ELMS News: LMP2 cars granted power boost

With 22 entries this season, the LMP2 and LMP2 Pro/Am grid will be the largest found anywhere in the world, making the 2024 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) the new home of LMP2. The category will also receive a power boost for the upcoming ELMS season.

With the class no longer included in the FIA World Endurance Championship due to the influx of manufacturers taking part in the Hypercar and LMGT3 classes, the LMP2 entry for the 2024 ELMS has grown to form almost 50% of the entire 43 car grid.

Also, for the first time, the ELMS grid is larger than the LMP2 entry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, which this year stands at 16 cars, 15 of which are ELMS entries.

For 2024 LMP2 will get a 40bhp increase, from 540bhp to 580bhp, in power from the 4.2 Liter V8 GK428 Gibson engine, a 20kg weight reduction to 930kg, and a larger fuel tank up from 69L to 75L. These changes only apply for the ELMS events and not for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the specifications for the ‘big one’ staying the same as 2023.

The 22 LMP2 cars on the ELMS grid are split into 14 for LMP2 and 8 will contest the LMP2 Pro/Am category. As last year, the 22 Oreca 07-Gibsons are all identical, with the only difference being in the driver line up, where a Pro-Am entered team must have at least one bronze driver and an LMP2 team must have at least one silver. Both LMP2 and LMP2 Pro/Am are permitted to have to enter only one platinum driver in their line-ups.

Algarve Pro Racing will defend their 2023 LMP2 title this season.

Reigning LMP2 champions Algarve Pro Racing return to defend their title, with 2023 Drivers’ Champion Alex Lynn being joined by Oli Caldwell and Mathias Kaiser. In addition to Algarve Pro Racing, there are ten other teams competing in LMP2.

United Autosports, COOL Racing and Inter Europol Competition will field two cars each, with Iron Lynx-Proton, Vector Sport, AO by TF, Nielsen Racing, IDEC Sport, Duqueine Team, and Panis Racing all fielding one car in LMP2.

Star names include 2021 ELMS Champion Robert Kubica, DTM and Asian Le Mans Series Champion and former F1 driver Paul Di Resta, double ELMS LMP2 champion Louis Delétraz, ELMS, WEC and Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 Champion Ferdinand Habsburg, 2022 WEC LMP2 Champion Will Stevens , reigning Super Formula and Super GT (GT500) Champion Ritomo Miyata and 2022 FIA F2 Champion and Aston Martin F1 Test Driver Felipe Drugovich.