The most loyal of loyal competitors in the V de V Endurance Series, team Visiom return to the grid in 2017 to defend their title and make it three victories in a row. Jean-Paul Pagny, Thierry Perrier & Jean-Bernard Bouvet, after becoming champions at the end of 2015 and 2016, thus retain the number 1 for their superb Ferrari 488 GT3. Rivalling the Italian GT will be team AB Sport Auto and their magnificent new Lamborghini Huracan GT3, wearing the n°46, entrusted to Harry Teneketzian and Joffrey de Narda. The team run by Bruno Abric will also be fielding this season a well-known Renault R.S. 01 – the n°11 machine – for trio Thybaud / Van de Vyver / Jousse.
Alongside these GTV1 contenders, team IMSA Performance enter their Porsche 911 GT3 R with drivers Narac / Cornac, who had a fantastic race at Estoril last November.
More entrants include CMR with Sport Garage, who line up a Ferrari 458 GT3 for drivers Loger / Mouez; AGS Events, who field another Lamborghini Huracan, in Super Trofeo spec, entrusted to drivers Gomar / Collado. The GTV2 class is also gaining momentum – in Barcelona two cars will be present : the Porsche 991 GT3 Cup belonging to team RMS (Mallegol / Blank), and the 997 GT3 Cup S of team Porsche Alméras (Martinet / Tremblay / Palette).
LMP / PFV: Success, confirmed.
The famous LMP3 category – a concept that Eric Van de Vyver helped the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) to develop – is on track to becoming a major category in Europe, and V de V’s event at Barcelona promises to be a historic moment in time as two new constructors will go head to head for the first time. One Norma M30, fielded by team DB Autosport (Foubert / Wolff / Maulini) and one Adess 03 entered by Araujo FB Team (Araujo / Boulay / Calado Luis) will take to the stage which up until now has been dominated by several Ligier JSP3.
Duqueine Engineering line up two Ligier, car n°8 entrusted to Borga / Enqvist and the n°9 car managed by Duqueine / Legeret / Panciatici, while another Ligier run by Wintec will also be present. Their prototype (n°7) will be handed over to Neveu / Héry / Denis while Graff return to the championship to take revenge and fight once again for the title with car n°39, and drivers Trouillet / Gauvin / Deguffroy. N’Race, well-known to the V de V paddock, will also be aiming for a podium finish, as drivers Fontaine / Decultot / Perroy return to the seat of car no.93. All of these contenders will be up against reigning champions Inter Europol Competition, who this year place two cars on the GT/Touring car/LMP/PFV grid the n°22 Ligier belonging to Jakub Smiechowski, 2016 champion, and Hendrik Still, while prototype n°33 is entrusted to Scheuschner / Forne.
Meanwhile, several Ginetta G57 feature in the PFV class of this first round. Newcomers to the championship, but fellow faces in the V de V paddock, Pegasus Racing welcome two new G57 to their fleet, the first entrusted to drivers Schell / Raffin and the latter to drivers Simpson / Sanders / Muston. The third prototype, which won the 2016 PFV championship, is fielded by Simpson Motorsport, handled by Robertson and Fielding at this initial round. One Renault R.S.01 will also be present in this category at Barcelona, in Trophy spec, but with steel brake discs, entered by R-ace GP and driven by Perrodo / Vaxivière.