The new-look, three-class Michelin Le Mans Cup has attracted a record number of entries for 2025, with 44 cars set to take on the full-season.
This year LMP3 has been split into two classes, one for Pro line-ups with Silver and Gold-rated drivers, the other for Pro/Am crews with a mandatory Bronze.
The new headline category for Pro line-ups totals 20 cars, while the LMP3 category featuring Bronze drivers has 16 on the list.
Crucially, for the new Toyota twin-turbo V6-powered era of LMP3, all four chassis manufacturers will be represented for the first time for the full season.
Ligier has the most customers, with 26 total JS P325s, 12 in LMP3 and 14 in LMP3 Pro/Am. Duqueine’s D09 will also feature in both classes, with five in LMP3 and two in LMP3 Pro/Am. A pair of ADESS AD25s will race in LMP3, as will a single Ginetta G61-LT-P3 Evo.
In LMP3, reigning champion CLX Motorsport (formerly COOL Racing) returns to run two Ligiers, with reigning driver’s champion David Droux teaming up with fellow Swiss driver Cedric Oltramare in the #97, while the #87 car will be shared by Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Alvise Rodella
2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup Champion Team Virage will also enter a pair of Ligier JS P325s, with Sacha Lehmann in the #16 car and Samir Ben in the #74 entry.
2021 Teams’ Champion Nielsen Racing has switched to the ADESS AD25. Colin Noble will race with fellow (Finali Mondiali-winning) Briton Tom Fleming in the #4 car, while Columbian Henry Cubides-Olarte will race in the #7.
Four-time MLMC Team Champions DKR Engineering has also switched manufacturers in the off-season, from Duqueine to Ginetta. Wyatt Brichacek and Freddie Tomlinson will share the driving duties in the #3 entry.
2024 standout team R-ace GP is back this season with a two-car LMP3 class effort for the French team, with a third car in LMP3 Pro/Am. Germany’s Hugo Schwartze will pilot the #85 D09-Toyota, while Edgar Pierre will drive the #86 entry.
Spain’s CD Sport, Italian team TS Corse and new team Gebhardt Motorsport from Germany will also all run a Duqueine D09 apiece.
French teams ANS Motorsport and Forestier Racing by VPS will each run a pair of Ligier JS P325s, while High Class Racing, Reiter Engineering, Bretton Racing, 23Events Racing and M Racing will each run a single Ligier in the LMP3 category.
The LMP3 Pro/Am field meanwhile, sees 2022 MLMC LMP3 Team Champion Racing Spirit of Léman enter a single Ligier for Anglo-German pairing of Christian Gisy and ex-Toyota factory driver Ralf Kelleners.
Polish outfit Inter Europol Competition and German team Rinaldi Racing will each run a pair of Ligiers. Canadian Garrett Grist is listed in the #34 car and American Aristotle Balogh has been named in the #43, while Steve Parrow and Daniel Keilwitz will race the #66 Rinaldi entered Ligier and Stefan Aust and Felipe Fernandez-Laser will share the #71 car.
The two Duqueine D09s will be run by R-ace GP and Spanish team CD Sport. Romano Ricci will be the Bronze driver in the #88 R-ace GP example, with Lebanese driver Shahan Sarkissian as the Bronze driver in the #31 CD Sport run car.
23Events Racing, High Class Racing, Bretton Racing, Reiter Engineering and ANS Motorsport will all run a single Ligier JS P325 in the LMP3 Pro/Am class alongside their entries in the LMP3 category.
Belgian race winner Eric De Doncker returns for a full season with his Motorsport98 team, while P4 Racing, GG Classics and More Motorsport will all enter a single JSP325 to make up the 16-strong LMP3 Pro/Am grid for the 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup.
While the LMP3 field is in rude health, the GT3 category has thinned to eight cars, four of which are Ferrari 296s. Last year nine cars competed in the season opener in Barcelona and 11 took part in the other rounds bar Le Mans, where the field swelled to 18.
Reigning GT3 Team Champion AF Corse is back to defend its title with a single car entry. Alessandro Cozzi and Eliseo Donno will share the driving duties in the #51 Ferrari 296 GT3.
Two-time champion Kessel Racing also returns with two cars. Italian pairing Lorenzo Ferdinando Innocenti and Andrea Belicchi will race its #17 Ferrari, with Turkish driver Murat Ruhi Cuhadaroglu teaming up with Italian David Cleto Fumanelli in the #33.
Spanish team Biogas Motorsport return for a second season with a single 296 for Josep Mayola Comadira and Marc Carol Ybarra.
Team Motopark will make its MLMC full season debut, with the Austrian team running a Mercedes-AMG GT3, with German driver Heiko Neumann being named as the Bronze driver.
French team Code Racing Development will run the only Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO on the grid, with Bailey Voisin as the lead driver.
There are two Porsche 911 GT3 R 992s. One for 2017 MLMC Champion Ebimotors and Bronze-rated Romanian Fabrizio Broggi and another for Iron Dames, which campaigned a Lamborghini last time out.
As previously announced, its #83 entry will be driven by 2023 F1 Academy Champion Marta Garcia and she is partnered by Vanina Ickx.
“With a record number of cars on the grid, all the signs are suggesting that this 10th season of the championship will be fiercely contested! The six rounds will give the drivers invaluable endurance experience on prestigious circuits,” said Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
“We look forward to the curtain-raiser in Barcelona in April and, of course, to the two Road To Le Mans races in June on the 24 Hours of Le Mans bill.”
Frédéric Lequien, Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM) CEO, added: “2025 is a landmark year for the Michelin Le Mans Cup as it is ten years since the series was unveiled. With a record 44 cars and great lineups, it is the perfect stage for teams and drivers looking to launch their endurance racing careers.
“It is fantastic to see all four chassis manufacturers – Ligier, Duqueine, Adess and Ginetta – represented on the 2025 grid with the new generation of LMP3 cars, while the GT3 class promises another thrilling year.
“We’re grateful to our title partner Michelin for their long-time support and thank all teams joining us for an exciting 2025 season in endurance racing.”
