The new face of the European Le Mans Series

Ahead of the start of the 2018 season, the European Le Mans Series has unveiled its new identity with a brand-new logo that evokes the values of the series: European, Le Mans, Motorsport and Endurance.

This unique logo, and its strong identity, was created to reflect the dynamism of the series and to provide an instantly recognisable brand for the European Le Mans Series and also for the competitors, the media and the fans. The new logo was also designed to be used with ease across the various ELMS digital platforms and TV production.

The use of the three stars symbolises the three steps of the podium, the European values and also the three classes (LMP2, LMP3 and LMGTE) that take part in the series. 

Gérard Neveu, CEO of the European Le Mans Series: “A logo is a very important part of the identity of a brand.  The European Le Mans Series is the leading endurance motorsport series in Europe and we wanted a logo that will continue to build the brand for many years to come. The new ELMS logo is simple yet easily recognisable and dynamic. It is a modern design evoking the very important tradition of endurance competition. We hope that it will receive a warm welcome from our fans and those who follow us”

FIA WEC: TF Sport confirm intentions for the 2018/2019 "Super Season"

Since its inception in 2014, TF Sport has enjoyed phenomenal success in GT Racing with championship honours in the Blancpain Endurance Cup, Michelin Le Mans Cup, British GT as well as wins and a title challenge in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). Now the British-based team, which continues to enjoy factory support from Aston Martin Racing, is delighted to confirm that it will compete in the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) ‘super-season’ in the GT-Am category subject to entry acceptance.

The successful partnership of Salih Yoluc and Euan Hankey is set to continue, the pair stepping up to WEC from ELMS, alongside UK rising star Charlie Eastwood.

Yoluc and Hankey have competed together with TF Sport with great success, winning the teams’ championship in 2016 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup on the back of two wins. In 2017 they raced in ELMS, taking victory in the opening round at Silverstone and then securing multiple podium positions on the way to a fighting second position in the championship.

Eastwood joins TF Sport having wrapped up the Porsche Carrera Cup in the UK in 2017. The Belfast born driver enjoyed a successful karting background from 2004 – including the Rotax World Championship in 2012 and the European championship in 2013. He then started his single seater career in Formula 4 in 2014 before taking on the challenge of the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand. A move to Formula Renault followed but it was the move to the Porsche Carrera Cup that brought him onto the GT radar in 2016.

With everything now in place, TF Sport, Yoluc, Hankey and Eastwood are set to embark on a programme at the very pinnacle of GT racing as they prepare for the eight-round 2018/19 championship which gets underway in May 2018 at Spa Francorchamps. This is followed by no less than two races at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as rounds in Japan, China and the US in what really is a super-season at the very highest level in motorsport.

Tom Ferrier, TF Sport Sporting Director

"It’s a huge honour to be competing in the World Endurance Championship next year; it’s by far our biggest ever programme and it underlines the strength of our team at every level. We have had huge success in the past two years in very tough championships such as Blancpain and ELMS so I feel we are ready to move up. "We have a really big challenge in WEC but we’re confident that we will be competitive and deliver the results that we, our supporters and partners, now expect from us."

Salih Yoluc

"As a team, it is very exciting for all of us to be on the very highest stage of sports car racing. I'm really looking forward to exciting races and of course our first WEC win! We've been quite unlucky in ELMS this year in so many ways, but I hope we were just suffering a little to make the future victories even sweeter, with a change in fortune. “Being able to fight to be a world champion and also a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner is something very special and we'll do our best and make sure we enjoy the journey.”

Euan Hankey

“Myself, Salih, Charlie and TF Sport are really on a fantastic journey and it’s great to be a part of this programme. We’re under no illusions as to how hard WEC will be as it’s the very very top category of racing in the world. But in saying that, we’ve got a great track record, a mega team, so there’s no reason why we can’t build and continue to show what we can do, even in WEC!”

Charlie Eastwood

“It’s going to be a big challenge to step up to what is the very top in GT Racing; it’s a big old step. With the line-up we have, we’re confident we’ll be quick in each of our driver categories. I won the Carrera Cup in 2017 but remain Silver, so it’s the ideal partnership with Salih and Euan.

“I met with Tom (Ferrier) and some of the guys in the team five weeks ago for the first time and it was a great meeting. It really kick-started the talks and the Friday before Christmas it was all confirmed. It’s great to know so far in advance what you’re doing for the coming season and with Tom’s amazing record with TF Sport and the driver combination we have, we’re all pretty buzzed up and raring to go.

“There’s a lot of unknowns for all of us obviously, but we’re looking forward to the challenge. I know Silverstone and Le Mans and we’re planning on a good test programme. So as a team we all have the same desire and I can’t wait to get started!”

FIA WEC - 6 Hours of Bahrain: GTE Finale – Desert Dash Decider

This year has seen a transition of the Balance of Performance (BoP) in the GTE categories from a manual to automated process.  The result is a beautifully poised battle in both Pro and Am, and the Technical Team led by Vincent Beaumesnil should be commended for what they have achieved. You will always hear complaints and whingeing, but once again in conjunction with our new partners @ TheBPillar we hope to shed some light here on the battles in GTE and the prospects for top step in each category.

GTE-Pro is the primary example, we have a category top-three in Bahrain of Ferrari #71, Aston Martin #97 and Ford GT #67, but only the third of these cars is in the running for the championship, although it could be contended that the #71 Ferrari of Bird & Rigon could continue to play a pivotal role in securing a world championship victory for its sister car #51 of Calado & Pier Guidi. 

That is correct, today we could crown Ferrari FIA World Champions in a road relevant category for both Drivers and Manufacturer, any wonder they are questioning spending and rattling the Formula 1 quitting cages…

As a slight aside here, spare a thought for Gianmaria Bruni who chose to take the Porsche contract, presumably hopeful of progression to an LMP1 919 Hybrid drive, was contractually blocked from 2017 WEC participation and now sees his former team inching onto the top step of a GT World Championship. Decisions, Decisions…

Turning to the B-Pillar Data Analysis (click it to enlarge), and in the knowledge that the cars are very balanced it is possible to see that driver performance and consistency as a team is in our opinion a key factor to success. 

Analysis Kindly Prepared by Matt Griffin @thebpillar

                                                                                               

The lower variances on faster averages all seem to reflect the top contenders this year. The one anomally that stands out is the pole sitting #71 of Bird/Rigon, which has not reached the heights of its win at Spa, but has served its sister car well by taking significant points from competitors.  

The championship deciders are predominantly across two awards. The GT Pro FIA World Endurance Teams Trophy, led by #51 (146pts) Ferrari of Calado/Pier Guidi, from the #91 (133pts) Porsche of (Makoweicki/Lietz) and third currently the #67 (131pts) Ford GT of Priaulx/Tincknell. The same contenders are in the running for the Drivers Championship, but the tally of points is calculated in such a way as to make that even closer – 

#51 Calado/Pier Guidi  135pts

#91 Mako / Lietz         133pts

#67 Priaulx / Tincknell 127.5pts

Not since the 1984 F1 World Championship could half of one point prove so vital…  With 25points for the win everything is still to play for in this Desert Decider! 

By no means least we come to the GTE-Am category which is set to expand in 2018.

We have followed for some time now the progress of the #98 Aston Martin enjoying victories previously with Paul/Pedro/Mathias at Spa and experiencing the commiserations of getting so close at Le Mans. Things have really clicked this year, and much of that has been down to Paul Dalla Lana and his pace as the Gent (we can’t refer to him as Am) in the car. It is not normally our way to pick out one driver, they are a team, as above at Spa they win together, and at Le Mans they all felt the pain together.  But the graphic analysis below from The B-Pillar shows why Paul Dalla Lana and the #98 crew are in the dominant leading position in this category. 

Analysis Kindly Prepared by Matt Griffin @thebpillar

                                                                                             

Paul Dalla Lana is THE King of Bronze’s he tops the pack consistently and we hope he does not mind us pointing out (and I am the last to point fingers) he is no jockey like driver! 🙂

The standings in GTE-Am are as follows – 

                                                Drivers    Team

#98  Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda      167pts     173pts  Aston Martin Racing

#77  Deinst/Reid/Cairoli             156pts     162pts  Dempsey Proton Racing (Porsche)

#61  Sawa/Griffin/Mok               147pts     161pts  Clearwater Racing (Ferrari)

The #98 took the category Pole, with the #61 Clearwater jumping the #77 Porsche for second on the -Am grid.

One little gem (to see who stuck with this to the end!) – We understand from our new colleagues (@thebpillar) that Christian Ried holds a quite unique record… He has completed a racing lap in EVERY Round of the WEC (apart from the heavily curtailed, did that even happen, race at Fuji in 2013)!  Not a lot of people know that 🙂 

So that is the set-up, the preview of the finale at Bahrain, a fabulous circuit well worth a visit. It drops from the 2018-19 ‘Super’ Season but its understood to be a firm favourite to return to the future winter calendar.  Certainly looking out on a chilly, grey British scene brightened only by the colours of autumn, we look forward to its return, and are starting the fund-raising for a trip now!  Lets hope Bahrain delivers the championship finale that across the categories this World Championship deserves. 

Enjoy the coverage on TV, Radio, Twitter or by write-up.  See you at the track. 

This article has originally been contributed by Nick Holland for Sportscarglobal.
Give him a follow on his twitter account @Nick Holland for more news and insights about the world of endurance racing !

FIA WEC 2017: 6 Hours of Silverstone - GTE Preview

4 manufacturers, each with two cars, are present in the GTE-Pro class this season, ahead of BMW's return in 2018. The big story in the class this season is the return of Porsche with a brand new and very impressive 911 RSR. As from this year, the GT teams are now fighting for a World Championship, since the FIA gave full World Championship status to the GTE drivers and manufacturers titles.

As in LMP1, the tyre allocation per race has also been altered in the GTE Pro class. In practice only three sets of rubber (instead of four) are available per car. For the race and qualifying, the amount of sets has been reduced to four instead of six.

Another new feature this season in the Pro class is the introduction of a new automatic BoP system. It's expected this will be more effective and honest after last year's sandbagging ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The new system will be applicable for all rounds of the 2017 WEC except for Le Mans which will be treated separately.  The first adjustments won't be made until after the first two races though, so will only be applicable at the fourth round in Germany.

The "not-to-be-called-mid-engined" new Porsche 911 RSR is an amazing piece of kit. The engine has been place forward a few inches (i.e. in front of the rear axle) for better weight distribution and to create space for a big diffuser under the rear bodywork. The only part on the whole car that didn't change compared to the last RSR is the doorhandle. The new Porsche already showed its pace and reliability in the IMSA championship, and was fastest around Monza during the FIA WEC prologue.

Four works drivers tackle the GTE-Pro class with the new 911 RSR for the Porsche GT Team at the season-opening round in Silverstone. Sharing the cockpit of the #91 vehicle are Richard Lietz and Frédéric Makowiecki who returns to the FIA WEC after a year in IMSA. Michael Christensen and Kévin Estre man the #92 car.

Aston Martin Racing is set for another five seasons in the FIA WEC, as it has committed to the championship until 2021. 2 AMR Vantage V8's will race in 2017 again, ahead of the development of a brand new GTE race car, which will be based on the next generation Vantage.

Nicki Thiim and Marco Sørensen defend their 2016 GT Drivers championship in the #95 Vantage and will be joined by Richie Stanaway. Darren Turner and Jonny Adam return to the #97 car, together with newcomer Daniel Serra from Brazil. The Aston Martins haven't been the fastest all round last season, but their consistency and reliability have put them always in the top end of the leaderboard. Let's see if they can hold that position this season against the new Porsche and last years competition from Ferrari and Ford.

Ford returned to Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship with a win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2017 Ford has set it sights to the World Championship and a second consecutive win at Le Mans. The Ford GT is basically the same as last season, apart from a few little tweaks.

Stefan Mücke & Olivier Pla are back in the cockpit of the #66 Ford GT and will - as last year -  be joined by American racer Billy Johnson at Silverstone, Spa and Le Mans. In the #67 Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell will be joined by a Pipo Derani for the first three races of the season.  Derani impressed last year with Extreme Speeds Motorsports in the FIA WEC and IMSA championship, claiming victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.

AF Corse returns with 2 Ferrari F488 GTE's, this year in the historic Ferrari red celebrating 70 years of Ferrari.  The Italians have been raving about last years Balance of Performance, at a certain point even threatening to leave the championship. Let's see of the new automated BoP will serve them better.

Perhaps the biggest story over the winter was Gianmaria Bruni leaving AF Corse for Porsche. After several months of rumour and speculation, the transfer was officially announced at the end of February.  Bruni will be replaced by new factory driver Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #51 Ferrari, joining James Calado. The crew of the #71 has been unchanged with Davide Rigon and Sam Bird.

A part of Bruni's transfer stipulated that he wouldn't be able to race in the FIA WEC at least until after Le Mans. In the meantime Bruni has been confirmed for the IMSA championship, paired with Laurens Vanthoor ... a line-up that already has been rumoured to come over to the FIA WEC next season.

GTE Am

2 new teams will make their debut in the GTE-Am class in the World Endurance Championship. Both will run a Ferrari F488 GTE, with technical support of AF Corse.

First there's reigning Asian Le Mans Series champions Clearwater Racing from Signapore. The team made their firs appearance at Le Mans last year, since then talks about moving up to the FIA WEC have been ongoing. Regular Clearwater drivers Keita Sawa and Weng Sun MoK are joined by Ferrari factory driver Matt Griffin for their first season in the championship.

The second newcomer is Swiss based Spirit of Race of Thomas Flohr. Flohr has been racing in ELMS and most recently in the Le Mans Cup last season. He will be joined in the #54 Ferrari F488 GTE by Francesco Castellaci and former DTM driver Miguel Molina.

In the GTE-Am class, the Porsche customer team Dempsey-Proton Racing campaigns a 911 RSR from last season with the Porsche Young Professional Matteo Cairoli (Italy), Christian Ried (Germany) and Marvin Dienst (Germany) sharing driving duties in the #77. 

The second Porsche in the class is the #86 Gulf Racing 911 RSR, which returns for its second season in the FIA WEC. Michael Wainwright and Ben Barker return to the wheel of the bleu/orange Porsche and will be joined by youngster Nicholas Foster. 

Paul Dalla Lana returns to the Am class with an upgraded V8 Vantage GTE to 2016 specification. Looking to build on their success towards the end of last season after winning five of nine rounds last season, the driver line-up in the #98 is unchanged with Mathias Lauda and Pedro Lamy joining Dalla Lana again.

Missing in the class is the Larbre Corvette this season. Jack Leconte has been moving heaven and earth again to get a (factory supported) entry in the GTE Pro class together, but his plans collapsed right at the end.  The team has got in invite for Le Mans though and is expected to attend the second ELMS race in Monza to prepare for the 24 Hours.

Useful links for the weekend:

Entry List

Timetable

Spotters guide

Event map

Kristof Vermeulen.

FIA WEC 2017: LM GTE Pro and Am latest news & entry list predictions

Tomorrow afternoon, at an interactive press conference, the selected entries for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series will be announced by the ACO.

Time to take a final look at the latest news and rumours about teams participating in the FIA World Endurance Championship.  Part 1: LM GTE Pro and Am. 

GTE PRO

2017 sees the return of Porsche to the GTE Pro class with their brand new - mid-engined - 911 GTE. Porsches new weapon already showed some fierce competition at Daytona last weekend and seems ready to take on the challenge with Ford, Aston Martin and Ferrari. With BMW arriving in 2018 and other manufacturers talking about a possible step up to GTE Pro in the next years, GTE has some very healthy prospects in the future !

Aston Martin Racing will be back to defend their 2016 FIA WEC World champion title. Despite being the "oldest" car on the grid, the # 95 of Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorenson took last years title in Bahrain. Two cars are expected on the grid again, the team most likely retaining the #95 squad, and Darren Turner in the #97.

After a one year absence, Porsche returns to the FIA WEC with their all new - and mid-engined - 911 RSR. The first mid-engined Porsche racecar since the GT1 in the late nineties. 

Drivers confirmed so far for LMGTE Pro class are Michael Christensen, Frédéric Makowiecki  and Richard Lietz. The final driver for a full season effort is still to be announced, Porsche has several options open after their driver shake up in LMP1. Another name that has been buzzing around in the past months is current Ferrari factory driver Gianmaria Bruni. For the Le Mans 24 Hours, 2 drivers of the IMSA line-up will be added. We expect Laurens Vanthoor to get one of those seats. 

AF Corse will return with 2 factory Ferrari F488's to the FIA World Endurance Championship. The Ferrari's seemed to be the best package at the beginning of last season, but struggled throughout all the BOP adjustments. Even to a point where the future of AF Corse in the FIA WEC became uncertain. Sam Bird, Davide Rigon and James Calado all are expected to be back behind the wheel this season. As stated above, the future of Gianmaria Bruni is still unclear; will he stay at Ferrari or

make the move to Porsche ?

Ford returns to the WEC with a two car effort run by Ford Chip Ganassi Racing. In their comeback season the new Ford GT immediately won its class at Le Mans, Fuji and Shanghai. No driver changes are expected in both cars. Stefan Mücke & Olivier Pla are expected in the #66 and Andy Priaulx & Harry Tincknell in the #67.

Larbre Competition again showed its intentions to step up to the GTE-Pro class with a Corvette CR7. Since december it has been awefully quiet about their plans, so expectations were for Jack Leconte to be back in the Am class this year.  Until last weekend, when Leconte was spotted in Daytona, meeting up with General Motors several times. Will we (finally) see a Corvette in the GTE Pro class during the whole FIA WEC championship ? We'll know tomorrow afternoon ... 

GTE AM

The Am class will look a little different compared to last year.  It's still unclear if we'll see any Porsches in the class this season without Al Qubaisi around and doubts about Proton Competition entering a Porsche. Clearwater Racing is the "new kid in town". The Malaysian based team debuted at Le Mans last year and now steps up from the Asian Le Mans Series to the FIA WEC in 2017. 

The first team in the Am class to confirm their entry was Aston Martin Racing, with Paul Dalla Lana returning in the Vantage V8 with Matthias Lauda and Pedro Lamy.

The Ferrari F488 GTE is now eligible to race in the AM class, 2 cars have already been confirmed by AF Corse. Last years LMGTE-Am champions François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard are moving up to LMP2 with TDS-Racing, leaving 2 seats open for the first car. Rui Aguas is expected to return behind the wheel of the Ferrari.

Clearwater Racing announced its move to the FIA World Endurance Championship in the GTE-Am class. The Signapore based team is racing in the Asian Le Mans Series and made its debut at Le Mans last year, finishing fourth in class. Their Ferrari F488 GTE will be run by AF Corse and driven by Matt Griffin, Wok Meng Sun and Keita Sawa. Clearwater will be the first southeast Asian team to enter the FIA WEC for a full season effort.

Gulf Racing UK hasn't confirmed their entry yet, but it seems likely the British team will return in their Porsche 911 GTE. Whether Proton Competition will be back on the grid in April still remains to be seen. They were best in class twice last year, but with the arrival of the new Ferrari's in the Am class, the Porsches might be in for a big struggle to be competitive.

No Khaled Al Qubaisi at the start of the WEC season this year. At the Dubai 24 Hours, Al Qubaisi - who tested the Aston Martin in Bahrain last november - announced he won't enter the World Endurance Championship this year due to business commitments.

European Le Mans Series 2017: LMP2 news roundup

Less than three weeks of the presentation of the 2017 entry lists in FIA WEC, ELMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, let's take a look at what we know so far.

First up is the LMP2 class in the European Le Mans Series. With the entry of the all new 2017 regulations and Gibson powered cars, the era of open top prototype racing now has come to an end. No more Gibson, Morgan or Oreca03 on the starting grids, but all closed cockpit coupes. Initially a sub class for older LMP2 proto's has been announced in which they would be "grandfathered" (but remain uncompetitive for an overall victory) in the championship, but all teams are switching for new LMP2 prototypes immediately.

Looking at the confirmed/expected entries, this will be a very varied field with a healthy mix of Ligier, Oreca and Dallara prototypes. The only manufacturer not on the list today is Riley-Ave, although there still might be a chance we'll see all four new LMP2 cars on the ELMS grid. At this moment there's a possible entry list of a very healthy 12 to 16 cars.

Jota Sport should be set to defend its 2016 ELMS title with an Oreca 07 (the Oreca05 which will be upgraded to the new 2017 specs). Whether this will be under the flag of G-Drive Racing remains unclear. Following the release of the new driver ratings in which Roman Rusinov was upgraded to Gold rating, the Russian driver threatened to leave the WEC and ELMS championships with his G-Drive sponsorship. Given recent reports, it seems very likely though that Rusinov will stay in endurance racing. Simon Dolan & co will be back for sure, with or without Rusinov's support.

© Dragonspeed

After an impressive first season in the European Le Mans Series this year (4 podium finishes, 1 win, 3 pole positions), Dragonspeed announced the acquisition of 2 Oreca07's in June last year. Both cars have recently been delivered; one brand new Oreca07, the second is the upgraded Oreca05 in which they raced last year. Nicolas Lapierre, Ben Hanley and Hendrik Hedman are already confirmed for the first car in this seasons ELMS. The team is now working on a driver line-up to field a second car in the European Le Mans Series. They will start their season in the Daytona Rolex24 at the end of January. Lapierre has also been confirmed at Alpine in the FIA WEC, so if Dragonspeed gets an invite for Le Mans, they'll have to find a replacement driver for Lapierre.

© United Autosports

Winning the 2016 LMP3 championship granted United Autosports an invite for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team took it up and purchased a Ligier JSP217 to race in the LMP2 class. The car will also be fielded in the European Le Mans Series, in addition to both LMP3 cars in the championship.  The first 2 drivers have been confirmed at the Autosport show last week: American Will Owen and Swiss-born Hugo de Sadeleer.

© Villorba Corse

Italian team Villorba Corse continues to work on its "Road to Le Mans" next season and steps up to the LMP2 class. They will race a brand new Dallara LMP2 in the ELMS, driven by Andrea Belicchi, Roberto Lacorte and Giorgio Sernagiotto. The team will also apply for an entry in the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans.

© Graff Racing

LMP3 vice champions Graff Racing are moving up to the LMP2 class next season with 2 Oreca 07's. Initially a one car effort was announced last september, but recently the addition of a second car has been confirmed (depending on budget and drivers). An application to enter the 24 Hours of Le Mans will also be filed. The team has already participated 11 times in the 24 Hours between 1980 and 1993 and aims to return with 1 car. Graff Racing has also the intention to race one Ligier JSP3 in the ELMS this season.

Olivier Pla will race with IDEC Sport in the LMP2 class next season. He will be the leading driver in the Ligier JSP217/Gibson, alongside Paul and Patrice Lafargue. Pla will combine the ELMS championship with his factory drive for Ford in the WEC. If IDEC gets an invite for Le Mans, Pla won't be able to race with the French team, as in the first race of the season in Silverstone. The team is also looking into the LMP3 class, with a possible entry of one car.

Greaves Motorsport is expected to be back in the championship this season, either with a car of their own or running customer team(s). The future of Krohn Racing which was run by Greaves last year remains unclear up untill now. We expected Krohn to acquire a new Ligier JSP217, but he's also been linked to Dallara recently. With Olivier Pla leaving for IDEC, Krohn now lost his lead driver from the last ELMS campaign. The team has confirmed working on their plans for 2017, so expect an announcement by the end of the month.

No news about the future of Murphy Prototypes so far. Murphy's men gave young talent a chance in LMP2 throughout last season and teamed up with Ben Keating & Bill Riley for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Running an Ave-Riley LMP3 was planned for last season but the debut of the car being delayed several times postponed those plans. Will Murphy return in LMP2 or will they eventually enter the Riley LMP3 (for which they already had been assigned as agents for the European market) ? Rumours were spreading about Ben Keating showing interest in LMP2 to return to Le Mans also, with a possible full season entry in ELMS. 

© Racing Team Nederland

A new team in the top class of the European Le Mans Series next season will be Racing Team Nederland. An ambitious Dutch team running a Dallara/Gibson, supported by Davytech. This is a very ambitious project, funded by Jumbo boss Frits Van Eerd who will be sharing the car with former Le Mans winner Jan Lammers and Rubens Barichello joining in for Le Mans (if they get an invite). An intense testing program has been completed up until now, including the Dunlop tire tests at Sebring last December.

Panis Barthez Competition has bought a new Ligier JSP217 for their second season in the ELMS. No news on drivers yet, but Fabien Barthez will surely be back at the wheel. The French team will also continue to race in the LMP3 class.

Eurasia will apply for a Le Mans entry again, but their future in the European Le Mans Series is unclear. Losing Jo Pin Tung and his sponsoring funds last season forces them to work with a tighter budget and it's not certain a full ELMS campaign will fit for 2017. The team is now active in the Asian Le Mans Series, winning the last race at Buriram.

RLR M-Sport who have been active in LMP3 in the past 2 years also bought a Ligier JSP217 to run in LMP2 this season, and will apply for an invite at Le Mans. They are into the market for (paying) drivers at the moment. 

Tockwith Motorsports impressed in LMP3 last year when they stepped up from the Michelin GT3 Cup. Very strong performances in the 4 hours of Le Castellet and Spa-Francorchamps made the them quickly order a Ligier JSP217 and step up again to LMP2. Nigel Moore and Philip Hansen will be the drivers of red/white Gibson powered Ligier. 

A return of Thiriet by TDS Racing this season is unlikely, the team already confirming to step up to the FIA WEC in an Oreca07. LMGTE Am champions Emmanuel Collard and François Perrodo will drive the car together with Matthieu Vaxivière.  Pierre Thiriet also has been linked to a possible Alpine drive in the WEC this season. Last year, the team quite early employed plans to run a Norma LMP3 in the ELMS, whether that's still on the table is unclear.

The future of SMP Racing in LMP2 is still in doubt. Their BR01 now outdated with the arrival of the new generation LMP2's. Running the BR01 is still possible in the ELMS, but as a "grandfathered car" & way off the pace of the new prototypes. Ambitious plans were announced back in November with the development of a new LMP1-L for 2018 in a joint venture with Dallara. Recent rumours about hitting troubles early on might . There might be a chance SMP running a Dallara LMP2 this season, or will they solely focus on the GTE class ?

WRT made an impressive one-off appearance at the 4 hours of Spa-Francorchamps last September, finishing second in the debut race with an LMP2 prototype. Rumours of the team going into LMP2 have now been denied by team boss Vincent Vosse. They have been looking into a FIA WEC campaign next year but a possible LMP2 entry is on stand by at the moment. If WRT goes into LMP2 it has to be with a sufficient budget at the resources to compete for the win. The project isn't off the table completely, this might be one to watch for 2018.

2 teams who are also active in the Asian Le Mans Series haven't confirmed any plans for this year in the ELMS. Both Algarve Pro Racing and Race Performance race in Asia with their current LMP2 machinery. Algarve Pro Racing is looking into a full season entry in the FIA WEC in 2018, plans for 2017 haven't been announced yet. Race Performance have put their Ligier LMP3 for sale recently and is defending the Asian Le Mans Series title in LMP2. There has been no official announcement so far about the future of the team.  

Pegasus Racing definitely won't return to the LMP2 class as they will switch to LMP3 in 2017 with at least one Ligier JSP217. 

Kristof Vermeulen.