The biggest story coming into the new season of the European Le Mans Series involves the smallest cars as LMP3 reaches its third generation.
The new cars see a major change, shifting from the 5.6-litre normally aspirated Nissan V8 to a 3.6-litre twin turbo Toyota-based unit, again prepped as a full spec powertrain by ORECA.
Four chassis options are again available, with three of them included on the ELMS entry (the fourth from ADESS is represented in the Michelin Le Mans Cup).
The entry sees eight Ligier JS P325s being joined by one Duqueine D09 and one Ginetta G61-LT-P325-Evo for the full season. Did the two days of testing earlier this week give us a hint regarding the hierarchy? Ligier ran fastest, with Duqueine and Ginetta’s chassis second and third respectively in the times.
It will almost certainly take a few races to get a true feel for the ultimate performance levels of the three cars, especially as testing in hot conditions was limited during the developmental period. But there’s no escaping the fact that this feels like a pivotal week for the formula’s new era.
Former LMP3 Champions DKR Engineering will run the only Ginetta on the grid, the #4 with American Wyatt Brichacek and Estonian Antti Ramo being joined by Denmark’s Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen. This programme marks the Yorkshire, UK-based manufacturer’s return to a full-season ELMS campaign for the first time in a decade.
The sole Duqueine D09 in the field will be run by WTM by Rinaldi Racing as #12. Team regulars Torsten Kratz and Leo Weiss are being joined by Australian Griffin Peebles, who was instrumental in Bretton Racing becoming Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 Team Champions in February after some stellar performances in the UAE.
Reigning LMP3 champion RLR MSport returns to defend its title in a new Ligier JS P325 as #15, with Michael Jensen and Nick Adcock also back in the ELMS to try and make it two in a row. The South African drivers are joined by former Michelin Le Mans Cup and Ligier European Series champion Gillian Henrion, who won the 4 Hours of Barcelona with Team Virage last year.
Former ELMS Team champion Eurointernational fields an intriguing trio in its new #11 JS P325.
Mexican racer Ian Aguilera is already an LMP3 race winner with RLR MSport in the Asian Le Mans Series this season, as he steps up from the Ligier European Series. Sebastian Gravlund moves up to the ELMS after a season in the Le Mans Cup with Inter Europol and is joined by 2024 Le Mans Cup Championship runner-up Fabien Michal.
CLX Motorsport will be looking to reclaim the titles won in 2022 and 2023 by Cool Racing with their #17 Ligier. Reigning Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 Drivers Champion Theodor Jensen is joined by teenage Le Mans Cup graduates Adrien Closmenil and Paul Lanchère, who scored a class podium with Ultimate in a one-off ELMS appearance in 2024.
Inter Europol have famously fallen short of the title in the ELMS on multiple occasions. It brings a very different look to the LMP3 campaign in 2025 with the #88 Ligier featuring BWT pink colours for Tim Creswick, Indy NXT race winner Reece Gold and 17-year-old Belgian racer Douwe Dedecker.
Team Virage meanwhile, has hopes of adding an ELMS title to its growing trophy cabinet. The team’s #8 Ligier will include the only Spanish driver on the LMP3 grid, with Daniel Nogales being joined by Pole Jacek Zielonka and Dutchman Rik Koen.
Swiss squad Racing Spirit of Léman will feature an all-French driver line up in the #31 Ligier with Marius Fossard, Jacques Wolff and Jean-Ludovic Foubert.
French team Ultimate will also see an all-French line up in its #35 Ligier, with returning brothers (and team co-owners) Jean-Baptiste and Matthieu Lahaye joined by Louis Stern for all rounds after Barcelona.
Sterm will miss the opening round due to the imminent arrival of a baby and be replaced by Louis Rossi.
The team reverts for the ELMS to an in-house effort after several seasons of service provision from a variety of other teams.
Finally, M Racing returns to the ELMS for the first time since 2019 with their #68 Ligier fielding Ultimate Cup graduate Quentin Antonel, and 2024
Italian GT Sprint Championship GT Cup Pro-Am Champion as the only full-season two-man crew in the Series.
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