ELMS: Greaves to expand into LMP3 in 2015

European Le Mans Series regular Greaves Motorsport will expand into the LMP3 category next season. Greaves will run a Ginetta-Juno LMP3 in the new entry-level prototype class of the ELMS and has announced Radical European Masters champion Bradley Smith as its first driver.

Team owner Tim Greaves, whose squad won the LMP2 title in the 2011 ELMS (then known as the Le Mans Series), explained that an LMP3 campaign alongside its continued P2 programme was a logical move for the team.

"It is pretty expensive for drivers looking to come into prototypes to make the jump straight to P2, so LMP3 makes sense," said Greaves. "It is a natural way to bring people into the team and prototype racing."

The Nissan-powered Ginetta-Juno was the obvious choice of chassis, according to Greaves.

"I have known Lawrence Tomlinson [boss of Ginetta] since he raced Radicals years ago and I think his car is the only realistic option at the moment," he revealed.

Smith, who raced in last year's Rolex 24 at Daytona after winning the Sunoco Challenge for his successes in the Radical SR3 Challenge, is the first driver to be confirmed in the Greaves P3 entry.

"It is a real privilege to be racing with Greaves Motorsport," the 23-year-old said. "Its reputation in prototypes is second to none and LMP3 is a perfect step up from Radicals."

Greaves said that the team would run at least one of its Zytek-Nissan Z11SN P2s in the five-round ELMS next season.