ELMS: Ave-Riley LMP3 debut delayed again

The race debut of the new Ave-Riley LMP3 car has been delayed for a second time.

The Nissan-engined Ave-Riley AR-2 due to be run by the Anglo-Irish Murphy Prototypes squad missed the opening round of European Le Mans Series last month and will also be absent from round two at Imola this weekend.

Homologation delays have been blamed for the second withdrawal of the car, which has yet to test.

Team owner Greg Murphy explained that the homologation was now scheduled to be complete on June 22, which should mean the car makes its race debut in the third round of the ELMS at the Red Bull Ring in mid-July.

Murphy ran a Ginetta-Nissan LMP3 at Silverstone, but has switched to a Ligier JSP3 for Imola. That means all 20 P3 cars on the entry for the Italian event on Sunday are Ligiers.

The Murphy Ligier, which has been leased from Spanish VdeV team BE Motorsport, will be driven on a one-off basis by ELMS regulars Alex Kapadia and Rob Garofall and Porsche Carrera Cup GB driver Barrie Baxter. They replace Tony Ave and Doug Peterson, who are unavailable.

Garry Findlay, who finished third in the 2009 British Formula Ford Championship, has joined the line-up in the team's LMP2 ORECA-Nissan 03R.  The VdeV regular, who finished on the podium in last year's Estoril ELMS finale, will race the car alongside Sean Doyle and Patrick McClughan.

Originally on Autosport.com