The LMP3 Cup Championship (previously known as the Prototype Cup) is a British-based

sports car racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...

endurance series, endorsed by the

Automobile Club de l'Ouest The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (English: Automobile Club of the West), sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the orga ...

. The championship is designed as an initial step on the ladder to the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...

, as well as providing further opportunities for teams to run the increasingly popular LMP3 specification cars. An initial race was held at

Snetterton Circuit Snetterton Circuit is a motor racing course in Norfolk, England, originally opened in 1953. Owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, it is situated on the A11 road north-east of the town of Thetford and south-west of the c ...

on 8/9 October 2016, ahead of a 12-race season in 2017, featuring five rounds in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and one at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Following the low turn out of cars for the previous seasons, it was decided by Championship Organisers Bute Motorsport that they would shift its focus to its more successful sister championship, the GT Cup for 2019. However, it was noted that Bute Motorsport would continue to assess its viability, and would consider bringing it back, should it become viable once more.

Rules

The championship is open to LMP3 cars which are

(ACO)-homologated, each carrying an ACO-issued technical passport to ensure all cars meet the correct specifications. Engines are supplied by Nissan, utilising the VK50VE V8 engines. The championship regulations initially stated that one of the drivers must be of Bronze designation, as specified by the

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; en, International Automobile Federation) is an association established on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. It is the governing body for ...

, though this was changed mid-season to allow Silver/Silver pairings, in an attempt to open up the number of competitors in the series.

Race format

Each round follows the same format: Saturday: Practice (60 minutes), Qualifying (10 minutes), Race (60 minutes). Sunday: Qualifying (10 minutes), Race (60 minutes). The Bronze-rated driver must qualify the car and start the race, which contains a mandatory

pit stop In motorsports, a pit stop is a pause for refuelling, new tyres, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, as a penalty, or any combination of the above. These stops occur in an area called the pits, most commonly accessed via a pit lan ...

of prescribed length. Points are scored as follows:

2016

A one-off race was held at

on 8/9 October 2016, to showcase the new Prototype Cup Championship ahead of a full-season in 2017. Eight cars entered the event, which was won by Phil Hanson and Nigel Moore for Tockwith Motorsport.

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

The 2017 season was announced on 4 November 2016, and would take in 12 races at six rounds, including an overseas trip to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in June. The calendar was amended on 7 December 2016 due to the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...

date changing. On 6 January 2017, it was announced that the Prototype Cup would be renamed the LMP3 Cup Championship after agreement from the

. As part of this agreement, it was also announced that the Driver Champion of the 2017 LMP3 Cup Championship would receive a complimentary entry into the 2018

Michelin Le Mans Cup The Le Mans Cup, previously the GT3 Le Mans Cup and currently known as the Michelin Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, is an international sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club ...

, with a value of over €45,000. The prize included an entry in the Road to Le Mans race, which takes place hours before the famous 24-hour race. Scottish pairing Alasdair McCaig and Colin Noble secured the inaugural championship at the season's tenth race, at Snetterton Circuit.

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

The 2018 calendar was revealed on 8 November 2017, with the series visiting the same circuits as before, but in a different order, with the season ending at Silverstone in October.

Champions

References

External links

Official series website
{{LMP3 championships 2017 establishments in the United Kingdom Recurring sporting events established in 2017