33 cars took to the track for Sunday’s post-season ‘Rookie Test’ covering all four ELMS classes with 9 x LMP2 cars, plus 4 x LMP2 Pro-Am, the bakers dozen actually a mix and match of Pro and Am drivers.
LMP3 saw 12 cars running including a number of Michelin Le Mans Cup teams and cars.
LMGT3 was another mish mash of ELMS LMGT3 and Le Mans Cup GT3 machines with seven cars on track.
12 of the 13 LMP2 cars were amongst those in action in Saturday’s ELMS finale with the 13th an unliveried spare car from AO by TF, numbered #14 for PJ Hyett, Louis Deletraz, Lauren Heinrich, and Dane Cameron.
GTD Pro Heinrich is here as a ‘thank you’ from AO racing for his role in securing the team the IMSA GTD Pro Championship last weekend. The other trio? Wait and see!
Algarve Pro Racing are running both of their cars with the #25 crewed today by young BBM Sport historic racer and Karting Champ Alfie Briggs, joined by 2024 LMP3 Champion Micheal Jensen who is set to join the APR squad for the Asian Le Mans Series.
The #20 meanwhile sees 2013/24 Asian LMS racer Freddie Tomlinson back with the team. He was joined by 20-year-old US racer Bryson Morris whose most recent experience has been with Bryan Herta Motorsport in Michelin Pilot Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo. Morris is accompanied here by manager Nic Johnson.
Cool Racing fielded a single ORECA for the day for yesterday’s LMP3 race winner (and pole sitter) Manuel Espírito Santo and Kessel Racing’s ELMS LMGT3 Championship runner up Esteban Masson.
Duqueine Team’s #30 car lists a variety of 2024 LMP2 drivers from other teams: Luca Ghiotto, Raphael Narac and Filip Ugran, together with Silver-ranked Michelin Le Mans Cup LMP3 Champion Hadrien David.
Vector Sport’s #10 Oreca saw full season driver Ryan Cullen joined by Mugello ‘super sub’ Patrick Pilet.
Nielsen Racing ran both of their ORECAs. The #27 was shared by 2024 racer Colin Noble and the Ali brothers Daniel and Adam. The #24 saw Nick Yelloly joined by Cem Bolukbasi and 2023 Ferrari Challenge World Final winner Tom Fleming.
Nico Varrone shared the LMP2 Pro-AM Championship winning #83 AF Corse with WEC LM GT3 racer Simon Mann.
The #43 Inter Europol (Pedro Perino), #3 DKR Engineering (Wyatt Brichacek) and 19 Team Virage (Rik Koen, Minhea Stefan and Max van der Snell) all saw 2024 LMP3 talent get their first chances in LMP2 machinery.
Some of the above and several others will test at the circuit over the next two days too.
