Record 44 Cars for Tenth season of the Michelin Le Mans Cup

The 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup will see a record breaking 44 full season entries, with three categories for the first time since the series’ first race in Imola in 2016 and the launch of the next generation of Toyota powered LMP3 cars.

The six round 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup will see races in Barcelona, Le Castellet, Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone and Portimão, with two 55-minute races on the full La Sarthe circuit at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

For the first time in endurance racing, the LMP3 category will feature all-pro lineups with Silver and Gold rated drivers, while LMP3 Pro/Am will be for crews that have at least one Bronze driver.

The 44-car grid will see 29 teams representing 14 different nations, with 88 drivers due to line up for the first 110-minute race in Barcelona on Saturday 5th April.

Twenty Cars for LMP3
The 20 strong grid for the LMP3 category will see all four LMP3 chassis manufacturers represented for the first time; Ligier, Duqueine, Adess and Ginetta.In total there are 12 Ligier JS P325s, 5 Duqueine D09s, 2 Adess AD25s and a single Ginetta G61-LT-J325-EVO, all powered by the same Toyota V35A twin turbo V6 engine.

Reigning Champions CLX Motorsport, the new name for COOL Racing in 2025, will run two Ligiers, with reigning driver’s champion David Droux teaming up with fellow Swiss driver Cedric Oltramare in the no97 Ligier-Toyota, while the no87 car will be shared by Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Alvise Rodella

2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup Champions Team Virage will also enter a pair of Ligier JS P325s, with Sacha Lehmann in the no16 car and Samir Ben in the no74 entry.

2021 Team Champions Nielsen Racing will switch to the Adess AD25 in 2025. Former champion Colin Noble will race with fellow Brit Tom Fleming in the no4 car, while Columbian Henry Cubides-Olarte will race in the no7 Adess-Toyota.

Four-time MLMC Team Champions DKR Engineering are also switching chassis this season, from the Duqueine to the Ginetta G61. Wyatt Brichacek and Freddie Tomlinson will share the driving duties in the no3 entry.

2024 Vice Champions R-ace GP are back this season with a two-car LMP3 class effort for the French team, with a third car in LMP3 Pro/Am. Germany’s Hugo Schwartze will pilot the no85 Duqueine D09-Toyota, while Edgar Pierre will drive the no86 entry.

Spain’s CD Sport, Italian team TS Corse and new team Gebhardt Motorsport from Germany will all run a single Duqueine D09 in the LMP3 category.

French teams ANS Motorsport and Forestier Racing by VPS will each run a pair of Ligier JS P325s, while High Class Racing, Reiter Engineering, Bretton Racing, 23Events Racing and M Racing will each run a single Ligier in the LMP3 category this year.

Sixteen Entries for New LMP3 Pro/Am Class
The LMP3 Pro/Am grid will consist of 14 Ligier JS P325s and 2 Duqueine D09s.

2022 MLMC LMP3 Team Champions Racing Spirit of Léman have entered a single Ligier for Anglo-German pairing of Christian Gisy and Ralf Kelleners.

Polish team Inter Europol Competition and German team Rinaldi Racing will each run a pair of Ligiers in the LMP3 Pro/Am class. Canadian Garrett Grist in the no34 car and American Aristotle Balogh in the no43 Ligier for Inter Europol, while Steve Parrow and Daniel Keilwitz will race the no66 Rinaldi entered Ligier and Stefan Aust and Felipe Fernandez-Laser the no71 car for the German team.

The two Duqueine D09s will be run by French outfit R-ace GP and Spanish team CD Sport. Romano Ricci will be the Bronze driver in the no88 R-ace GP Duqueine, with Lebanese driver Shahan Sarkissian as the Bronze driver in the no31 CD Sport run car.

23Events Racing, High Class Racing, Bretton Racing, Reiter Engineering and ANS Motorsport will all run a single Ligier JS P325 in the LMP3 Pro/Am class alongside their entries in the LMP3 category.

Belgian race winner Eric De Doncker returns for a full season with his Motorsport98 team, while P4 Racing, GG Classics and More Motorsport will all enter a single Ligier to make up the 16 strong LMP3 Pro/Am grid for the 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup.

Eight Cars for GT3
The GT3 field will see Aston Martin, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche go head-to-head in 2025.

Reigning GT3 Team Champions AF Corse return to defend their title with a single car entry. Alessandro Cozzi and Eliseo Donno will share the driving duties in the no51 Ferrari 296 GT3.

2018 and 2019 Team Champions Kessel Racing also return with two cars. Italian pairing Lorenzo Ferdinando Innocenti and Andrea Belicchi will race the no17 Ferrari, with Turkish driver Murat Ruhi Cuhadaroglu teaming up with Italian David Cleto Fumanelli in the no33 Ferrari 296.

Spanish team Biogas Motorsport return for a second season with a single Ferrari 296 for Josep Mayola Comadira and Marc Carol Ybarra.

Team Motopark will make their MLMC full season debut, with the Austrian team running a Mercedes-AMG GT3, with German driver Heiko Neumann being named as the Bronze driver.

French team Code Racing Development will run the only Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO on the grid, with Bailey Voisin as the lead driver.

2017 MLMC Champions Ebimotors make a welcome return to the series with a single Porsche 911 GT3 R with Romanian Fabrizio Broggi named as the Bronze driver.

Iron Dames return to the MLMC in 2025, switching from Lamborghini to Porsche this season.The no83 Porsche 911 will be driven by 2023 F1 Academy Champion Marta Garcia and she is partnered by Vanina Ickx, winner of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and 24 Hours of Nürburgring and daughter of 24 Hours of Le Mans legend Jacky Ickx.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “With a record number of cars on the grid, all the signs are suggesting that this 10th season of the championship will be fiercely contested! The six rounds will give the drivers invaluable endurance experience on prestigious circuits. We look forward to the curtain-raiser in Barcelona in April and, of course, to the two Road To Le Mans races in June on the 24 Hours of Le Mans bill.”

Frédéric Lequien, Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM) CEO: ”2025 is a landmark year for the Michelin Le Mans Cup as it is ten years since the series was unveiled. With a record 44 cars and great lineups, it is the perfect stage for teams and drivers looking to launch their endurance racing careers.

It is fantastic to see all four chassis manufacturers – Ligier, Duqueine, Adess and Ginetta – represented on the 2025 grid with the new generation of LMP3 cars, while the GT3 class promises another thrilling year.

We’re grateful to our title partner Michelin for their long-time support and thank all teams joining us for an exciting 2025 season in endurance racing.”

Fonte: www.lemanscup