2011 Le Mans Series entry list

After the traditional winter break, the 2011 Le Mans Series entry list is revealed at last! 36 cars, 29 teams, 12 nationalities, 13 manufacturers and no less than 86 drivers already announced … all these ingredients promise a high quality season! The 36 Prototypes & GTs entered for all whole Le Mans Series season of 5 races will be entrused to famous endurance racing regulars; guarantee of the series’ quality

LM P1: Pescarolo: the return & two Rebellions within sight!

The star category will once again hold a place of honour with the return of the Pescarolo team and the fight for the title should be even fiercer. Six prototypes of four different models are entered for the season. To be noted the strong presence of REBELLION RACING – 3rd last years, with two cars and an upgrade for the QUIFEL ASM TEAM; taking the plunge in LM P1 this season!

Pescarolo Team: Rebirth! For his return, Henri Pescarolo will line up a Pescarolo-Judd. It will be entrusted to Emmanuel Collard and Christophe Tinseau who was present at Portimão for the team’s last victory in 2009.

Rebellion Racing: Aiming for a title! The Swiss team motorised this year with a 3500 cm3 Toyota V8 will aim for the title and will put two Lola B10/60 coupes on the starting line. The drivers are the same as in 2010, Nicolas Prost - Neel Jani, and Andrea Belicchi - Jean Christophe Bouillon, 3rd in 2010.

Quifel ASM Team: in the big league! Equipped this season with an LM P1, the Quifel ASM Team, 6th in LM P2 last year, will entrust the wheel to Miguel Amaral and Olivier Pla, who will be eager to win back their 2009 LM P2 title.

2011 Novelties: Guess Racing Europ, the Belgian team and a Lola B05/40 with Mazda AER engine to be driven by Philippe Hazebrouck and Wolfgang Kaufmann. Rangoni Motorsport, will entrust their Zytek 09 Hybrid to Ferdinando Geri and Luca Rangoni.

LM P2 : Match NISSAN vs HDP

Often in place of honour last year, the LM P2 will certainly play spoilsports. The entry of ten LM P2s of no less than nine models, promises a very exciting season. RML and STRAKKA RACING, motorised by HONDA Performance Development are aiming for the title. Greaves Motorsport, Boutsen Energy Racing and TDS equipped with Nissan engines will also provide the show.

RML: the 2010 LM P2 winners will be putting their title at stake with Mike Newton, Tommy Erdos and Ben Collins, no longer with a Lola but with an HPD ARX – 01d. The team will try to confirm their 2010 victory.

Strakka racing: with two superb performances in 2010, Nick Leventis, Danny Watts and Jonny Kane will firmly aim for the title with their HPD ARX -01d.

Greaves Motorsport: the ex. Bruichladdich Team! The name changes, but the team will keep their 2010 mount: a Zytek Z11SN with a Nissan engine. Karim Ojjeh, Gary Chalandon, who we saw performing in FLM last year and Thor-Christian Ebbesvik will share the seat.

Pecom Racing: Argentian team! This season, Luis Perez Companc and Matias Russo will drive an LMP2. With the wealth of their experience in LM GT2, the team originating from Juan Manuel Fangio’s country will be competitors to be counted with!

Team LNT: Entered in LM P1 in 2010, this year the LNT team will perform in LM P2 with a Radical SR9 – IES. The drivers will be Lawrence Tomlinson, James Cole and Andrew Prendeville.

Boutsen Energy racing: an LM P2 for 2011! 3rd in Formula Le Mans last year, the Belgian team is having a gamble this season by changing category. With an Oreca 03-Nissan, Dominik Kraihamer and Nicolas De Crem will have a card to be played in 2011.

Pegasus Racing: already present in 2010, the team will line up a Courage Oreca LC 75 – HPD motorisation. As of today, only one driver has been announced: Julien Schell.

Extreme limite AM Paris: entering a Norma M200P with a Judd engine, driven by Fabien Rosier. The other drivers will be announced soon.

Top Drive services: new challenge! Entered in WSR until now, this season the team is taking up Endurance racing. Equipped with an Oreca 03 chassis and Nissan engine, the prototype will be in the hands of young Mathias Beche, FLM driver in 2010 and Pierre Thiriet, awesome in the Eurocup Mégane Trophy.

Race performance: the 3rd Oreca 03-Judd of the grid will be entrusted to Michel Frey and Ralph Meichtry.

RLR Msport: driver and owner of the team, Barry Gates will be on a MG Lola EX265 AER with Rob Garofall.

FLM: ORECA grid

Introduced in 2010 in the Le Mans Series discipline, this season, the FLM category counts no less than five prototypes built by the Oreca group.

We will see Hope Polevision Racing and Michael Tinguely again. The Neil Garner Motorsport and the Genoa Racing, with Eric Lux, Elton Julian, Christian Zugel and JMB Racing with Maurice Basso. Pegasus Racing, also entered in LM P2, will line up an FLM prototype, driven by Mirco Schultis and Patrick Simon.

In accordance with the 2011 ACO regulations, the LMGT1 category disappears completely from long distance endurance races and the LMGT2 category is replaced by the LMGTE Pro and the LLMGTE Am.

LM GTE Pro: Porsche, Ferrari or Aston Martin ?

For its 1st year of existence, the LM GTE Pro category will draw three prestigious manufacturers: Porsche, Ferrari and Aston Martin. The category will be made up mostly of professional GT teams.

Team Felbermayr Proton: will put their GT title at stake with the winning 2010 LMGT2 crew, Marc Lieb and Richard Lietz on a Porsche 911 RSR (997).

IMSA Performance Matmut, will also line up a Porsche 911 RSR (997) for Patrick Pilet and Wolf Henzler.

Prospeed Competition will entrust a Porsche 911 RSR (997) to young and talented Marco Holzer associated with Marc Goossens.

Gruppem Eterniti Racing: newcomer to Le Mans Series, the team will enter the grid’s 4th Porsche 911 RSR (997) and has of yet only announced Stephen Jelley among their drivers.

On the Ferrari front, AF Corse, the runner-up of the 2010 LM GT2 title, has entered two F458 Italias, of which one will be driven by Giancarlo Fisichella, 3rd man of the Scuderia Ferrari F1. This year he will be, so to speak, the Le Mans Series ambassador.

JMW Motorsport: after a year with Aston Martin, JMW Motorsport is back to Ferrari with Rob Bell. The other drivers will be announced shortly.

Hankook Team Farnbacher: will enter the grids’ 4th F458 Italia with Dominik Farnbacher and Allan Simonsen.

Jota, for their return, have chosen Aston Martin and the Vantage, for Sam Hancock and Simon Dolan.

LM GTE Am

Faithful to Ferrari, CRS RACING, and an F430, will keep its strong crew Phil Quaife and Michael Lyons. The same goes for AF Corse, with Piergiuseppe Perazzini and Marco Cioci, and JMB Racing with Manuel Rodrigues and Dino Lunardi.

The Porsche specialists, two 911 RSRs (997) will be on the starting grid in this category. One for the Felbermayr Proton Team; the other for IMSA Performance Matmut, with Raymond Narac and very fast Nicolas Armindo.

Once again this year, the Michelin Green X Challenge will award the best racing energetic. In 2010, Strakka Racing won in the prototype category and IMSA Performance Matmut in GT.

It should not be forgotten that after the 2011 season, the first two of each category shall receive an official invitation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, except in FLM (invited in LMP2), where only the first is concerned. The winners of the Challenge Michelin Green X in prototype, and in GT, will also receive this enviable invitation.