Six 488 GTEs at Barcelona for opening of ELMS

The Barcelona track will host the first race of the 2021 European Le Mans Series season on Sunday, with six 488 GTEs off in pursuit of the title missed by a whisker last year.

The six-round series will see 42 crews in four classes, LMP2, LMP3, LMGTE and Innovative Car. The technical and challenging Spanish track hosts the first round.

Iron Lynx. Three Ferraris will take to the track in the Italian team’s colours. Car no. 80 will be driven by Competizioni GT official driver, Miguel Molina, flanked by reigning Le Mans Cup champion Rino Mastronardi and Matteo Cressoni. The three “Iron Dames”, Michelle Gatting, Rahel Frey and Manuela Gostner, winners of the opening round of the Ferrari Challenge Europe, will be targeting a podium finish in the overall standings. However, car no. 60 has an all-new lineup, with Claudio Schiavoni joined by Giorgio Sernagiotto and Paolo Ruberti.

AF Corse. After competing in a few rounds in 2020, François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard, winners of the WEC FIA Endurance Trophy, will tackle an entire season of the series. Alongside them, in the 488 GTE no. 88 will be Alessio Rovera, who, along with Perrodo and Nielsen, will compete in the GT World Championship, which kicks off in Belgium at the end of the month.

Spirit of Race. The proven duo of Matt Griffin and Duncan Cameron will be assisted by South African David Perel's talent and speed in their assault on the title. The two veterans of the category can boast many wins and podiums since their debut in 2017.

JMW Motorsport. With ten podiums, one title and three wins under its belt, JMW Motorsport is placing its hopes of victory in the 2017 LMGTE class champion Jody Fannin, along with Andrea Fontana and Rodrigo Sales. The three will be at the wheel of Ferrari no. 66.

Programme. The first free practice and test sessions for Bronze drivers will be on Friday, while on Saturday, after the second unofficial session, qualifying for the LMGTE class cars will take place at 1:40 pm. On Sunday, the first points are up for grabs with the start of the 4 Hours of Barcelona at 11 am local time.