No. 39 LM P2 drops out of LeMans opening the door for a Viper team
The no. 53 SRT Viper GTS-R entered by the Riley Motorsports-Ti Auto squad will be on the grid for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 13th June at 15h00. This car is taking the place left vacant by the withdrawal of one of the two cars, the no. 39 Morgan Evo-SARD, originally entered by the Sard Morand team. The Viper’s last outing in the Le Mans 24 Hours was in 2013 when SRT Motorsports entered two GTS-Rs.
The nominated driver in this car is Dutchman, Jeroen Bleekemolen, and he will be racing in his eighth Le Mans 24 Hours in which his best result was sixth overall in 2011 in a Rebellion Racing Lola.
There are still five cars on the list of reserves: two LM P2 and three LM GTEs.
Prior to the Le Mans 24 Hours the test day will take place on Sunday 31st May 2015. The ACO has received 65 entry requests. At present the entry list accepts 64 cars. All those entered for the race are down to run in this free practice session as well as the two current reserves in the LM P category (the no. 44 Ibanez Racing Oreca 03R-Nissan and the KCMG Oreca 03R-Nissan). Two reserves in LM GTE (the no. 60 Formula Racing Ferrari 458 Italia and the no. 86 Gulf Racing UK Porsche), and two additional Ferraris run by AF Corse with the numbers 81 and 82.
As the new LM P3s are allowed to take part in the test day (but not in the Le Mans 24 Hours), the two LNT Ginetta-Nissans have been selected with the Scuderia Villorba Corse as a reserve. It will be allowed to participate if a place becomes free in the pits. This is a big test for the teams and their drivers to get to grips with the Le Mans 24-Hours circuit. Among the drivers is Sir Chris Hoy, the most-titled British sportsman in the Olympic Games with six cycling gold medals between 2004 and 2012. The Scot is currently making a brilliant career change swapping to motor racing. He is entered in the European Le Mans Series Championship, and on Saturday 11th April he won the first round of the LM P3 category on the Silverstone circuit.