The entry list for the 8th season of the ELMS-supporting Michelin Le Mans Cup has been revealed ahead of the season opener in Barcelona. The list features a bumper field of 42 cars, with 30 of them in the LMP3 class and the remaining 12 in the GT3 category.
In addition to the 42 cars named in the two aforementioned classes the H24 hydrogen-powered LMP3-based prototype is set to join the field for a select number of races during the season as an ‘innovative car’ in its own class, with Norman Nato and Stephane Richelmi named as the H24 Racing team’s pair of drivers.
The LMP3 grid features many familiar names to the Le Mans Cup. Headlining the category is Racing Spirit of Leman (pictured below), which returns to defend its championship with a single Ligier JSP320 for Christian Gisy and Ralf Kelleners. 2021 champion Nielsen Racing and four-time championship-winning team DKR Engineering are also on the list for this year with Duqueines, the former bringing a single M30 to the paddock, the latter a pair.
2022 race winners Cool Racing and Graff Racing feature too and are expected to challenge for the title, along with United Autosports, CD Sport, Team Virage, IDEC Sport, 24-7 Motorsport, MV2S Racing, Rinaldi Racing, Team Thor, Haegeli by T2 Racing, Frikadelli Racing Team, ANS Motorsport and 360 Racing. M Racing is also a notable returnee, the French outfit rejoining the Le Mans Cup for the first time since 2018.
There are teams new to the Le Mans Cup too, with Polish ELMS-regular Inter Europol entering three cars. Another familiar name from previous ELMS seasons is Murphy Prototypes. The Dublin-based team was last seen in the ELMS paddock back in 2016 running in LMP2 with ORECA during the final year of the previous ruleset. For 2023, Greg Murphy’s team has entered a single M30 with Adrian Watt confirmed as a driver so far.
GT3 meanwhile is set to feature a strong field this year, with 12 cars named representing six manufacturers.
Like LMP3, the reigning class champion will return for a title defence, as GMB Motorsport is set to compete with a pair of Honda NSXs. Racing Spirit of Leman will also feature here, with an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to run alongside its LMP3 effort.
There are some new cars to the Le Mans Cup set to race too, with AF Corse fielding a pair of brand new Ferrari 296 GT3s and British outfit Team Parker Racing bringing two new Porsche 911 GT3 R 992s to the party. Another Porsche is listed from Danish LMP2 regular High Class Racing, though it is listed as a previous generation 911 GT3 R under the ‘HCR with Caffeinesix’ banner.
Elsewhere, there are four Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2s listed from two teams, Iron Lynx and Le Mans Cup debutant Leipert Motorsport. Steller Motorsport, which won the GT4 class of the British GT Championship in 2022, is also set to make its first appearance in the championship, with an Audi R8 LMS GT3.
The list of drivers in GT3 includes some notable names for longtime sportscar racing observers. Four-time Le Mans class-winner and former Corvette Racing stalwart Jan Magnussen is set to compete alongside Lars Engelbreckt Pedersen in a GMB NSX. Emmanuel Collard who has 25 Le Mans starts to his name and two class wins is also named, with Charles-Henri Samani at AF Corse.
“We are extremely pleased to see the Michelin Le Mans Cup grid full again, and it will be an incredible sight to see 42 cars take to the track in Barcelona in April,” says Frédéric Lequien, Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM) CEO. “It is also fantastic to see a larger GT3 grid this season, with an incredible array of cars from Aston Martin, Audi, Ferrari, Honda, Lamborghini, and Porsche.
“The Michelin Le Mans Cup is an important step on the endurance racing ladder, which many of the new crop of young talented drivers now racing in the FIA WEC and European Le Mans Series have established themselves in. It’s going to be an incredible festival of endurance racing at each and every round in 2023; we hope you will be able to join us.”
Pierre Fillon, Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) President adds: “A record-breaking grid awaits endurance enthusiasts in the new Michelin Le Mans Cup season. The 42 competitors will be able to increase their experience on six of Europe’s most beautiful circuits in five different countries. This series is essential for the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and forms the base of the endurance racing pyramid. I wish all competitors a great season!”
The opening round of the 2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup season is scheduled to take place at Barcelona on April 22nd.
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February 21, 2023 at 01:04AM
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42 Cars On 2023 Le Mans Cup Entry - Dailysportscar
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