ELMS entry list bulging

The European Le Mans Series has 43 cars on the full-season entry list.

That is a step forward from the actual entries, compared to the 2020 season, where 40 cars were originally entered, but only 33 of them competed full season due to the COVID-19 situation.

The LMP2 category has 16 cars entered. The defending champions from United Autosports will once again enter two cars, while IDEC Sport has expanded to two cars. Algarve Pro Racing will enter a total of three cars, but two of them will run under the G-Drive Racing banner in 2021. There are other returnees like Duqueine Team, DragonSpeed, Panis Racing, BHK Motorsport, Cool Racing and Graff.

Team WRT is a new team to the European Le Mans Series, in addition to their FIA WEC programme. Robert Kubica is the only confirmed driver for ELMS so far.

Ultimate #29 and Racing Team Turkey by TF Sport #33 are also new names in LMP2. Ultimate has previous raced in the LMP3 category, but did have a go at LMP2 in the Asian Le Mans Series, a couple of years ago. They were meant to race in LMP2 in 2020, but the COVID-19 situation made them delay their plans. Racing Team Turkey by TF Sport is Salih Yoluc, who has collected a few Turkish sponsors and bought an ORECA 07, with Tom Ferrier running the car. Yoluc and TF Sport were very close at winning the FIA WEC GTE Am title in the 2019/20 season, but missed out by a few points to AF Corse.

High Class Racing, Inter Europol Competition and Richard Mille Racing Team have dropped off the LMP2 list compared to 2020, but they are active in the FIA WEC in 2021.

The LMP2 category has unfortunately turned into an ORECA 07-only category, with the Aurus 01 name being the only difference – but the “Russian” car is just another designation for an ORECA.

The LMP3 category has a total of 17 cars entered. United Autosports are also the defending champion here, and will once again enter two cars. Nielsen Racing will run a two-car entry like always, but has swapped the Duqueine D08 cars for a Ligier JS P320 instead. Graff will expand to two cars. Inter Europol Competition is back to two LMP3 again, after running a single LMP2 and a single LMP3 car throughout 2020.

The new teams in the LMP3 category are MV2S Racing #5, Racing Experience #12, Cool Racing #19 and Team Virage #20, who all have advanced from the Michelin Le Mans Cup. One AIM Villorba Corse is back in the series, after a one year break.

DKR Engineering #4 and Racing Experience #12 will be the only Duqueine D08 teams for 2021. The previously so popular Norma chassis, doesn’t have the same attraction anymore. Its main force of being super fast down the straights has been caught by Ligier, with their 2020 edition.

Spirit Of Race Ferrari #55, Richard Mille Racing Team #50, Inter Europol Competition #13
Photo: JJ Media

The GTE category will have 10 cars entered, with a good mix of Ferrari and Porsche, and the returning Aston Martin brand. The defending champions Proton Competition will enter two cars again, while last year’s second place finisher, Kessel Racing Ferrari, will enter a single car again.

TF Sport will return to the series with an Aston Martin Vantage, and AF Corse Ferrari will extend the FIA WEC programme with Francois Perrodo, to include a full ELMS season. He had two guest entries during 2020, which primarily served as a warm up for the FIA WEC season, but it has wet his appetite so much, that he will do a full season.

JMW Motorsport is back with their always yellow Ferrari 488 GTE, that they have used ever since their yellow 458 retired four years ago. The same is for the ever green Spirit Of Race Ferrari #55.

Iron Lynx Ferrari will expand their programme to consist of three cars. Car #60 with Claudio Schiavoni and #83 with Rahel Frey are back once again, with the addition of #80 for Matteo Cresoni. The team has only put one name on each entry, so it’s still not known if Frey will be joined by Manuela Gostner and Michelle Gatting as her teammates, just as the already announced FIA WEC programme. Only time will tell.

The entry list for the European Le Mans Series 2021, with all the confirmed drivers, can be viewed here.

The season is scheduled to start on 18 April at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain.

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