Will we see more Ginetta G61-LT-P3 Evos out racing in the near future? After DKR Engineering scored the brand’s new-for-2025 LMP3 challenger’s first-ever victory in the second Road To Le Mans race last month, it appears multiple prospective teams and drivers are taking a closer look at the car.
Before the trip to La Sarthe for the Le Mans Cup teams in support of the Le Mans 24 Hours, Ligier’s JS P325 had claimed a clean sweep of ELMS and Le Mans Cup wins through the opening rounds of both campaigns. Thus, Antti Rammo and Thomas Laurent’s LMP3 Pro/Am class victory proved to be a significant milestone.
It was Ginetta’s first ever class win in Le Mans Cup competition, and crucially, it meant a G61-LT-P3 Evo had claimed a victory before Duqueine’s D09 and ADESS’ AD25.
“Road to Le Mans was great,” Ginetta’s motorsport CEO, Mike Simpson, told DSC. “We had two cars, and Antti (Rammo) and Thomas (Laurent) were a great pairing.
“It was typical Road to Le Mans, not much track time, so the Silver/Silver car with Freddie (Tomlinson) and Wyatt (Brichacek) found it harder because they hadn’t been there before. It was hard for them to know how it would unfold, but for the Pro/Am car to secure second place in the first race and then win the second was superb.
“The car started 25th overall because of the class split with the grid, but just ended up driving past people and got all the way up to ninth. It’s something we’re very proud of, and ultimately it’s what Lawrence (Tomlinson, Ginetta’s chairman) dreamed of, winning at Le Mans.”
In the weeks since DKR Engineering’s triumph at Le Mans with Rammo and Laurent, Simpson says interest from potential customers for the Yorkshire-based manufacturer’s car has spiked.
“We’ve got people wanting a test in the car, and we will be doing that with our partner CMR,” he said. “Ultimately, we have three cars sitting there ready to go, and we can react if anyone wants to switch or get a car delivered with plenty of time before 2026.”
The European Le Mans Series season resumes this weekend in Imola, and while the Le Mans Cup is not on the support bill (it returns at Spa in August), a G61-LT-P3 Evo will be present with DKR in the ELMS’ LMP3 class. It’s another opportunity for the Luxembourg-flagged team to turn heads with the car and build on what looks to be a solid foundation.
“DKR has gone about it all year really, plucking away, learning about the car,” Simpson concluded. “And on our side, we’ve been doing a lot of work as a factory with CFD to improve it. The car has been getting quicker and quicker, and we thought we could nab a podium on debut at Barcelona, but the strategy didn’t go our way.
“It’s been a case of constant improvement in lap time. We’re still a bit off the Ligier, but we’ve really pulled the gap in. We’ve been working hard on top speed, understanding ride height and drag. And it showed because we were strong at all the speed traps, and in Sector 2 at Le Mans, we were the second fastest overall of the full grid.
“I feel we are rapidly catching up on the years of development we’ve missed out on. We just need to keep getting results. Reliability has been fantastic, and the engineering on the car has attracted teams to take a look. So I’m sure we can have more cars on the grid next year.”
Image courtesy of Le Mans Cup
