The new-for-2016 Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup visits Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet, France for Round 4 on August 27.
With a prize of an entry to the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans being offered to the overall Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup winners, the #34 TF Sport Aston Martin V12 Vantage, driven by Salih Yoluc and Euan Hankey, leads the Teams Classification, just 16 points ahead of the #55 FFF Racing by ACM McLaren 650S with the driver pairing of Hiroshi Hamaguchi and Arian Quaife-Hobbs.
Missing from the entry list for the two-hour race is the #5 FFF Racing by ACM Lamborghini Huracán GT3 driven by Andrea Caldarelli accompanied by, for Imola, Fu Songyang and, for the Red Bull Ring, Taiyou Iida. The car was driven by Marco Attard and Matt Bell for ‘Road To Le Mans’ in June.
Also missing is the #19 Tockwith Motorsports Audi R8 LMS which has been driven thus far by Phillip Hanson and Nigel Moore.
Additions to the 13-car grid include the #75 Optimum Motorsport Audi R8 LMS which, for this round, will be driven by 24HR Series Optimum regular Flick Haigh and, from the British GT Championship AMDTuning.com BMW Z4 GT3, Joe Osborne. Team Principal Shaun Goff withdrew the Audi R8 LMS from the previous British GT round at Snetterton, citing frustration at being unable to get a competitive performance from the car while carrying the weight penalty for two Silver drivers. It is hoped that Optimum Motorsport’s appearance at Le Castellet is a precursor to a full season entry in 2017.
Barwell Motorsport has entered the #66 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 with Mark Poole and Richard Abra sharing the driving duties. The Lamborghini Huracán GT3, two examples of which are campaigned by Barwell Motorsport in the British GT Championship, has proved very competitive this season and will, no doubt, be at the sharp end of the grid in its Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup debut.
The #7 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari F458 Italia GT3, driven by Luigi Luchinni and Matteo Cressoni, makes a welcome return to the Cup, having previously placed sixth in the first round at Imola in May.
Also missed at the Red Bull Ring but returning for Le Castellet is the #8 Scuderia Villorba Corsa Ferrari F458 Italia, driven by Cédric Mezard and Steeve Hiesse.
The Drivers Classification could not be closer with the #34 TF Sport driver pairing of Salih Yoluc and Euan Hankey leading the standings by just one point ahead of the #72 SMP Racing pairing of Aleksey Basov and Victor Shaitar.
With two rounds still to run after Le Castellet, the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup is still wide open in both the Teams and Drivers Classifications.
Round Four of the 2016 Michelin GT3 e Mans Cup takes place at Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet on August 26 – 27. The first qualifying session starts at 11:15 local time on August 27 with the lights going out for the start of the two-hour race at 17:00. With a prize of a GTE AM entry to the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans as an incentive, the second half of this inaugural season will be fiercely contested.
