LE CASTELLET 6 HOURS 31st MARCHAPRIL 1st – GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES!

The  new  endurance  season  will  kick  off  on  the  Paul  Ricard  circuit  on  31st  March1st  April  under  the  name: the European Le Mans Series. Twentythree cars have entered for the race, and as expected, LM  P2, the new top category, has the most teams with twelve entrants ready to go headtohead. Topping  the bill is Greaves Motorsport whose aim is to clinch a second title on the trot with Alex BrundleLucas  OrdonezTom KimberSmith in the ZytekNissan.   There are several other title contenders, however, starting with the eagerlyawaited team entered by  8time world rally champion, Sébastien Loeb. The newlycreated eponymous squad will debut with an  Oreca03  Nissan  that  was  delivered  late,  and  which  will  only  have  been  bolted  together  a  few  days  before the event. With drivers of the stature and experience of the exPeugeot Sport pair, Stéphane  Sarrazin  and  Nicolas  Minassian  (22  Le  Mans  24  hours  between  them),  it  will  be  hard  to  beat.  The  MorganJudd  driven  by  Jacques  NicoletGuillaume  MoreauDominik  Kraihamer  is  another  potential  frontrunner and was quickest in the official tests on 910 March.   Among the other teams that have opted for the OrecaNissan combination is Thiriet by TDS Racing that  has also impressed with its two young drivers, Mathias Beche and Pierre Thiriet, who can’t wait to take  the fight to their rivals. The Boutsen Ginion Racing squad has received some firstclass support for the  Le  Castellet  6  Hours  in  the  person  of  exF1  Toro  Rosso  driver  (and  this  year’s  third  Red  Bull  Racing  driver),  Sébastien  Buemi  who  will  back  up  Jack  Clarke  and  Bastien  Brière.  The  Pecom  Racing  entry  driven  by  the  experienced  Soheil  AyariLuis  Perez  CompancPierre  Kaffer  trio  cannot  be  discounted  either.    Five chassis constructors (Lola, Morgan, Norma, Oreca and Zytek) will do battle in the LM P2 category  as well as two engine suppliers (Judd and Nissan) and drivers of eight different nationalities.   The LM GTE Pro category will be an allFerrari scrap with three F458s entered by Kessel Racing, JMW  Motorsport and JMB Racing. AF Corse has entered an F458 in GTE Am where it will be up against the  Porsche 911 RSRs (997) of Imsa Performance Matmut and Prospeed Competition and the Gulf Racing  Aston Martin Vantage.   Rendezvous  this  coming  weekend  on  the  Paul  Ricard  circuit  for  the  first  pointers  to  this  season’s  hierarchy.