The opening round of the 2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup in Spain will see 42 cars, 30 LMP3 and 12 GT3, line up on the grid at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Saturday 22 April. There are 84 drivers and 27 teams representing 24 different nations from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania.
LMP3: 30 Cars in Spain
The LMP3 category is once again full of new and established talent, with 16 teams running a total of 26 Ligier JS P320-Nissans competing against 4 teams running the Duqueine M30-D08-Nissan.
Reigning champions Racing Spirit of Leman return to defend their title, the Swiss team running a single Ligier-Nissan for German duo Christian Gisy and Ralf Kelleners in LMP3.
2021 champions Nielsen Racing have a two-car entry, with the #3 Duqueine for John Melsom and Matt Bell, while the #7 Ligier is for Drivers’ Champion Tony Wells, who will be partnered by Josh Skelton this season. Wells’ fellow champion Colin Noble will race alongside Audunn Gudmundsson at Team Thor in 2023.
Four-time LMP3 Champions DKR Engineering have a single car entry this year, with Alexander Bukhantsov and James Winslow in the #3 Duqueine.
On the LMP3 grid Spanish interest lies with three drivers and one team, with CD Sport fielding two cars. The #2 Ligier will feature Fabien Michal and Kiril Smal, while the #11 car will Lebanon’s Shahan Sarkissian alongside French driver Franck Chappard.
Spain’s Julian Gerbi (#16 Team Virage), Santiago Concepcion Serrano (#13 Inter Europol Competition) and Belen Garcia Espinar (#25 360 Racing) will be the point of interest for the local fans on Saturday 21 April.
Graff Racing, United Autosports, Cool Racing, 360 Racing, MV2S Racing and Team Virage will all be running a two-car entry this season, while Inter Europol Competition is the only team to run three cars in the 2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup.
The LMP3 grid is completed by single car entries by ANS Motorsport, IDEC Sport, 24-7Motorsport, Frikadelli Racing Team, Murphy Prototypes, Rinaldi Racing, Haegeli by T2 Racing, M Racing and Team Thor.
GT3: Aston Martin v Audi v Ferrari v Honda v Lamborghini v Porsche
Six different manufacturers will be represented on the 12 car GT3 grid at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with reigning GT3 champions GMB Motorsport returning with a pair of Honda NSX GT3s to defend their title.
The #55 Honda will be run by Thomas Andersen and Simon Birch, while the #88 NSX will feature Lars Engelbreckt Pedersen alongside Jan Magnussen, who will compete in his first full season in the Michelin Le Mans Cup.
Double team champions Iron Lynx are also looking for a third title this season, the Italian team running a single Lamborghini Huracan for Road to Le Mans winner Hiroshi Hamaguchi, who will race with Vincent Abril. Leipert Motorsport will also run a pair of Huracans this season.
The brand-new Ferrari 296 GT3 will be raced for the first time this season, with AF Corse running a pair of the cars for Japanese race winners Hiroshi Koizumi and Kei Cozzolino (#51), and Emmanuel Collard and Charles-Henri Samani in the #83 Ferrari.
Two British teams are on the grid this season, with Team Parker Racing entering a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 Rs, while Steller Motorsport will make their Michelin Le Mans Cup debut with a single Audi R8 LMS. A third Porsche 911 will be entered by Danish team HCR with Caffeinesix.
Reigning LMP3 Champions Racing Spirit of Leman will also run a single Aston Martin Vantage GT3 alongside their LMP3 entry this season, with Arnaud Robin joining Valentin Hasse-Clot behind the wheel.
Round 1 of the 2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup will take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the 21/22 April. Tickets for race day can be found HERE.
CLICK HERE for the entry list for Round 1.
