[FIRE]

Ginetta To Relaunch LMP3 Programme For 2025
New engine brings new opportunities for the Yorkshire manufacturer

UK-based sportscar manufacturer Ginetta is planning to ‘relaunch’ its LMP3 programme for 2025, coinciding with the introduction of the new turbo-charged V6 Toyota ORECA engine to the formula.

Speaking to DSC, Ginetta’s motorsport director Mike Simpson said the Yorkshire-based brand will be pushing to build a customer base in time for 2025, with the aim of having cars competing in the ELMS, Le Mans Cup and associated ACO LMP3 events for the next phase of the formula.

Since it was introduced in 2020, the G61-LT-P3 has been largely absent in the major championships featuring LMP3 classes and fewer than 10 cars have been built.

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“We’ve enjoyed supporting customers in the ADAC Prototype Cup, with Gebhart and Konrad,” he explained. “We have five cars in Germany and three or four of them have raced. We’ve worked closely there as you have to fit catalytic converters for that series for emissions in Germany.

“We have three cars that have just finished being built, one has sold. And I’d like to think there will be a Ginetta ACO programme in time.

The new-for-2025 LMP3 engine is understood to be a Toyota V35A-FTS twin-turbo V6 from ORECA, that has appeared in a number of high-end Toyota and Lexus sedans and SUVs.

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DSC believes the upgrade kit for teams will cost around 120,000 Euros. So with new LMP3 cars costing around 300,000 Euros before tax, the expectation is that most teams will opt to purchase brand new cars for 2025 instead of upgrading.

“If you have a current car that’s done three years of running with old parts, you’ll probably sell that and buy a new one, our objective is to sell new cars to new customers” Simpson said.

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This transitional period grants Ginetta a chance to attract customers. Simpson is keen to stress that Ginetta is still fully supportive of its LMP3 programme and dismissed the idea that Ginetta wouldn’t risk investing in LMP3 going forward with no certainty over the number of customers it can get on board.

“We have an exciting full season development for the current car with a customer team and star driver for 2024 season, with the aim to cover as much mileage and data possible to feed into the next generation car. Details of the full programme will be available very soon,” he said.

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“We have a wonderful engineering team at Ginetta and have a lot of automotive projects underway. The installation of the new drivetrain and the necessary changes around the operation of the engine are well within the scope of our ability. For me the exciting phase will be extracting more performance in our planned development in 2024 and implementing that into the new design for 2025. I am expecting significant gains in lap times.”

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Full story: https://www.dailysportscar.com/2024/...-for-2025.html

Hopefully this is more than some pr talk.