Sean Creech Announces LMP2 Program With Ligier

Sean Creech Motorsport will field a Ligier JS P217 Gibson in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship LMP2 class next season following the removal of LMP3.

The Florida-based organization is moving up to a more powerful prototype formula having operated Ligier LMP3 cars in different IMSA-sanctioned series since 2017.

It is set to receive its Ligier LMP2 chassis from the port of Miami this week to begin preparations for next season.

Sean Creech had been considering moving his squad into LMP2 and told Sportscar365 at Watkins Glen last month that it would be a more realistic option than entering GTD.

“We’re happy to have our program set for 2024,” said Creech.

“We wanted to stay in the prototype classes and our existing relationship with Ligier opened the door to staying with them.

“It’s the same number of races as LMP3, and the logistics are very similar to the program that we’ve been running the last few years, so it made sense to go with LMP2.”

Sean Creech is set to become the first team to run a Ligier in the WeatherTech Championship’s LMP2 class since Rick Ware Racing and Eurasia Motorsport collaborated for an entry into the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The last full-time Ligier JS P217 entry came courtesy of PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in 2018 when the prototype class had a mixture of DPi and LMP2 machinery.

This season’s LMP2 grid is made up entirely of Oreca 07s, which has become the dominant car worldwide since the current Gibson engine regulations started in 2017.

WeatherTech Championship LMP3 teams have taken different approaches to ensure they remain on the grid next year, with AWA recently confirming its move to GTD and Riley Motorsports opting for an LMP2 effort.

“We have a lot of crew members who have worked on the Ligier LMP2 car, so the changeover won’t be difficult at all,” said Creech, whose team joined the WeatherTech Championship LMP3 grid in 2021 and previously raced in IMSA Prototype Challenge.

“Our engineers are working to get all the data we need to start a testing program – the lead time to get a Gibson lease engine is long so hopefully we can get something going before that.

“We’ll look to get as many miles as possible over the winter to get completely up to speed on everything before Daytona [in January].

“We have a long history in prototypes. I started working on them back in the late 80’s on a Porsche 962.

“This is a good fit for us, especially given our relationship with Ligier that dates back to 2017. We look forward to starting our 2024 prep now.”

Sean Creech currently runs a Ligier JS P320 Nissan for Joao Barbosa and Lance Willsey, who sit fifth in the LMP3 drivers’ standings with three rounds remaining.