A total of 34 cars will compete in the 2015 European Le Mans Series after the official entry list was revealed by the ACO in Paris today.
Of the 34 cars that have been announced there are 19 prototype and 15 GT entries.
Reigning champions Signatech Alpine are a notable omission from the list, having committed to a full season in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Seven LMP3 entries were also announced, all of which will compete with the new Nissan powered Ginetta-Juno LMP3 car. Alongside the two in-house Team LNT entries, five customers will compete in the all-new prototype category including Rollcentre Racing, Lanan Racing, SVK by Speed Factory, University of Bolton and Cetilar Villorba Corse.
Portuguese outfit Algarve Pro Racing will make its return to international competition, with British driver Michael Munemann set to pilot the ex-Thiriet by TDS Racing Ligier JS P2.
A second Ligier JS P2 will be entered by well-known American squad Krohn Racing, which will be making its ELMS prototype debut. Team owner Tracy Krohn is the confirmed driver.
2014 24 Hours of Le Mans class winners Jota Sport will once again be mounting an ELMS title challenge. Team owner Simon Dolan is the only listed driver for the upgraded and re-named Gibson 015S, as 2014 driver Harry Tincknell makes the step up to the FIA WEC with Nissan.
The second Gibson 015S will be entered by British sportscar racing stalwarts Greaves Motorsport. ELMS GTC champion Johnny Mowlem is the first confirmed driver of the #41 machine.
SMP Racing will make its return to the ELMS prototype ranks after winning the FIA WEC LMP2 title. The Russian team will field a pair of new BR01 LMP2s, in which Maurizio Mediani and former IndyCar star Mikhail Aleshin will compete.
French manufacturer Oreca will once again have a strong presence in the LMP2 class, with four open-cockpit 03R prototypes set to compete this year. Ibanez Racing will field a pair of ex-Millenium Racing/Delta ADR cars, while Eurasia Motorsport (Kevin Pu Jun Jin) and popular Irish team Murphy Prototypes (Greg Murphy) will also be present.
In addition, Thiriet by TDS Racing will be flying the flag for the new Oreca 05 coupé, which will be driven by Pierre Thiriet, while Pegasus Racing (Leo Roussel) will look to consolidate a positive debut year with its Morgan-Nissan.
LMP2 Entry List
25 – Algarve Pro Racing – Ligier JS P2 – Michael Munemann (GBR)
27 – SMP Racing -BR01 – Mikhail Aleshin (RUS)
29 – Pegasus Racing – Morgan Nissan – Leo Roussel (FRA)
33 – Eurasia Motorsport – Oreca 03R Nissan – Kevin Pu Jun Jin (PRC)
37 – SMP Racing – BR01 – Maurizio Mediani (ITA)
38 – Jota Sport – Gibson 015S Nissan – Simon Dolan (GBR)
40 – Krohn Racing – Ligier JS P2 – Tracy Krohn (USA)
41 – Greaves Motorsport – Gibson 015S Nissan – Johnny Mowlem (GBR)
44 – Ibanez Racing – Oreca 03R Nissan – Pierre Perret (FRA)
45 – Ibanez Racing – Oreca 03R Nissan – José Ibanez (FRA)
46 – Thiriet by TDS Racing – Oreca 05 Nissan – Pierre Thiriet (FRA)
48 – Murphy Prototypes – Oreca 03R Nissan – Greg Murphy (ROI)
LMP3 Entry List
2 – Team LNT – Ginetta-Nissan – Michael Simpson (GBR)
3 – Team LNT – Ginetta-Nissan – Sir Chris Hoy, Charlie Robertson (GBR)
5 – Cetilar Villorba Corse – Ginetta-Nissan – Giorgio Sernagiotto (ITA)
7 – University of Bolton CAPE – Ginetta-Nissan – Rob Garofall (GBR)
11 – Lanan Racing – Ginetta-Nissan – Alex Crave (GBR)
15 – SVK by Speed Factory – Ginetta-Nissan – Konstantin Calko (LAT)
18 – Rollcentre Racing – Ginetta-Nissan – Martin Short (GBR)
The GTE field will see a slight reduction in the number of entries from 13 to nine. AF Corse will once again retain its strong presence in the ELMS with three 458 Italia GTE entries confirmed. Peter Mann will pilot the #51 car, 2014 GTE runner up Duncan Cameron retains his place in the #55 machine and former FIA WEC driver Stephen Wyatt will form one third of the #81 entry.
4 Hours of Estoril winners Marc VDS Racing will make their already confirmed step up to the GTE category with their fearsome BMW Z4. WTCC champion Andy Priaulx is the lead driver, meaning that the popular Briton will be on triple-duty in 2015 with additional campaigns in the BTCC and TUSCC already booked.
Another team to make the switch from GTC to GTE is Formula Racing; the Danish outfit has opted to retain Johnny Laursen as a driver of their Ferrari 458 Italia GTE. Meanwhile, AT Racing will once again compete in the GTE class with their Ferrari 458 Italia, with Belarusian Alexander Talkanitsa set to race. The final Ferrari 458 Italia entry comes in the form of JMW Motorsport, which finished 3rd in class last year. 2014 driver George Richardson will return to the line-up.
Porsche will also feature in the GTE class with two customer entries. Gulf Racing UK will pitch Michael Wainwright in the #86 car, while Proton Competition complete the class grid with their #88 machine, driven by Christian Ried.
GTE Entry List
51 – AF Corse – Ferrari 458 Italia – Peter Mann (USA)
52 – BMW Sports Trophy Marc VDS – BMW Z4 GTE – Andy Priaulx (GBR)
55 – AF Corse – Ferrari 458 Italia – Duncan Cameron (GBR)
56 – AT Racing – Ferrari 458 Italia – Alexander Talkanitsa (BLR)
60 – Formula Racing – Ferrari 458 Italia – Johnny Laursen (DEN)
66 – JMW Motorsport – Ferrari 458 Italia – George Richardson (GBR)
91 – AF Corse – Ferrari 458 Italia – Stephen Wyatt (AUS)
86 – Gulf Racing UK – Porsche 911 RSR – Michael Wainwright (GBR)
88 – Proton Competition – Porsche 911 RSR – Christian Ried (DEU)
In GTC, four AF Corse-entered Ferrari 458 Italia GT3s will form the majority of the cohort. The #61 car will be driven by Mario Cordoni, the #62 by Thomas Flohr, the #63 by Giorgio Roda and the #64 by Mads Rasmussen. Meanwhile, Danish outfit Massive Motorsport will represent the only Aston Martin entry of the 2015 ELMS season. Casper Elgaard is the first confirmed driver of the team’s #68 Vantage GT3.
In addition to its LMP2 programme, TDS Racing will field a BMW Z4 GT3 in the GTC class. Having gained experience with two Z4 GT3s in the Blancpain Endurance Series last year, the established French team will be looking to find success in two separate areas of the ELMS in 2015. Eric Dermont will race the #59 car.
GTC Entry List
59 – TDS Racing – BMW Z4 GT3 – Eric Dermont (FRA)
61 – AF Corse – Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – Mario Cordoni (ITA)
62 – AF Corse – Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – Thomas Flohr (SUI)
63 – AF Corse – Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – Giorgio Roda (ITA)
64 – AF Corse – Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 – Mads Rasmussen (DEN)
68 – Massive Motorsport – Aston Martin Vantage GT3 – Casper Elgaard (DEN)
