ELMS – Nathanaël Berthon joins Panis-Barthez Compétition

After an encouraging first season in 2016, the Panis-Barthez Competition will return to the European stage Le Mans Series in 2017 with a renewed crew at the wheel of the Ligier JS P217.

Si Timothé Buret and Fabien Barthez come back for a second year, Nathanaël Berthon replaces Paul-Loup Chatin in the premier category of the continental championship. The former GP2 Series driver thus completes his program which will also include the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, via Team WRT with Benoît Tréluyer and Stéphane Richelmi.

The Auvergne will also return to a championship that he contested in 2014 and 2015 with Murphy Prototypes. “I will give everything to share my experience in endurance knowing that we will have to work a lot to meet this challenge and especially with this new Ligier JS P217 that we must learn to tame.

Having Fabien Barthez as a teammate is enriching due to his background as a high-level athlete and his ability to unite the team. Timothé Buret showed great things last season with a desire to progress and a great mentality.

This good atmosphere within the team and the cohesion between teammates is essential and we will do everything to fight at the forefront with a technical team that I know is very perfectionist. »

In LM P3, Eric Dubard will be lined up in the Ligier JS P3 with Simon Gachet and a new American recruit Theo Bean, from the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.