In the second part of the paddock round-robin at the ELMS season finale conducted by the DSC Editor and our French friend and colleague David Bristol we take a look at the current intentions of the ELMS teams for 2023 in both LMP3 and GTE.
GTE in particular is a tricky one to call at present as the teams wait to find out how many cars will be accepted by the FIA WEC for the final season for the GTE AM class.
It seems, at present, that there a drive to actively encourage teams with two cars in WEC, and indeed to advise those that cannot field a pair that acceptance is unlikely.
This sits in parallel to another narrative that is informing several LMP2 teams seeking a second WEC entry that this option is unlikely to be available to them s the WEC looks to pave the way for both a rapid increase in the numbers of top-class Hypercars in 2023, then again in 2024, and the debut of GT3 cars in the World Championship to replace GTE Am from 2024.
The entry list policy in the ELMS has been, for some time, to encourage as large an LMP2 entry as possible, then to find a healthy GTE class entry, both classes directly relevant bot to the FIA WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Any available slots to the level determined in that season to be the defined maximum grid have been filled with LMP3 cars.
That figure in 2023 is understood to be at or around a maximum season entry of 42 cars.
With an LMP2 entry of c.16 cars expected in the ELMS in 2023, that leaves around 26 slots to be filled.
LMP3
DSC believes that five existing teams are likely to field two cars apiece in the ELMS in 2023:
Cool Racing, Eurointernational, Inter Europol, RLR MSport, and United Autosports.
In addition four other teams are now to have active plans to enter with at least a single ELMS LMP3 entry:
Racing Spirit of Leman have an automatic invitation to the ELMS after taking the win in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in 2022.
Nielsen Racing are likely to return with a singe LMP3 alongside their expected return in LMP2 Pro-Am.
DKR Engineering are understood to be evaluating an LMP2 programme but are likely to request a return, with or without an LMP2 effort, and are likely to once again be the sole Duqueine-mounted effort in the ELMS
360 Racing, a reserve listed entry in 2022 were given a late call-up for a full-season slot and have performed well through the season. They too would like a return with at least one car.
In the Michelin Le Mans Cup meanwhile United are expected to return with four LMP3 Ligiers, Inter Europol have already confirmed that they intend to enter for the first time with two, Optimum Motorsport have confirmed a return with at least a single car entry and Racing Spirit of LeMan will continue with a single car.
GTE
Aston Martin
TF Sport are set to return with a likely two car Aston Martin effort, though with a revised customer line-up from 2022 alongside a parallel WEC effort.
GMB Racing are set to join the ELMS with a single Aston Martin GTE effort alongside a likely return to the Michelin Le Mans Cup with at least one Honda NSX. The team will, campaign the Vantage with an all-Danish driver squad, and the car will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the team’s automatic invitation earned via their GT3 Championship win in the 2022 Michelin Le Mans Cup.
Ferrari
AF Corse/ Spirit of Race will be back in 2023 with at least one, and more likely a pair of Ferrari 488 GTEs. Duncan Cameron’s #55 car looks set to return alongside at least one additional customer effort.
Rinaldi Racing’s plans are currently unclear but a returning 1-2 car Ferrari effort looks likely.
JMW Motorsport, the longest serving effort in the ELMS, are working on a plan to return for the final tilt at GTE with their 488, 2023 will be the seventh consecutive season that the car will have seen action, this the same car as Jim McWhirter’s squad debuted at, and won, the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Kessel Racing are seeking an entry in the 2023 FIA WEC but, if there is an insistence of two-car efforts, may instead return to the ELMS with the Car Guy-liveried Ferrari.
Porsche
Proton Competition are set to field 1-2 Proton-entered Porsches in 2023, with an outside possibility that one might switch to an Absolute Racing-labelled effort.
Absolute Racing though currently look unlikely to return after a full season in the ELMS in 2022 alongside back-to-back appearances at Le Mans, and some strong showings, Andrew Haryanto looks set to consider those boxes ticked.
Iron Lynx are the surprise here with an alliance with Proton to field Porsches rather than Ferraris in 2023’s GTE arenas as the team begins their pivot from Ferrari to Lamborghini. The ELMS is set to see a single Iron Lynx entered car with the Iron Dames effort focused on the WEC in 2023 where Proton is set to field no fewer than four Porsches, two for themselves, and a further pair with one apiece for Iron Lynx and the Iron Dames.
With GT3 looming for 2024, interest in the Michelin Le Mans Cup as a gateway to the LMEM product is significantly higher than usual at this point.
This writer is aware, for instance of multiple additional teams considering either single or multi-car GT3 entries utilising Mercedes AMG, Porsche, Lamborghini and McLaren machinery in addition to a returning Honda effort from GMB Racing and a possible return from the Bullit Racing Aston Martin effort
