Capacity 40-Car Grid for 2020 Season

A total of 40 cars have been confirmed as full-season competitors on the entry list for the 2020 European Le Mans Series season.

The capacity grid, which bears resemblance to last year’s bumper entry, will be divided into 18 LMP2 cars, 13 LMP3 cars and nine cars in the GTE category.

All but one of the teams that contested the LMP2 season in 2019 have returned with Cetilar Racing’s Dallara the only one not continuing.

The Signatech-run Richard Mille Racing entry, which was reported on last month, is the only new team on the grid while Katherine Legge is its nominated driver.

IDEC Sport will return to defend its championship crown but the French squad has split its two-car effort between LMP2 and LMP3 for the new campaign.

FIA World Endurance Championship teams High Class Racing, Cool Racing and United Autosports are all back to continue their pan-series LMP2 programs.

All but three of the entries in the class are Oreca 07 Gibsons. The exceptions are Inter Europol Competition which has added a second Ligier JS P217 Gibson to its stable and Thunderhead Carlin Racing which is set for a sophomore year with the Dallara P217 Gibson.

Five LMP2 cars – the two Algarve Pro Orecas and the single Orecas from BHK Motorsport, Panis Racing and Carlin – will start the season with tires from new manufacturer Goodyear, while the rest will use Michelins.

The debut season of second-generation LMP3 machinery will feature full-time efforts from teams running Ligier and Duqueine (formerly Norma) cars.

Ligier has garnered the most customers for ELMS with a total of ten Ligier JS P320 Nissans listed, while three Duqueine M30-D08 Nissans are confirmed.

The GTE grid gains a new team in Iron Lynx, the team run by Andrea Piccini that previously support Kessel Racing’s efforts in ELMS and Michelin Le Mans Cup.

It will enter two Ferrari 488 GTE Evos while Manuela Gostner and Claudio Schiavoni are the first drivers announced for each car.

Kessel has two Ferraris listed for itself with Wei Lu, who drove for JMW Motorsport in 2019, and GT3 regular Michael Broniszewski nominated as drivers.

ELMS stalwart JMW Motorsport is set for another season with its Ferrari, which is to feature Gunnar Jeanette in the lineup.

Defending champion Luzich Racing does not appear to be returning while an AF Corse-bannered Ferrari joins the grid for the first time since 2016.

Proton Competition is the only team not entering a Ferrari this year, with the German outfit set to field aa pair of Porsche 911 RSRs.

The first round of the new season takes place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Mar. 31.