12 cars are on hand for the inaugural round of the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup, which includes the late addition of an additional Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 from Classic and Modern Racing. The #26 car will be driven by ex-ELMS gentlemen driver Nicolas Misslin and ex-WEC driver/Formula Renault 3.5 star Maxime Vaxivivre.
The awning next door to Classic and Modern houses the Menthos Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, this is a brand new car delivered to and shaken down by the team last week. The owner of the car is Giedio Perfetti, whose younger brother Daniele won the British GT Championship in 2012 with Michael Cain. The family own the Menthos Sweets brand, hence the team name.
Driving with Perfetti is Proton Competition’s Klaus Bachler, the first of two drivers doing double duty this weekend.
The car looks absolutely mint. (The editor would like to apologise for the dreadful quality of the previous statement. I do the awful jokes here, sunshine.)
In one of the other Ferraris is entered by BMS Scuderia Italia Luigi Lucchini, whose family own and run the team and the sportscar manufacturer. Due to a busy calendar, Lucchini confirmed to DSC that the team only plans to enter the rounds at Red Bull Ring and Paul Ricard after this weekend. In recent years, BMS Scuderia Italia has been running a limited programme in Italian GT.
Tockwith Motorsport’s Audi R8 LMS was undergoing an engine change after the original unit suffered a fire in testing, the team though start this portion of the season having already scored some decent results in Britcar.
The pair of FFF Racing entries, Lamborghini Huracan and McLaren 650S GT3, look stunning in the team’s livery, adding considerably to the variety in what is a relatively small field for its first season.
Driving in the 650S GT3 is Brit Adrian Quaife-Hobbs paired with Hiroshi Hamaguchi.
Next in the ‘F’ team lineup, is TF Sport which fields a single Aston martin the time out, for Salih Yoluc and Euan Hankey with a second car set to be added for Le Mans and subsequent events. The team has a packed programme in 2016, running in the British GT and International GT Open.
FF Corse’s stunning Ferrari 488 GT3, shaken down at the pre-season test is now ready to rock with Ivor Dunbar and young talent, Johnny Mowlem at the wheel.
And the fourth F team, is inevitably AF Corse who field a trio of, wait for it, wait for it, Ferraris. Its selection includes a brand new 488 for Thomas Flohr and 2015 FIA WEC Aston Martin man, Francesco Castellacci.
A pair of 458 GT3s complete AF’s squad, with Rui Aguas, also doing double duty in the #14 with Pierre-Marie De Leener being the more notable entry.
Last but not least on the entry, is a seventh Ferrari run by Scuderia Villorba Corse, who like AF Corse, feature on both the GT3 LMC entry as well as the ELMS.
The cars hit the track later today for Free Practice 1, before Qualifying tomorrow at 11:20 and the two-hour race at 17:00 local time in Italy.
