The Michelin Le Mans Cup grid is once again maxed out with a huge 41 car grid for the second race of the 2024 season in the South of France at Le Castellet.
The 5.771km Circuit Paul Ricard will provide a different challenge than the competitors faced in Barcelona earlier this month, with the long Mistral Straight and fast flowing corners contrasting with the technical parts of the circuit at the start and end of each lap.
The grid will consist of 30 LMP3 and 11 GT3 cars, with 28 teams and 82 drivers representing 20 different nations from around the globe, including five French teams and 19 French drivers racing at the first of two home events.
The no20 High Class Racing Ligier-Nissan of Jens Moller and Tommy Foster travels to Le Castellet as the championship leaders after the Anglo-Danish pairing won the opening race in Spain.Jens Moller also made MLMC history by becoming the first driver to win a race in both GT3 and LMP3.
The Danish team will face some hard competition from many quarters at Le Castellet including from R-Ace GP, the French team finishing second in Barcelona on their Michelin Le Mans Cup debut after Fabien Michal claimed the first pole position of the season earlier on race day, with his French teammate Hadrien David bringing the car home just seven seconds behind the leader.
Inter Europol Competition claimed their first MLMC podium in Spain, after reigning Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 Driver’s Champion Alexander Bukhantsov and his Dutch teammate Rik Koen finished less than half a second ahead of the no87 COOL Racing Ligier of Adrien Closmenil and James Sweetnam.
French teams ANS Motorsport and MV2S Racing will both run a two-car effort, with ANS Motorsport featuring an all-French driver line up in both of their cars.
M Racing and IDEC Sport will run a car apiece, with both crews also running under the French Tricolour.
French drivers will also feature heavily in other teams, including former champions Racing Spirit of Leman, the Swiss team’s no10 Ligier line up of Marius Fossard and Christophe Lapierre.
Willyam Gosselin will race in the no2 CD Sport Ligier, while his compatriot Franck Chappard will race the no11 Ligier for the Spanish team.
Sylvain Guintoli will be in the no42 Steller Motorsport Duqueine and reigning ELMS LMP3 Driver’s champion Adrien Chila will be racing alongside David Droux in the no97 COOL Racing Ligier.
Reigning LMP3 Team Champions Team Virage will once again field a two-car entry as will Rinaldi Racing and Bretton Racing.
Last year’s vice champions Thor Racing, with Audunn Gudmundsson and Colin Noble will be looking for a better run at Le Castellet, as will former champions Nielsen Racing with Tony Wells and Wayne Boyd.
More Motorsport, GG Classics, Haegeli by T2 Racing and P4 Racing are all entering a single car each.There are also two race by race entries at Le Castellet with Reiter Engineering and Graff both entering a Ligier-Nissan for the race at Le Castellet.
The GT3 grid is due to be up to full strength for Round 2 in France with British team Blackthorn due to make their delayed MLMC debut with a pair of the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
After securing victory on their debut, Round 1 winners Matthew Kurzejewski and Alessandro Balzan will be looking for another top 3 finish at Le Castellet in the no51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3.
It was incredibly close in Spain last time out with the podium covered by just 3.5 seconds at the end of the 110-minute race.The no74 Kessel Racing Ferrari was second, just ahead of the no88 AF Corse 296 GT3.
Kessel Racing will field a second Ferrari with French driver Frederic Jousset in the no12 296 alongside Daniel Cleto Fumanelli. Celia Martin, who is originally from Bordeaux but now based in Germany, is also hoping to build on the positives of the first race in Spain, racing in the Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan alongside her Swiss teammate Karen Gaillard.
Danish team High Class Racing will run their Porsche 911 GT3 R for British duo Nick Jones and Scott Malvern, while. 2023 MLMC race winners Steller Motorsport will be running the only Audi R8 LMS on the grid.
Biogas Motorsport will be hoping for better luck in France after the Spanish team were forced to withdraw from their home event after the engine of their Ferrari 296 had an issue in Free Practice.
There will be a warm welcome back from the whole MLMC paddock for the Proton Huber Competition team, with Manuel Lauck and Joerg Dreisow due to race the team’s Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The Le Castellet Round, Round 2 of the 2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup, will take place on Saturday 4 May, with qualifying on Saturday morning preceded by two Free Practice sessions on Friday 3 May.
