The new-look LMP3 cars for the 2025 racing season are beginning to test ahead of their final homologation at the end of August.
The new Toyota-based twin-turbo V6, built and supplied to teams by ORECA, has been fired up and shaken down in the back of a Ligier JS P325 on an airfield ahead of the start of track testing by the four manufacturers.
The new V6, which will be coupled with the existing P1152 gearbox from Xtrac – with the same ratios but new bell housing – replaces the current 5.6-litre Nissan V8 which has provided the category’s soundtrack since 2020.
Next up is a planned test at Barcelona this week with Ligier, ahead of a run with ADESS and its AD25 at Estoril later in the month.
What about the other two manufacturers, Ginetta and Duqueine? Nothing is penned in at the time of writing, but this is set to change in the coming days.
There has been a slight delay to the resumption of testing caused by a minor hiccup with the engine, which now requires updating following the aforementioned airfield shakedown. There, an issue during gear changes was discovered.
ORECA has moved quickly in order to rectify the problem so that the four manufacturers still have ample time to test their 2025 LMP3s ahead of homologation. Whilst track testing is not currently underway for any of the four chassis manufacturers, all expect to be out and running shortly with their new cars.
Approached by DSC, ORECA confirmed that the new engine was in the process of an update, making it clear that such issues are part and parcel of the development phase of any new competition engine. It reiterated too that the update has already been completed and the engine is back in bench testing ahead of a release back to the chassis manufacturers.
Beyond that ORECA has confirmed that it will build 40 P3 engines ahead of the 2025 racing season, which will see the ELMS and Le Mans Cup become the first series to adopt the new cars. Then, during 2025, it will produce an additional 40 ahead of the 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series season and the wider adoption of the new prototypes globally in 2026.
