With little or no sign of the current roster of LMP2 teams stepping away any time soon, there is a looming issue for the race organisers of the European Le Mans Series.
Next season, 2027, will be the farewell tour in ELMS competition for the current specification of LMP2 cars. From 2028, the ORECA 09 and Ligier JS P228 will debut with Gibson-Nismo V6 turbo power, and several teams have seen that transition as a potential opportunity to break into the ‘ELMS LMP2 club’.
The beginning of new regulation cycles has long been seen as an ideal moment to enter a new category, with the reduction of the data deficit and knowledge that teams can maximise the lifespan of their newly purchased cars amongst the key contributing factors. For example, in 2017, when the current LMP2 regulations were introduced, no fewer than six squads made their LMP2 debut in the ELMS alone.
DSC is aware that all of the current two-car LMP2 squads plan to return in 2027 though there may well be a shuffle between the two Classes (LMP2 and LMP2 Pro-Am).
Current LMP3 competitor Eurointernational has told DSC that it plans to apply in 2028 with a new Ligier, whilst current Michelin Le Mans Cup outfits, including Brutal Fish Campos Racing and Trajectus Motorsport, are amongst several outfits preparing plans to move up the order.
That leaves LMEM with a tricky choice because the grid is already realistically as large as it can be, at 47. The choices are clear: restrict some teams’ two-car efforts to a single car to allow for new blood; reduce or delete LMP3 from the ELMS; or squeeze the already heavily oversubscribed LMGT3 class.
The options around LMP3 are not as simple as they may seem, with several current Le Mans Cup teams including the aforementioned Trajectus and Brutal Fish Campos squads, plus ANS Motorsport, 23Events Racing and Motorsport98 amongst others, keen to use the lower prototype category to step up into ELMS competition.
One of their number, Forestier Racing by VPS, is already set for for an ELMS berth, having been named as the nominated service provider for Panis Racing’s LMP2 efforts from 2028.
And there’s little respite from the issue from the LMGT3 field – Pretty much all of the 2026 teams plan to apply again for 2027 with AF Corse confirming to DSC at Portimao that it intends to field a car to replace the outgoing #55 Ferrari of Duncan Cameron.
Lamborghini has made it clear that they re looking or a route back in to the ACO racing ecosystem with the Temerario GT3 and, indeed a pair of teams (Leipert Motorsport and the new DFYNE team) will do so in the Asian LMS this winter. It is certainly more than possible that at least one entry will be sought for the ELMS.
WRT is also known to be interested in fielding a BMW M4 GT3 Evo in the ELMS whilst Heart of Racing too sees the ELMS as a strong option for a planned expansion of its GT racing plans.
Change, it seems, is coming, either in 2027, 2028 or both!
Image courtesy of Paul Foster
