Racing team Carlin is entering a car for the six-race European Le Mans Series this year. The UK-based team is using a Dallara P217 for its first season in endurance racing in the LMP2 class. After the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), the team plans to enter the Asian Le Mans Series in the winter.
It will be the first time Carlin, which is well-known in single-seater racing, has entered sportscar racing. Team manager and owner Trevor Carlin said, “The whole team are very excited about our move into LMP2. It’s an exciting category and a move that we’ve been assessing for a while.
“We see a lot of great drivers now move up the single-seater ranks and aim for professional drives in endurance racing rather than Formula 1, which shows the high respect this category of racing is held. For us, it’s another opportunity to hold onto and work with some great former Carlin drivers who are now at the professional level.”
There seems to be a car in the workshop with a roof and doors?! 🤔 pic.twitter.com/FrtCWUzDcW
— Carlin (@CarlinRacing) February 12, 2019
Carlin has had a long relationship with Dallara through its single-seater programs. The operation will be run from Carlin’s Farnham, Surrey, workshop in the UK.
The team’s full driver line-up has yet to be announced, but Carlin has already begun preparations with Jack Manchester, who has previous experience in Radicals and the Blancpain GT Cup.
The ELMS starts on April 14 at the Circuit Paul Ricard near Marseille, France. The first list of entries for the ELMS was released this week.
