ELMS: Pre-season news round-up

In just over a weeks time, the European Le Mans Series kick off the 2019 season at Le Castellet in the south of France.  With two testdays on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th of April and the 4 Hours of Le Castellet in the following weekend, the start of what promises to be another great season is arriving quickly now.

Time for a news round-up with new and returning drivers, a few new teams on the entry lists and some new liveries for the upcoming season. 

Owen completes United Autosports line-ups in LMP2

United Autosports completed their LMP2 and LMP3 driving roster for the European Le Mans Series with the return of Will Owen to the team. Phil Hanson and Filipe Albuquerque will race the #22 Ligier JS P217, with Will Owen, Alex Brundle and Ryan Cullen racing the #32. 2016 ELMS Champions Mike Guasch and Christian England will return to the LMP3 team in the #3 Ligier JS P3, while Tommy Erdos makes a return to racing, alongside Garett Grist and Wayne Boyd in the #2 Ligier JS P3.

© United Autosports

The American racer returns to United Autosports for his third season, racing alongside Alex Brundle and Ryan Cullen in a Ligier JS P217. Will first joined the team in 2017 as they made their LMP2 debut in the European series. After scoring two wins and three podiums Will, along with Hugo de Sadeleer and Filipe Albuquerque, finished second in the championship. Will also made his Le Mans 24 Hours debut the same year, finishing fourth in the LMP2 class. In 2018, Will raced once again for United Autosports in the ELMS and at Le Mans. After a difficult start to their 2018 ELMS campaign, he finished the season on a high with a podium at the final round. He was also part of United Autosports’ 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours podium finishing team, racing alongside Hugo de Sadeleer and former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

Will Owen’s 2019 ELMS programme with United Autosports will run alongside his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship duties with Juncos Racing, where he has already raced at the Rolex 24 At Daytona – a race he contested with United Autosports in 2018 – and the Sebring 12 Hours. Due to Will’s IMSA racing commitments, he will be unable to race at the opening ELMS round at Paul Ricard.

Roussel returns to ELMS with Inter Europol Competition

Inter Europol Competition completed their line-up for its debut in LMP2 in the European Le Mans Series and Le Mans.  Jakub Smiechowksi will be joined by Léo Roussel and Dani Clos in the Ligier JSP2.  For Roussel, who won the ELMS championship in 2017, it’s a return to racing in almost a year after being sidelined for 8 months due to the failure of the Manor/Ginetta project in LMP1.  30 year old Spanish driver Dani Clos has raced in Formula Renault to GP2, and was test driver for Williams in 2008 and HRT in 2012

© Inter Europol Competition

Léo Roussel: “I’m very happy to join the team and come back in ELMS after eight months without driving. I had a warm welcome at Barcelona from all of the team and I would like to say thanks to Kuba (Smiechowski) and the whole team for the opportunity they give me. I’m very hungry to start this new adventure.”

Dani Clos: "I'm really happy to be part of this team. Everything went really quick and I'd like to thank the team to make me part of this exciting project. I needed an opportunity like this to show what I can do and they trusted me to include me in their new LMP2 program.”

Sascha Fassbender (team manager): “We are pleased to have Léo with us this year. It’s a pleasure to work with such a professional and generous driver. And his knowledge of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will make a big difference in our understanding of this race.  With Dani, Kuba and Léo, we have put together a strong team, which should be good for a couple of surprises, even if it is our first season in the LMP2. We are looking forward to the kick-off of the season at Paul Ricard.”

The driver line-ups for the LMP3 cars will be announced ahead of the Test days at Paul Ricard in just over a weeks time. 

New season, new livery for IDEC Sport

IDEC Sport presented the new livery for both their Ligier JSP217 and Oreca 07 in the European Le Mans Series. 

A first successful pre-season test at Barcelona saw the team getting up to 1700 kms of testing over 4 days, with all drivers present: Paul Lafargue, Paul-Loup Chatin and Memo Rojas in the #28 Oreca and Patrice Lafargue, Eric Maris and Stéphane Adler in the #27 Ligier. 

Racing 1700 kilometers on a race track is quite something. The cars and all the parts were put under pressure, including the tyres. “We tried out various types of Michelin tyre and they all perform well. Over the four days we went through more than twenty sets of tyres. That allowed us to train for the pit-stops, even if part of the team was in Sebring (for the WEC). We’ll really test things when in race mode for the prologue,” explained Fred Ducastel before concluding: “The most important thing is that the cars showed that they were reliable. But there was one other thing that was important. The Ligier proved herself to be competitive against the Oreca.”

New driver line-up for JMW Motorsport 

JMW Motorsport brings a seasoned trio of drivers to the European Le Mans Series with Matteo Cressoni (ITA), Wei Lu (CAN) and Jeff Segal (USA), teaming up with Ferrari of Vancouver. All three drivers boast enviable experience with Ferrari and notably the Ferrari 488.

© Bob Ten Kley for Club Arnage


This line up reunites Wei Lu and Jeff Segal who raced the Ferrari 488 GT3 in 2018 in the Pirelli World Challenge Sprint-X Championship, which marked the move into the professional racing scene for Lu after making his mark from 2013, culminating in no less than five victories and seven poles on his way to second in the 2017 Ferrari Challenge. For Segal, whose 15 years of experience include such highlights as winning the 2016 Le Mans 24Hrs LM GTE-AM class, 2016 12Hrs of Sebring GTD and the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona GTD, 2018 further embedded his fervour for being behind the wheel of a Ferrari 488 GT3. Matteo Cressoni has also been under the spell of the Ferrari 488 GT3 having raced the model in a wide range of endurance events and series since 2016 including impressive 2nd places in the 2016 24Hrs of Spa and 2017 12hrs of Sebring.


Jim McWhirter, JMW Motorsport Team Principal:
“We are really looking forward to the 2019 ELMS Championship with a renewed vigour after missing out in 2018. We have a new exciting driver line up who all have Ferrari experience in a variety of competitive championships. Jeff Segal who we worked with at Le Mans 2018 and the Spa test brings a wealth of committed competitive experience to the Team.  Matteo Cressoni who is a well-respected peddler with a strong Ferrari heritage will be a real asset to the Team. Wei Lu who we met at the Spa 2018 test is also really committed to the programme – starting on a new adventure with great ambition and enthusiasm. 

Realteam Racing unveils livery

A new addition to the LMP3 grid of the ELMS is Swiss Realteam Racing. With support from Graff Racing, the team fields a Norma M30 with a Swiss driver line-up by Esteban Garcia and David Droux. 

Luzich Racing Ferrari with Alessandro Pier Guidi

Luzich Racing announced their full-season campaign for the 2019 European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup earlier this week.  The American team, owned by Michael Luzich, will compete in both championships with Ferrari on the hunt for new titles following the Mikkel Mac’s victory in the 2018 International GT Open. FIA WEC champion Alessandro Pier Guidi will lead the team’s Ferrari F488 GTE in the European Le Mans Series, together with Niklas Nielsen (Ferrari Challenge World Champion in 2018) and Fabien Lavergne. 

© Luzich Racing

The team will also have a Ferrari 488 GT3 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup.  Mikkel Mac, race winner in the ELMS with Formula Racing, continues his racing career with Luzich Racing after winning the 2018 GT-Open drivers title.  He will be joined by Fabien Lavergne, who will race in both the ELMS and MLMC this season. 

2 cars and new drivers for 360 Racing

British team 360 Racing will field a two car line-up for the first time in the European Le Mans Series.  The #6 Ligier JSP3 will be driven by team regulars Ross Kaiser and Terrence Woodward, who will be joined by Canadian racer James “Jimbo” Dayson.  Dayson raced with Eurointernational in the series last season. 

The second Ligier will be carrying #5 and is driven by John Corbett, Andreas Laskaratos and professional driver James Winslow.

Racing manager, Mark Owen, said: “I’m super excited about this year’s line-up. It’s great to fill two cars in the ELMS as it’s something we’ve been aspiring to for a while. We have two great driver line-ups and we’re aiming to be at the front end of the grid for 2019.”

Panis Barthez Compétition switches to Dunlop with new livery. 

Led by Olivier Panis, Sarah, and Simon Abadie, Panis-Barthez Competition has signed an agreement with Dunlop with immediate effect. The British manufacturer, the most successful in the 24 Hours of Le Mans history, will supply tyres to the two Ligier JS P217 LMP2 prototypes engaged in ELMS and to the one to be run for the 87th edition of Le Mans.

Olivier Panis - Panis-Barthez Competition Team Principal: "We are delighted to start this new partnership with Dunlop. It’s a new challenge we will undertake together. Their great experience and many successes at the highest level of endurance will motivate and guide our team towards new directions.  We would like to thank Michelin for their dedication to us in the past three seasons. By our joint work we have achieved many great performances. We are very grateful to all of them.

Florent Gouin - Panis-Barthez Competition Head of Engineering: "This alliance with Dunlop will allow us to take another step forward. Synergy between tyres and chassis will be strengthened as the degradation becomes a major challenge regarding new ELMS regulations.

Mathias KIPP - Dunlop Motorsport Manager EMEA: “It’s a real pleasure to have signed a partnership with Panis-Barthez Competition in the LMP2 category in ELMS and le Mans 24H going forward. The team has always demonstrated since their arrival in ELMS in 2016 how fast and professional they are and adding a Ligier chassis back in to our pool for development will be perfect.

Panis-Barthez competition also showed a new livery on the Ligier JSP217 during a private test at Magny Cours last week.  No more red/black colours on both cars, but a more lively look this season with blue, white and red. 

Kristof Vermeulen.

ELMS: Tomothé Buret leads second Panis-Barthez Competition line-up.

Following  the previous Stevens/Canal/Binder line-up announcement for the Ligier  JSP217 #23, Panis-Barthez Competition is now ready to run a two-car effort in the upcoming European Le Mans Series season.

© Panis-Barthez Competition

Aboard the additional  sister car, the first official driver revealed is Timothé Buret, 23 years old, who is extending his career in LMP2 for a 4th consecutive season with Panis-Barthez Competition. The winner of the  2016 Jean Rondeau Prize is more than ever in a position to reap the benefits of continuity with troops of team principal Olivier Panis and  team managers Sarah and Simon Abadie. 

His two teammates will be announced soon. 

Olivier Panis - Team Principal :  "We - Simon, Sarah (Abadie) and I -, shared the common desire to carry  on working with Timothé Buret. He has been with us since the team  establishment whose initial aim was to find and develop young talents.  Tim is the perfect illustration of our commitment. He has shown his  determination, his team spirit and a host of skills on track. We are  convinced he will emphasise his talent even more this year. He will play  an important role among his new teammates by transmitting his  experience and backgrounds with PBC."

Timothé Buret - Ligier JS P217 #24 driver:  "Finalizing my commitment in ELMS for another season was the absolute  goal. I am happy that PBC, I consider as a second family, still had  faith in me. Driving with a team with whom I have already shared so much  since my endurance debut is clearly a huge plus. Close to the sister  car driven by Stevens/Canal/Binder, we will share all the data and push  both of us close to the edge. I had an incredible complicity with Will  (Stevens) and Julien (Canal) last year, and it will remain the same.  From my side, I will do all I can to replicate the same relations with  my new teammates."

ELMS: Canal, Stevens an Binder in the N°23 Panis-Barthez Competition Ligier

Panis-Barthez competition has completed their driver line-up for the #23 Ligier LMP2 in the upcoming ELMS season.  

Julien Canal and Will Stevens will be joined by Rene Binder in the 2019 European Le Mans Series and their bid for an entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A strong and experienced line-up for the French team, which goes into its third season in the LMP2 class with a clear goal: win races and compete for the overall championship.  

Binder is the new face in the team, making his debut in prototype and endurance racing. The 26 year old silver driver has vast experience in Indycar (6 races in 2018), GP2 Series and Formula V8 3.5 (2 polo positions & 4 wins).  The Austrian will also be racing in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup starting with the 24 Hours of Daytona later this month. He will drive the Juncos Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Will Stevens returns to the team after a succesfull first season in the LMP2 class. The former Formula 1 driver has shown all his talent on track throughout the past season by climbing twice on the podium and signing a pole position on the wet in Spa. 

Julien Canal is the final driver to be announced in the #23 Ligier JSP2, now also in his second season for the team.  The Frenchman has an impressive track record with 3 wins at 24H of Le Mans, GTE AM and LMP2 World Champion in WEC with Rebellion. 

A second Ligier will be entered in the European Le Mans Series. An announcement with the identity of the drivers for the second car is expected in due course. 

Rene Binder - #23 Ligier JS P217 driver :"It’s a huge pleasure and honour for me to race for Panis Barthez Competition in the 2019 season and I want  to thank Olivier Panis, Fabien Barthez, Sarah et Simon Abadie and the  entire team for their faith in me. It’s going to be really special to go  into the European Le Mans Series and 24 Hours at Le Mans with the team of a former Monaco Grand Prix winner and I can’t wait to take the Ligier LMP2  out for our first test. As said before it will be a very important and   special experience for me to compete in the most important endurance events  next year combining IMSA with ELMS. I can only say thanks again to our  sponsors, partners, family and to everyone who believes in our success.“

Will Stevens - #23 Ligier JS P217 driver : “I’m very happy to stay with Panis-Barthez Competition next season. We showed in 2018 how strong we are together, and the great results we had at the end of the season motivated me to stay: we have a job to continue and to finish. After a pole position and two podiums last year, we will be doing all we can to win our first race in 2019 – and then another one. And if we are consistent enough, why not fight for the 2019 championship?

Of course, I have Le Mans in mind, as we were the closest competitors to G-Drive last year. I can’t wait to race there again with Olivier, Simon, Sarah and all the team who have faith in me and give me so much confidence. It’s time to pay them back for what they bring to me. I don’t know Rene Binder, my new teammate, but I can see that he has always been competitive wherever he raced: in F3, in Renault 3.5, GP2 or IndyCar. He has quite a lot of experience as well and I have no doubt we will get along well and be a very strong line-up in 2019.”

Julien Canal - #23 Ligier JS P217 driver: "After a two-month winter break, I was in touch with some endurance actors in order to find the most suitable sporting program in parallel with my professional activities. But looking at what we achieved last year with the team of Olivier Panis and Simon Abadie, taking into account the progress we made through the end, it was obvious that carrying on with PBC was the best option. So I'm very happy to be back with the Panis-Barthez Competition. My motivation and my desire to give my best for the guys, for my teammates and for the brand are very strong. With Will and Rene we have only one goal: winning."

Olivier Panis - Team Principal: "Sarah, Simon and I are  delighted to welcome Rene at Panis Barthez Compétition. Rene already has a strong background in different  series and we are ready to write a new page of our history with him. Thanks  to the hard work of the team and our 2018 drivers, we are in a good     position to fight at the front. Welcome in the family Rene !"

“Keeping Will Stevens aboard was a top priority. I have been so impressed by him, his speed and his implication. I have rarely seen a professional driver sharing so many informations with his teammates. He spends hours in front of the datas to improve the car. It’s true he grumbles quite a lot but always in a positive way. First of all it makes me laugh but above all it pushes us continuously to make our proto faster and faster. We have made a big step forward with him. That’s why Fabien Barthez, Simon Abadie, Sarah Abadie and I did everything we could to make him stay at PBC and we have found partners to achieve this priority."

"Keeping Julien Canal among us is very good news for the whole team. His maturity and his experience are well proven, and last year it united us around new strong goals. His close relation with Will Stevens is now strengthened by the determination of Rene Binder. All together, they are going to do wonderful things on track. That’s clearly a high-powered line-up, ready to fight at the top of the LMP2 category.” 

ELMS: French driver line-up for Duqueine Engineering in LMP2

Duqueine Engineering steps up to the LMP2 class in the 2018 European Le Mans Series with a Gibson powered Oreca 07 and a completely French driver line-up. 

Yann Belhomme's team moves up to the top class of the championship after acquiering Norma at the end of 2017.  After announcing their participation in the LMP2 class for the European Le Mans Series, Duqueine Engineering has unveiled a talented completely French crew, composed of Pierre Ragues, Nelson Panciatici and Nicolas Jamin. This strong and powerful trio is looking forward to competing together on European races and will bring all their experience to the team. This first season will be a learning experience and each member of the team will be keen to gain as much experience as possible on the use and operation of the car.

Yann Belhomme, Team manager : 

"I am very excited about this new ELMS season in an LMP2 category, which we will discover at the wheel of this Oreca 07 that has proven its abilities in endurance racing. We have a competitive crew composed of three distinct profiles just waiting for the opportunity to assert themselves on the track! Nico Jamin is a professional driver, fast and very sharp on a technical level. He’s been working a lot on simulators, and we will work hard together to make the simulation model of our new car as perfect as possible.

I am delighted to work with Pierre Ragues. He has a huge experience in LMP2, especially driving an Oreca. He is one of the fastest and most experienced silver drivers in the competition. And finally Nelson Panciatici, needless to talk about his top speed in LMP2. 

Nelson Panciatici : 

"I have had three amazing seasons with Duqueine Engineering and being present for the team’s participation in LMP2 makes me very happy. I won my first ELMS title in 2013 with Pierre Ragues, and it is good to be back in the same line-up with him this season and we will give Nicolas Jamin the warmest welcome we can. The ELMS competition has never been as dense as this year and we will make efforts to fight relentlessly to achieve positive results."

Nicolas Jamin : 

"I am extremely happy and eager to start this 2018 season, which will be full of opportunities for me! After the last 4 years I spent in the United States, I am proud to return to this side of the Atlantic ocean and focus my career on endurance. This season is a real turning point in my professional career and I feel ready for this new challenge!"

Pierre Ragues : 

"I am absolutely delighted to join the Duqueine Engineering team and proud to announce my return to the ELMS Championship that I particularly enjoy. Teaming up with Nicolas and Nelson is very motivating and I can’t stop thinking about the title we won in 2013 with Nelson! I really like this new challenge lot and Duqueine Engineering has really showed professionalism and competitiveness these last seasons, so I can’t wait to be at Paul Ricard for the official tests."