41 Cars Confirmed for Barcelona Round

A total of 41 cars are on the entry list for the European Le Mans Series’ first race at Circuit de Catalunya in a decade later this month.

The grid is separated into an 18-car representation in LMP2, an increased 15-car field in LMP3 and an eight-car GTE contingent.

The 4 Hours of Barcelona will mark the debut of the new ACE1 LMP3 entry run by Italian squad Villorba Corse, with Alessandro Bressan and former World Challenge racer Yuki Harata set to drive.

ACE1 Villorba Corse’s Ligier JS P3 Nissan was initially announced as a full-season car but didn’t contest the opening two rounds, however team principal Raimondo Amadio told Sportscar365 last month that the program was still active.

In the top class, the Villorba Corse-operated Cetilar Racing Dallara P217 Gibson is off the entry list after contesting the previous round at Monza.

This was a planned one-off appearance in preparation for the team’s third crack at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It means the LMP2 grid is back down to one Dallara entry from Carlin, while eleven Oreca 07 Gibsons – including the G-Drive backed Aurus – and six Ligier JS P217 Gibsons complete the lineup.

Adrien Tambay is the most notable driver addition, with the former DTM and GP3 racer stepping into the Inter Europol Competition Ligier as a replacement for the injured Leo Roussel.

Reigning Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne will make his first appearance of the season in the G-Drive Racing Aurus 01 after missing the first two rounds due to date clashes.

In the GTE class, David Heinemeier Hansson has been added to the No. 56 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR in place of Giorgio Roda, who raced at Paul Ricard and Monza.

It will mark the Dane’s first drive in a GTE car in three years, following his FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with Abu Dhabi Proton Racing in 2016.

The 4 Hours of Barcelona, which is billed as a race into the sunset, is set to take place on Saturday, July 20.

It will be the first Spanish round for the ELMS since its precursor championship the Le Mans Series visited for a 1000km race in 2009.