14 April 2017
Silverstone, 14 April 2017 - One day before the World Endurance Championship (WEC) kicks off, on Saturday Silverstone will host the first race of the new European Le Mans Series (ELMS) season. This race for GTE cars will see three Ferrari cars, two 488s and one 458 Italia, competing for two different teams.
Seeking redemption. The GTE 488s belong to Spirit of Race. Car no. 51 will be crewed by the veteran Gianluca Roda, 2010 Italian GT champion, his son Giorgio, 2014 International GT Open champion, and official Ferrari driver Andrea Bertolini, who is seeking to make amends for just missing out on the 2016 championship in an unlucky last race at Estoril. Car no. 55 will be driven by an Anglo-Irish crew, with Britons Duncan Cameron, Pro-Am champion in the 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series, and Aaron Scott (2011 British GT champion) along with Ireland's Matt Griffin, who won the ELMS title in 2013 with the Ferrari of RAM Racing.
JMW Motorsport. The third car will be the 458 Italia GTE of JMW Motorsport, which last year just missed out on the title but in any case secured a place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the wheel will be Robert Smith, Rory Butcher and Jody Fannin, a new entry and 2012 British GT4 champion. Two Aston Martins and a Porsche will be vying for victory with Ferrari at Silverstone, with a total of 35 cars entered for the race.
Programme. The race will start on Saturday at 2:30 pm and finish four hours later. It will be live streamed on the championship website.