After a successful inaugural season in 2016, teams and drivers competing in GT3 cars are invited to take part in the 2017 Michelin Le Mans Cup. In 2017 they will line up on the grid alongside competitors in LMP3 in six 2-hour races.
The championship is open to GT3 cars that are in conformity with the FIA GT3 homologation and submitted to the Balance of Performance (BoP) defined by the ACO. Among the GT3 cars that are eligible to compete in the series we can see the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, the Audi R8 LMS, the Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, along with the new 488 GT3, and the Porsche 911 GT3R. Teams can also enter eligible cars from manufacturers such as Bentley, BMW, Lamborghini, Lexus, Dodge, Corvette, Nissan, McLaren and Mercedes Benz.
Driver crews will consist of two drivers with the first being classified as bronze. This driver will compete in the qualifying sessions. The second can be classified as bronze, silver or gold as defined by the FIA driver categorization list, but platinium drivers are not permitted.
Michelin, the main sponsor of the series, will be the only tyre supplier. One specification of tyres for a dry track (slicks) and one specification of wet-weather tyres are allowed for every race.
Last, but not least, the Michelin Le Mans Cup is the only opportunity for the GT3 cars to race on the famous Le Mans 24 hours track during Road To Le Mans. This event will be the flagship race of the season, taking place on the 17th of June just before the start of the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The 2017 Michelin Le Mans Cup will start at Monza with the first of the six 2-hour races on Saturday 13 May.
