Photo: ELMS

Duqueine Engineering has completed the transition from the Ligier JSP3 to the Norma M30 at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet. The swap to the Norma brings the total number up to 4 in the European Le Mans Series, against 13 Ligiers.

The French squad started off the year with 2 Ligiers at Silverstone before introducing a Norma for the #7 car for the last round at the Red Bull Ring. The Norma qualified on pole at the Red Bull Ring, and finished ahead of the Ligier, setting a fastest lap over a second faster than the JSP3 in the process.

The Norma M30 has become the surprise of the ELMS LMP3 season. Although the Ligier JSP3 has been the dominant LMP3 car around the world, winning races in every series it has entered, the Norma M30s of M.Racing YMR and Oregon Racing raised some eyebrows in the first half of the European season. The car took its first pole position at the Red Bull Ring in the hands of Duqueine and out performed the teams Ligier in the process.

The Norma performance is good news for those worried that the LMP3 class was set to become a single manufacturer class by default. The Ginetta LMP3, which saw success in 2015, is no longer present in ELMS, and the Adess-03 has only seen one European ACO race at the Road to Le Mans round. The slow but steady adoption of the Norma brings some welcomed competition to the LMP3 ranks.

 

Engineering student, lover of all things technical and lifelong motorsport fan. Employed in the Oil & Gas Industry, developing Major Emergency Management simulations. Owner of the best beard on the site.