racing (which has also entered a car this year in the ELMS GTE ranks) bringing a Ferrari F488 and the German outfit SPS Automotive Performance (a regular in GT Open and 24H Series) will run a Mercedes AMG GT3.
Then there’s the LMP3 entry, which features 22 cars, 13 Ligiers and nine Normas.
2017 and 2018 Team Champions DKR Engineering will return to defend its title with a two-car effort for the first time.
2018 Vice Champions Nielsen Racing will also return with Scotland’s Colin Noble. The double race winner will be joined by four-time podium finisher Tony Wells in the #2 Norma.
Graff will once again field two Norma M30s during the 2019 season. Adrien Chila, who finished fourth in the 2018 title race, is joined by fellow French driver Nicolas Schatz in the #39 car, while father and son duo, Eric and Adrien Trouillet, team up once again in the #9 Norma.
And as ever, United Autosports will have a strong presence, with three Ligiers. Cool Racing is also running a trio of cars.
RLR Msport returns too, after winning the ELMS LMP3 title in 2018. It will race with Christian Olsen, who is also set for double duty during Le Mans Cup weekends, the Dane signed up to race with the team in ELMS.
Much of the remaining entries on the list are from familiar teams, though there are a handful of new names to the series too.
Monza Garage (which has experience in VdeV), Grainmarket Racing (the second car run by Nielsen Racing, featuring Alex Mortimer in its line-up and Racing Experience (the team running Charlie Martin, who is looking to become the first transgender driver to race at Le Mans).
“We are pleased to see a very strong grid of 32 cars for the 2019 Michelin Le Mans Cup,” said Gérard Neveu, CEO of the Michelin Le Mans Cup.
“When we look at the high-quality teams and drivers that will compete this season we can be sure that each one will have to work very hard to win the 2019 Michelin Le Mans Cup title.
“When you look at the drivers and teams that have raced in the Le Mans Cup and have gone onto race in the ELMS, the WEC and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it underlines the importance of providing an entry-level to endurance racing and I would like to thank Michelin for their ongoing support of the Le Mans Cup.”
Matthieu Bonardel, Head of Michelin Motorsport added: “For the fourth year in a row Michelin is pleased to be part of the Michelin Le Mans Cup alongside the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. Along with our partner, we share the wish to make the Endurance ladder accessible for new drivers and teams, and also discover tomorrow’s champions. The level of the championship is higher and higher and the 2018 champions show it well.
“Michelin is also pleased that this formula attracts more and more entries. Thirty-two cars will take part in the 2019 season: it is the biggest grid ever seen thanks to new drivers and cars through a formula that combines pleasure, technology and performance with a fair budget.”
