With the opening round of a very new look to the IMSA Prototype Challenge (Powered by Mazda) (previously IMSA Lites) just days away and the release of the official entry next week let’s take a look at just a few of the cars likely to feature on the grid.

The open-cockpit Mazda-powered Élan DP02 cars that previously made up the Lites 1 class remain, but now they are called the Mazda Prototype Challenge, or MPC.

This season, they will be joined by the closed-cockpit LM P3 class, full ACO spec cars drawn from the (currently five) chassis suppliers licensed for the class by the ACO with a spec Nissan/ XTrac powertrain.

Both the new LM P3 cars and the Mazda Prototype Challenge cars will run on tires developed exclusively for the classes by Continental.

Unusually in LMP3 racing the events will be composed of single driver 45 min sprint races.

IMSA’s preview for the race states that both the new LMP3 class, and the carried over Lites cars from last season, still racing on in a separate class, will feature a “healthy double-digit field in both the LM P3 and MPC classes”.

That looks set at present to be an LMP3 grid that features a record breaking five different chassis and a pair of global race debuts (the Ave Riley AR-2 and Norma M30)

Amongst the confirmed entries thus far are:

Kelly Moss Road and Race, Norma M30

The very first racing example of the new for 2018 Norma M30 will make its global racing debut at the Sebring season opener. The driver for the car has yet to be announced but the car is already in Florida after its European shakedown, imported via LMP Motorsports with Dayvtec, a collaborative US/ Dutch venture and now confirmed with IMSA support series regulars Kelly Moss Road and Race.

The car will test at Sebring next week with the Sebring driver to be confirmed publicly soon afterwards.

Ave Riley 02, 2 cars

Tony Ave told DSC last Summer that after homologation woes with the AR02 the car would be seen for the first time in competition in the newly reconstituted IMSA Series and that looks set to be the case.

A brief conversation with Ave today saw confirmation that there should be two cars on the Sebring grid with an announcement due next week on the teams and drivers involved. The AR-2 Homologation process is near complete with all inspections completed and the regular thing and fringe of final paperwork now underway.

Performance Tech, Ligier JS P3

Andres Gutierrez enters in a Ligier JS P3 fielded by proven Prototype team Performance Tech.

Cousin of PC ORECA racer Patricio O’Ward, Gutierrez was introduced to the team last season bu O’Ward and has tested with them in the Ligier at Sebring, Barber Park and COTA.

Performance Tech, Ginetta G57 P3

Performance Tech have also confirmed a second car, this time a Ginetta, for returning customer Alan Wilzig.

Wilzig has great form in the IMSA Lines Series, 2011 and 2012 Lites 2 Champion and Masters Champion, he last ran with Performance Tech in 2013 for select races in Lites 2 and is returning for the full season in 2016 in his new Ginetta.

“The LM P3 is the first car that’s close enough to P2,” Wilzig said. “Yet it’s at a price point that allows me to not only buy the car but also pay to campaign a full championship season,” Wilzig said. “I can compete in a championship for what a seat in a P2 car would cost for four days of fun at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Plus, I get to keep the car.

“The Ginetta platform suits me particularly well. I tested many cars and was measurably faster in the Ginetta. I’ve been following the company for three years and I look forward to training with the factory drivers and engineers in the UK this June.”

P1 Motorsport, Ligier JS P3

P1 Motorsports fields JC Perez for the full season aboard one of a pair of Ligier JS P3s available to the team.

The car tested recently at Sebring- spotted there by Martin Spetz (pic above), the team and driver stepping up to the IMSA support series after experience in club-level racing with the car late last year.

ANSA Motorsports, Adess 03

Matt Dicken was a very early name inked in to the 2017 entry by ANSA Motorsports with one of their Adess 03 LMP3 cars.

Having competed in his first club race in January 2013, Dicken was the Stuttgart Cup Pro-Am Champion the following season.

In addition to his championship season, Dicken also has multiple class wins and podiums in various club-racing programs, such as PCA, HSR and SVRA.

MG1 Motorsports, Ligier JS P3

The Ferrari Challenge specialists took delivery of their Ligier, bound for the IMSA support Series, in early January. The car has tested at Sebring

Tequila Patron ESM, Ligier JS P3

The Ligier Nissan DPi runners in the main IMSA series add a Ligier JSP3 to the Prototype Challenge, their car arrived in January and has also tested before the Sebring season opener.