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56 Full-Season Entries for Blancpain Endurance

Blancpain Endurance attracts 56 entries for its fifth season…

Photo: Brecht Decancq

Photo: Brecht Decancq

The Blancpain Endurance Series has attracted 56 full-season entries, as the SRO-organized series starts its fifth season.

After having on average 40 cars on the grid last year, the series has bounced back to level of its heydays, with an impressive entry in the Pro Cup.

ENTRY LIST: Blancpain Endurance Series

In total 11 brands are represented in the series, with Audi, Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes, Nissan and Porsche all represented with at least one car.

The Pro-Cup features no less than 23 cars, making it the largest of the three classes.

Reigning champions Belgian Audi Club Team WRT add a third Pro car, while M-Sport Bentley return with two factory Continental GT3s and a third entered by HTP Motorsport.

Lamborghini joins the field with two brand-new factory prepared Huracan GT3s run by Grasser Racing Team.

Von Ryan is filling the void left by ART GP for McLaren with a pair of 650S GT3s, while Attempto Racing splits its two new McLarens between the Pro and Pro Am Cup.

ROWE Racing returns to the series with two Mercedes SLS AMG GT3s, with Black Falcon keeping it at one SLS in the top class.

Nissan GT Academy Team RJN and MRS GT represent Nissan in the Pro Cup with one car each, while ISR (2 Audi), BMW Team Brasil (2 BMW), Oman Racing Team (Aston Martin) and Rinaldi Racing (Ferrari) further complete to the class.

The Pro-Am Cup no longer makes up the bulk of the field with 21 cars entered in the class.

Scuderia Villorba Corse will defend their Pro-Am title, but they are not the only ones to put their trust in the redoubtable Ferrari 458 Italia, as no fewer than nine 458s will grace the Pro-Am Cup grids this year (AF Corse, AKKA ASP, Kessel Racing, Insightracing, Rinaldi, Dragonspeed).

TDS Racing and Barwell Motorsport are both counting on the BMW Z4 GT3 to do better than their second and third places in the standings last year.

There’s an influx of new teams such as AKKA ASP (Ferrari), DragonSpeed (Ferrari), Attempto Racing (McLaren), Car Collection Motorsport (Mercedes) and Glorax Racing (Ferrari) amongst others.

The Gentlemen Trophy is now known as the AM Cup and completes the field with 11 entries.

Nine teams will line up at least one car in all 12 events of the Blancpain GT Series, aiming at the overall title.

“The introduction of prize money for all twelve rounds of the Blancpain GT Series has clearly had its effect on the level of the entries as well,” Stéphane Ratel said.

“Never before have we had the chance to welcome so many professional drivers as this year.”

The Blancpain Endurance Series kicks off at Monza in April.

Vincent Wouters (@VinceWouters) is a Belgium-based sports car racing reporter, providing coverage primarily of the Blancpain GT Series.

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