ELMS: Richard Bradley returns to the LMP2 class with Duqueine Engineering

After a first season in LMP2 category of the European Le Mans Series, Team Duqueine Engineering will their second year with a new driver line-up.

French drivers Pierre Ragues and Nicolas Jamin are still part of the Team and will be joined by Richard Bradley, winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 (Team KCMG LMP2 category). The 27-year-old British driver, who is used to performing in that category, will make the crew complete, as they are more motivated than ever and look forward to starting the season at the wheel of the Oreca 07 number 29 next April.

Yann Belhomme, Team Manager of Duqueine Engineering said "I'm delighted to see such a quality Team ready to race in LMP2 for the second year in a row. It is with great pride and motivation that Team Duqueine Engineering will start this new season of European Le Mans Series. There is no doubt that we will be a force to be reckoned with in this tough competition!"

ELMS: Nielsen Racing enters two LMP3's in the European Le Mans Series

There is a new look to Nielsen Racing in 2019 as the team have announced a two-car entry into the European Le Mans Series. The British-based team will field two LMP3 entries with Colin Noble and Tony Wells continuing their successful partnership, while James Littlejohn returns to the team and is joined by Nobuya Yamanaka in the sister entry.

“We’re delighted to be back this year in ELMS with two cars in the LMP3 class,” stated Team Manager David ‘Sven’ Thompson. “We have some very familiar faces with Colin and Tony teaming up in one car and James in the other. It’s also a pleasure to welcome Nobuya to the team and help him build on his long-term programme to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “We know the competition will be to tough but with Colin and Tony we expect to be going for podium positions in every round, while we know that James will be an excellent coach to Nobuya and that as a pairing, they will make great gains over the course of the season.”

Colin and Tony form what is expected to be an especially strong Pro-Am driver line-up. The duo currently compete together in the Asian Le Mans Series and remain in the championship battle heading to the season finale in Malaysia. Both drivers have extensive race experience with Nielsen Racing, with Colin taking the inaugural Henderson Cup LMP3 honours in 2017 and 2018 before following that up with the runner-up position in Michelin Le Mans Cup – as well as fourth in the European Le Mans Series – all under the Nielsen Racing umbrella.  Tony is no stranger to the team either, with an extensive track record in Radicals with the team before embarking on the Michelin Le Mans Cup programme in 2017 where he finished second in the championship and then teamed up with Colin to claim the British LMP3 honours.

The second LMP3 entry of James and Nobuya is also an interesting proposal. The former is currently competing in the Asian Le Mans Series, his first taste of LMP3 competition, and to date in the series after just three rounds, the Japanese gentleman driver has already claimed his first podium position. James is well-known to the Nielsen Racing team having competed with the team last year in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, finishing third overall with four podium positions. Prior to that, the British racer – who cut his teeth in single seaters – took the Radical UK Cup in 2012 and has competed in the British GT Championship with success.

The 2020 LMP3 regulations announced by the ACO

After the introduction of the LMP3 class in 2015 by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the next generation of cars will make its competition debut in 2020. Four manufacturers have been selected to help the ACO to take the class forward. Today, the 2020 version of LMP3 has been presented with some key technical information and the introduction process in different championships. 

The LMP3 class forms the first tier of the ACO’s endurance pyramid. The class was introduced by the organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 and will enter its second phase in 2020. The second-generation chassis will race for five seasons; from 2020 to 2024. The entry level class has been a resounding success since its inception, with to date 170 LMP3 cars entered in various racing series all over the world. Several drivers have used the class to launch themselves on the endurance ladder, including Thomas Laurent, who won the 2016 Road to Le Mans race, took the LMP2 crown at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans (finishing second overall) and came third at Le Mans in 2018 in LMP1. LMP3 has als been proven very popular with amateur and gentlemen drivers. 

The backbone of the series continues to be formed by competitive cars, a top-flight sporting programme, affordable budget, a straightforward mechanical set-up and technology within everyone’s reach. LMP3 was designed as a training ground for endurance racing: an area in which drivers, team members, engineers and mechanics can hone their skills and prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

4 manufacturers have been selected to build the new LMP3 chassis: Ligier, Duqueine Engineering (Norma Automotive), Ginetta and Adess. The new generation of LMP3 cars will be an upgrade of the manufacturers' present vehicles, so not a completely new car. An upgrade kit has been defined, covering safety as well as performance and design. As with the current generation of LMP3 cars, Oreca remains the exclusive supplier for the engine, gearbox and electronics. The engines will still be built by Nissan, who will introduce the new Nissan VK56 engine. Engine power will be increased by 35hp, up to 455 hp. The current engines (Nissan VK50 V8) will be adapted to deliver the same power and performance as the new one. This means competitors will be able to keep their current engines until they come to the end of their life cycle before investing in a new engine.  New for the class will be the introduction of traction control and a technical passport. Some safety-related changes have also been approved for the driver’s headrest structure and the driver’s seat, and Zylon side panels will be introduced.

The new regulations also stipulate the costs for either the upgrade of the current cars or a new car.  The maximum cost for the upgrade of the current engine will be € 4.900, the upgrade of the chassis (including technical passport) has been set to € 50.000. This brings out a total of € 54.900 to upgrade the current car for the 2020 season. The price of a completely new car for the 2020 season has been set to a maximum of € 239.000. A bodywork upgrade kit and mechanical modifications are also permitted, provided costs do not exceed the price of the kit indicated in the regulations.

The second generation of LMP3 cars will be introduced over 2 years/seasons: 

• 2020 season: European Le Mans Series, Michelin Le Mans Cup, Road to Le Mans, Ultimate Cup, VdeV
• 2020/2021 season: Asian Le Man Series
• 2021 season: all other competitions