Ligier have confirmed that their current sales of the JS P3 LMP3 car have now reached 76 cars, this just a year after the car was initially marketed.
After its competition debut in October 2015 the Onroak Automotive team found themselves in a race against time to fulfil demand.
20 cars were completed, tested and on the grid for the start of the 2016 European Le Mans Series plus cars for the Asian Le Mans Series, VdeV and the now defunct FFSA Super Series.
Since then further Series and Championships have adopted the LMP3 format as part of their class structure including the new for 2017 UK Prototype Cup, IMSA’s Lites series (with sales progressing strongly in North America) and the new for 2017 Chinese LMP3 Championship that has already seen 6 sales of what is currently a potential 16 for the first declared one-make Championship for the Ligier. The Gulf 12 Hours and Creventic’s Proto Cup are also now firmly in the LMP3 marketplace too.
DSC understands that current production plans for the JSP3 see 100 cars in the schedule though the current pace of sales look set to see even that total extended!
In Europe the ACO’s ELMS is set to see a marginal reduction in numbers to accommodate an expected growth in the LMP2 numbers but that is set to be more than balanced by an extension of the Michelin Le Mans Cup to accommodate LMP3s too.
As for the LMP3 opposition – in Asia the Ligiers are matched in numerical terms by the Ginetta G57 P3s, the UK built LMP3 still very competitive indeed against the JS P3, with a solo Adess 03 also in action.
The Norma and Ave Riley LMP3 programmes have seen delays but both have customers for 2017 whilst the announced Dome LMP3 programme is understood to be defunct.
