Current IMSA LMP3 team Sean Creech Motorsport has acquired a Ligier JS P217 for its move into the LMP2 class for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
“We’re happy to have our programme set for 2024,” said team principal Sean Creech. “We wanted to stay in the prototype classes and our existing relationship with Ligier opened the door to staying with them. It’s the same number of races as LMP3, and the logistics are very similar to the programme that we’ve been running the last few years, so it made sense to go with LMP2.”
The team’s decision to move into the LMP2 class of IMSA WeatherTech follows the decision to drop the LMP3 class in the championship at the end of the current season.
Sean Creech has been a longstanding supporter of LMP3 racing with Ligier. Since the Ligier LMP3 chassis was introduced the team has contested each of the IMSA series that it has been eligible for, including the WeatherTech series, the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, and the IMSA Prototype Challenge.
The team’s new LMP2 chassis is being shipped to the USA from Europe and is set to arrive in Miami later this week. On arrival, the team will begin to prepare for next season, in addition to competing at the final three IMSA WeatherTech races of the 2023 season that feature LMP3 at Road America, Indianapolis and Road Atlanta.
“We have a lot of crew members who have worked on the Ligier LMP2 car, so the changeover won’t be difficult at all,” anticipates Creech. “Our engineers are working to get all the data we need to start a testing programme – the lead time to get a Gibson lease engine is long so hopefully we can get something going before that. We’ll look to get as many miles as possible over the winter to get completely up to speed on everything before Daytona.”
The Ligier JS P217 has previously raced in North America, most recently as the platform for the ESM and CORE-entered Nissan DPi, which earned pole at Watkins Glen and wins at Road America, Petit Le Mans, Sebring and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The final Nissan DPi appearance was the 2019 season finale at Road Atlanta with CORE Autosport.
Prior to that, it had also been utilised as an LMP2 car in the championship. The last time a Ligier JS P217 competed in IMSA was during the 2018 season when both United Autosports and AFS PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports completed partial seasons with the French constructor.
Globally, the last time a Ligier JS P217 was run competitively was at the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours with Spanish team CD Sport.
Creech looks forward to remaining in the prototype class and continuing the team’s association with Ligier as it opens a new chapter with the LMP2 campaign.
“We have a long history in prototypes,” said Creech. “I started working on them back in the late 80’s on a Porsche 962. This is a good fit for us, especially given our relationship with Ligier that dates back to 2017. We look forward to starting our 2024 prep now.”
Sean Creech will reveal its driver line-up in due course.
Images courtesy of Sean Creech
