Dome becomes final LMP3 constructor

Japanese constructor Dome will become the fifth and final marque to build cars for the new LMP3 prototype category.

Dome will join Ginetta, Onroak Automotive with the Ligier brand, ADESS from Germany and Riley/Ave in producing cars for the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's entry-level prototype category in the European and Asian Le Mans Series. It will be the last constructor granted a licence to build LMP3 machinery following a decision in July to limit the number of allowed marques to five.

"We feel that LMP3 is a good base category, a feeder category for gentlemen and young drivers looking to move up to LMP2," said Dome managing director Hiroshi Fushida. "There could be a good market, but we are not sure how big it is going to be."

Fushida said that the new Nissan-powered car, which is likely to be called the S104, should be up and running by the end of next year.

"We have done feasibility studies, but the real design work has not started yet," he explained. "We have good experience in LMP1 and P2 that we can utilise, but this is a cost-capped car so we will have to change our philosophy."

The ACO has opted to cap the number of constructors at five in order to provide "a viable and profitable economic model for the constructors." It believes that too much competition could prove destructive to the category launched for this year.

Dome's most recent prototype design, the S103 LMP2, was built in a joint venture with the British Strakka organization. Strakka had already taken control of the intellectual property rights to the design when it opted to cancel the project after this year's Le Mans 24 Hours.

Originally on Autosport.com