Valentino Catalano and Oscar Tunjo will start for GEBHARDT Motorsport in the Michelin Le Mans Cup.
GEBHARDT Motorsport is also expanding its LMP3 programme in Europe this year. In addition to competing in the Prototype Cup Germany, the team from Sinsheim will compete in the Michelin Le Mans Cup for the first time. LMP3 and GT3 cars will compete in the series, with races held as part of the ELMS supporting programme and the 24-hour race at Le Mans.
Valentino Catalano and Oscar Tunjo will be at the wheel of the brand-new Duqueine D09 of the team led by Fritz Gebhardt and team manager Karl-David Jennings. With this powerful driver duo, the German team intends to play a major role in the fight for the title in its debut season in the international championship.
Despite his young age of 19, Catalano is entering his fourth season in LMP3 racing this year, so the ADAC Stiftung Sport protégé already has a wealth of experience in the prototype category. Last year, the talented young driver became champion in the Prototype Cup Germany with GEBHARDT Motorsport and has already notched up three victories in the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge in the USA this year.
Tunjo recently made his debut with GEBHARDT Motorsport at the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge in Austin and was able to impress the team there. The 29-year-old from Colombia has already gained experience in the LMP3 class in the Prototype Cup Germany and in other high-profile racing series and is considered to be a lightning-fast driver in his class.
‘We are very much looking forward to our debut in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. Some of the world's best LMP3 drivers and teams compete in the series. With Oscar and Valentino, we have two strong drivers in our car and I am sure that we can fight for top results. However, we are aware that competing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup will be one of the biggest challenges in our team history. To meet this challenge, we are preparing for the season in the best possible way,’ explains Fritz Gebhardt.
In 2025, the Michelin Le Mans Cup will be the only race series, alongside the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), in which the new generation of LMP3 prototypes will be used. The team will be entering a Duqueine D09. The car is powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine from Toyota, which has been prepared for racing by Oreca. With 470 hp, the engine develops 15 hp more than its predecessors, but consumes less fuel. The team from Baden recently completed the first day of testing with the new car at Hockenheim.
