British constructer Ginetta was the first of the four LMP3 chassis manufacturers to get a car ready to contend the inaugural season of competition in the European Le Mans Series in 2015, securing the title with Sir Chris Hoy and Charlie Robertson.
In the final race of the year at Estoril, Mike Simpson and Gaëtan Paletou took the win ahead of the Graff Ligier P3, the first time Ligier had competed in the ELMS.
From 2016 onwards the Ginetta LMP3 has appeared on several occasions but for the past nine seasons the LMP3 grid in both the ELMS and Michelin Le Mans Cup has been dominated by two French manufacturers, Ligier and Norma/Duqueine.
Now Ginetta is back in 2025, with a new car, the G61-LT-P325-EVO, and have teamed up with four-time MLMC and 2021 ELMS LMP3 team champions DKR Engineering.The team are entering one car in the ELMS and one in the MLMC, with American Wyatt Brichacek driving in both series to provide consistent feedback.
Mike Simpson, who is now the Chief Executive Officer - Motorsport at Ginetta, travelled to Barcelona, along with his team, for the opening rounds of the ELMS and MLMC.We took the opportunity to talk to him about the return of Ginetta to the ELMS and MLMC.
Q1: How's development the new car going and what's been the main challenge?
Mike Simpson:“So we made a decision18 months ago that we were going to come back for this generation. We didn't understand the generation two car, we'd sold probably around 11 cars in total, which made their way to track days and teams such as ARC Bratislava and Gebhardt for different championships, but we never really got back into the ACO paddock.
“The LMP3 has always been firmly in our hearts, and we feel we made the class; we made it happen. It was difficult for us 10 years ago, because when we designed and built that Gen 1 car, the actual initial concept design was built around a V6 engine, which was proposed at the time, and then goal posts move.
“We had that first inaugural year, but it wasn't quite right for our business, and we stopped there, which was a shame and a frustration, especially for the Ginetta Motorsport ladder, because we're all about bringing people through.
“So, development for us, we wanted to stay with firmly within the spirit of the regulation change, which is an engine change, ultimately, and you are permitted to develop the car and make changes as a consequence of that engine change. So, we wanted to keep the front of the car identical to the Gen 2 car. We didn't want to increase openings, take more air in and we actually enjoyed the engineering exercise, because it's a very different engine.
“You know, the thermal characteristics, the heat rejection numbers, it's a completely different engineering challenge. Clive Seddon is Ginetta’s Technical Director, and his background is a specialist engine tuner of turbos and high-powered Time Attack cars. So, we did a very good job in packaging, which will help us, I think, as the season progresses, especially as the climate gets warmer, because I'm very confident we have the best cooling package on the grid.
“We're still in our infancy with chassis development, and we are seven to eight years behind Ligier.
"We've had a small test programme.Projects were late, Oreca has done a good job getting everybody here and on the grid.
“There's still challenges we're all going to go through together. It's a new engine for everybody. No one's really from what I see and tested these cars in a four-hour endurance race, which is very different, heat soaked, pit stops, full course yellows.
“So, everybody's taking baby steps this weekend, but from our point of view, the actual pace looks okay.”
Q: You have Wyatt Brichacek in both the Michelin Le Mans Cup and the ELMS. Is that going to be an advantage having the same driver?
MS: “That was the decision. I had an option to race with Freddie (Tomlinson). I've been with Freddie since he was a kid. Karting into Ginetta Juniors and we had great success in Asia a year ago with APR, and he won an LMP2 race. I've have been very proud to drive with him, but the best thing for Ginetta, and for Freddie, is to have DKR’s golden boy with an unknown car. He's the constant in there, so his feedback is critical. He will lead the direction and work with us all to achieve that.”
Q: DKR Engineering have won four times in Michelin Le Mans Cup and they've won the European Le Mans Series title as well. Was that another reason you decided to go with DKR this year?
MS: The results speak for themselves. It’s quite a high pressure environment we’ve put ourselves in, given the success they've had with Duqueine. We know you've got to back yourself and for Kendy and DKR as well. They were very proud of the journey they went on with Duqueine to always have one of the fastest chassis out there.
“Do you just be another Ligier team or go with Ginetta, which no one's ever known.People know of our support championships, and we built a pretty good LMP1 car from blank sheets of paper. We're a very capable engineering company, but does that reflect in the lap times on the race track?”
They've got experienced crews of drivers. The new regulations in the MLMC mean you can have pros together. So, we know the challenge ahead of us and it's really exciting!”
