Entry list for the 2010 season

For its seventh season, Le Mans Series will boast many renowned drivers. They are joined by more and more well-known drivers like Giancarlo Fisichella. The Scuderia’s third man remains faithful to the manufacturer but for Le Mans Series in GT2 Endurance racing! Olivier Panis will be doing a third season and Nigel Mansell will form a 100% Mansell team with his two sons.

—  Experienced drivers :

Giancarlo Fisichella : We will welcome a famous newcomer to Endurance racing. The 37 year old Italian, if we need to present him, has been a Formula 1 driver since 1996 and has just been confirmed as third driver for the Scuderia. His career has allowed him to race with many teams (from Minardi to Jordan, not forgetting Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and finally Ferrari in 2009 when he replaced Felipe Massa (after his accident in a Grand Prix) and won 3 victories! Today, Giancarlo is entering Endurance racing for the 2010 Le Mans Series season and will drive the AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT in the LMGT2 category.

Jean Alesi : Do we need to present the Formula 1 driver from Avignon, who raced from 1990 to 2001 for Tyrell, Ferrari and Prost Grand Prix. The Frenchie already has an impressive career (201 races, 32 podiums...) and will be back on the circuits this year on AF Corse’s Ferrari F430 GT. First entry in Le Mans Series, « Jeannot », as he is affectionately called, will start the season with his colleagues on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit, which will bring back memories as he drove in his first Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1989 on the very same track; replacing Michele Alboreto with Tyrell. A return to roots that the public will certainly appreciate!

Toni Vilander : The barely thirty year old Finn, whose real name is Toni Markus Vilander, already has an impressive career behind him. Formula Renault, F3, Formula 3000, various GT championships...Nothing resists him. He already knows the Italian AF Corse team and the F430 GT he will share with Fisichella as he won the 2007 and 2008 FIA GT2 championships with this team. We hope that their collaboration will be as successful this season!

Nigel Mansell : who participated in the Autosport 1000 Km of Silverstone in 2009, made no secret of his enthusiasm for the series and announced his intention, during the Prize Giving Ceremony last December, to race with his sons for a whole season. This is now confirmed and the car Zytek 09S, bears both the colours of the Union Jack and the name of the ex-Formula 1 World Champion: the Beechdean Mansell.

Olivier Panis : renews his participation in Le Mans Series with his talented team-mate Nicolas Lapierre and the Oreca team. A novelty this season: the two of them will be behind the wheel of the same car as the one which won the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, the famous Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP! The ex-Formula 1 driver will certainly be more motivated than ever and will prove that his talent is intact.

Jean-Christophe Bouillon : Faithful to Le Mans Series since 2005, Jean-Christophe has often stunned public and media alike with his talent. He will be present again in 2010; no longer with friend Henri Pescarolo but with the Swiss team Rebellion Racing on Lola B10/60 Coupé. Will he win the crown this year?

— Official drivers :

When a manufacturer becomes involved in a motor sport discipline, trust is generally placed in their official drivers. No exception to the rule this season; the official teams are more present than ever following the example of the armada of Porsche drivers entered with two 997 GT3 RSRs (in LMGT2) : Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz (the two holders of the 2009 Le Mans Series title) and Patrick Pilet.

Another new official team: BMW. The German manufacturer is entering Endurance racing on a large scale! Behind the wheel of the BMW M3 of the official BMW Team Schnitzer, the Serie’s fans will discover the German drivers Jörg Müller and Dirk Werner.

This year, AF Corse, will line up no less than three cars. Official drivers Gianmaria Bruni and Jaime Melo will defend the colours of Ferrari with a F430 GT. Remember that "Gimmi" Bruni has raced in 18 Formula 1 Grand Prix races, won the LMGT2 category in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished second in the driver classification of this same category at the end of the last Le Mans Series season. The Brazilian Jaime Melo was beside Gimmi for the class victory at Le Mans in 2008, after his third participation in the world famous race. Toni Vilander, on one of the other entered F430s, is also an official Ferrari driver.

—  The promising drivers :

With more or less experience but already sensitive to the beauty and difficulty of Endurance racing, they are the upcoming race drivers of tomorrow and men to be followed...: Nicolas Lapierre, Franck Mailleux, Pierre Ragues, Leo & Greg Mansell, Nicolas Prost, Olivier Pla and many others.