A home race is always special but for a British driver to race in a British car at the Home of British Motorsport for the first time is extra special. Freddie Tomlinson will be doing just that in his Ginetta-Toyota in the first ever Michelin Le Mans Cup race at Silverstone on Saturday 13 September.
This season saw the launch of the third generation of LMP3 cars with all four manufacturers represented on the grid. French manufacturers Ligier and Duqueine have provided the bulk of the grids since 2017, while Adess have joined the MLMC this season with Nielsen Racing.
Ginetta was the first LMP3 manufacturer to have their car ready when the class was launched in 2015 and Team LNT won the first ever LMP3 title in the European Le Mans Series with Chris Hoy and Charlie Robertson.
Now Ginetta return with the Toyota powered G61-LT-P325-EVO. The British marque has teamed up with four-time MLMC champions DKR Engineering, with Freddie Tomlinson and his American teammate Wyatt Brichacek developing the car in its first season of competition.
While a single top ten result at Le Castellet has been the highlight of the season so far for Tomlinson and Brichacek, there have been some significant improvements made thanks to the hard work by all involved. A win for the one-off entry in the LMP3 Pro/Am class at Le Mans in June for Thomas Laurent and Antti Rammo clearly demonstrating there is a lot more to come.
We caught up with Freddie Tomlinson as he prepares for the penultimate race of the 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup season at Silverstone.
Q1: The MLMC LMP3 class is incredibly competitive this season. While points have been hard to come by, what have been the positives you’ve taken away from the first four events racing the brand-new Ginetta G61-LT-P325-EVO-Toyota?
Freddie Tomlinson: “It’s been a tricky first season of the LMP3 car due to the nature of the competitiveness of the Le Mans Cup series. One positive we have taken is that our race pace is getting stronger and stronger and even though the Ligier and Duqueine have the luxury of four years of data with the Gen 2 LMP3s across many cars, different teams and circuits, we are pleased to be catching up quickly.”
Q2: How is the development of the new car going?
FT: “It’s going well. We are finding small bits with the car every weekend and hopefully we will get closer to the others every race weekend.”
Q3: This is your first season racing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. What are the reasons you chose to race in the series and what are your thoughts on the paddock and the competition?
FT: “The Le Mans Cup series is extremely competitive and has produced lots of talented drivers, so it was a no brainier for me to join the Le Mans Cup series. Furthermore, racing at Le Mans was a massive deal for me as I would love to race there in the 24-hour race. Le Mans Cup is the most competitive LMP3 race series with 36 LMP3 cars, which makes the series fierce and competitive, which makes for some incredible races.”
Q4: You are not new to prototypes, having won a race in an LMP2 car in Abu Dhabi in the Asian Le Mans Series. How different are the Le Mans Prototypes compared to the GT cars you’ve been racing elsewhere?
FT: “To be honest there is not a massive difference in GT cars compared to prototypes as to drive fast requires a similar technique. It’s all about fine tuning the driving style in order to be as quick as possible in whatever car you are driving.”
Q5: The fifth round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup is at Silverstone; the first time the series has visited the UK. What are your thoughts on competing at home and what are your thoughts on the Silverstone circuit? Do you have a favourite corner or sequence?
FT: “Silverstone is my favourite track in the world so it’s always an honour and privilege to be able to race there, especially with the BRDC and being able to race at home is a special feeling. My favourite corner has to be the Maggots, Becketts, Chapel sequence. It is one of the most thrilling sequence of corners anywhere in the world and it is always an honour to race there.”
Q6: What would be considered a good result for you and the team at Silverstone?
FT: “For us we are aiming for a podium in the car, but a result in the top 8 would also be good.”
The 110-minute race at Silverstone is Round 5 of the 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup and will take place on Saturday 13 September.
