LMS – STRONG PROTOTYPES ENTRY LIST
After the FIA World Endurance Championship’s presentation of its 2012 season, the European Le Mans Series announces its entry list. For its first season, the European Le Mans Series, essential endurance racing Championship and main channel of the new FIA WEC, presents a promising five category grid. The highest participation will be in the prototype category with a total of twenty entries.
Stars of the European Le Mans Series, this year, the LMP2s will dominate the track. 13 prototypes, 12 teams representing 7 nationalities, 5 chassis manufacturers and 2 engine manufacturers will be in the running for the first European Le Mans Series title. And if all the drivers have not yet been announced, those already confirmed show the quality and high level of the 2012 grid.
Among the awaited competitors: Greaves Motorsport, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Le Mans series LMP2 winner in 2011 joined by the TDS Racing, Boutsen Ginion Racing and Race Performance teams, all regularly on the podium last season. OAK Racing, with two Morgan-Judds, will also be a team to be reckoned with. Just like the young Sébastien Loeb Racing structure entering an Oreca-Nissan in LMP2 and a Formula Le Mans in LMPC.
In the LMPC category, whose tests programmed at the Paul Ricard circuit were cancelled because of snow, the number of entries will be confirmed after the upcoming sessions on 23 and 24 February. Between six and eight Formula Le Mans are already confirmed for the whole season.
The GT grid should boast some ten cars. In GTE Pro, two “factory” cars: a Porsche 911 RSR with Prospeed Competition and an Evora lined up by the Lotus team.
As of today, the new GTC category only has one full season entry. It will be joined by other GTC contestants on a race by race basis.
Finally, thanks to technical regulations shared between the European Le Mans Series and the FIA WEC, certain world championship competitors will be able to consider the possibility of participating in ELMS rounds and inversely.
In total, thirty five cars are expected in the different 2012 European Le Mans Series races.
