ELMS – The entry list for the 2017 season revealed

After a year 2016 which saw a clear strengthening of the starting grid with 44 cars (15 LM P2, 20 LM P3 and 9 GTE), the European Le Mans Series in 2017 will be able to count on 36 cars, as revealed by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest this Thursday during its traditional press conference.

The entry list can count on 13 prototypes in LM P2, all powered by Gibson, with almost parity between the Oreca, Ligier and Dallara clans. DragonSpeed, G-Drive, and Graff Racing with two 07s will defend the Var colors while Panis-Barthez Compétition, Algarve Pro Racing, just crowned in the Asian Le Mans Series, will be among the teams to follow at Ligier.

The JS P217s from Onroak Automotive will also have reinforcements from Tockwith Motorsports, IDEC Sport Racing and United Autosports. The Dallara of High Class Racing, Cetilar Villorba Corse, Racing Team Nederland with Rubens Barrichello and Jan Lammers at the top of the bill, and SMP Racing complete the category. Note that the Ligier Panis-Barthez and IDEC Sport will be fitted with Michelin tires, unlike the other LM P2s, which benefit from Dunlop tires.

The LM P3 category will remain the largest with 16 cars present. The Ligier JS P3s from Onroak Automotive will once again be the most numerous on the track, but will have to face the new Norma M30s from Yvan Muller Racing and the Oregon Team.

United Autosports will try to defend its crowns won last year. Duqueine Engineering, which fields two Ligier JS P3s, Yvan Muller Racing (a Norma M30 and a Ligier JS P3), Panis-Barthez Compétition and Ultimate will represent the French colors.

In GTE, the regulars of the continental series will be there with the Ferrari 488 GTE of the Spirit of Race which will be opposed to the Aston Martin Vantage of the Beechdean AMR and TF Sport, as well as Porsche 911 RSR from the Proton Competition. JMW Motorsport will enter a former Ferrari 458 Italia.

The list of entrants in ELMS for season 2017

LM P2

Oreca 07-Gibson n°21 – DragonSpeed ​​Racing: H. Hedman
Oreca 07-Gibson n°22 – G-Drive: Mr. Rojas
Ligier JS P217-Gibson n°23 – Panis-Barthez Competition: F. Barthez
Ligier JS P217-Gibson n°25 – Algarve Pro Racing: A. Roda
Dallara P217-Gibson n°27 – SMP Racing: Mr. Aleshin
Ligier JS P217-Gibson n°28 – IDEC Sport: P. Lafargue
Dallara P217-Gibson n°29 – Racing Team Nederland: R. Barrichello-F. van Eerd-J. Lammers
Ligier JS P217-Gibson n°32 – United Autosports: W. Owen-H. By Sadeleer
Ligier JS P217-Gibson n°34 – Tockwith Motorsports: N. Moore
Oreca 07-Gibson n°39 – Graff Racing: J.Allen
Oreca 07-Gibson n°40 – Graff Racing: E. Trouillet
Dallara P217-Gibson n°47 – Cetilar Villorba Corse: R. Lacorte
Dallara P217-Gibson n°49 – High Class Racing: D. Andersen

LM P3

Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°2 – United Autosports: J. Falb
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°3 – United Autosports: Mr. Patterson
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°5 – by Speed ​​Factory: T. Muller
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°6 – 360 Racing: T. Woodward
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°7 – Duqueine Engineering: A. Borga
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°8 – Duqueine Engineering: Mr. Pialat
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°9 – AT Racing: A. Talkanitsa
Norma M30-Nissan n°10 – Oregon Team: D. Roda
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°11 – Eurointernational: G. Mondini
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°12 – Eurointernational: A. Dromedari
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°13 – Inter Europol Competition: J. Smiechowski
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°15 – RLR Msport: Faranno
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°16 – Panis-Barthez Competition: Debard
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°17 ​​– Ultimate: Lahaye
Ligier JS P3-Nissan n°18 – M. Racing YMR: Cougnaud
Norma M30-Nissan n°19 – M. Racing YMR: Y. Ehrlacher

GTE

Ferrari 488 n°51 – Spirit of Race: G. Roda
Ferrari 488 n°55 – Spirit of Race: D. Cameron
Ferrari 458 Italia n°66 – JMW Motorsports: R. Smith
Porsche 911 RSR n°77 – Proton Competition: C. Ried
Porsche 911 RSR n°88 – Proton Competition: W. Henzler
Aston Martin Vantage n°90 – TF Sport: S.Yoluc-E. Hankey-N. Thiim
Aston Martin Vantage n°99 – Beechdean-AMR: A. Howard

2017 ELMS Calendar

Official tests in Monza (Italy): March 28-29
Silverstone (Great Britain): April 14-15
Monza (Italy): May 12-14
Red Bull Ring (Austria): July 21-23
Paul-Ricard: August 25-27
Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium): September 22-24
Portimao (Portugal): October 20-22