The VdeV Endurance Series is going to welcome a new top class entrant in the GT/Touring Endurance Challenge. Team LNT, winner of the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GT2 category with a Panoz Esperante GTLM driven by Lawrence Tomlinson, Tom Kimber-Smith and Richard Dean, will enter a Ginetta G55 GT3 for the whole season in the GTV1 class.
The car will be driven by Lawrence Tomlinson, also Ginetta Cars Chairman, and by Mike Simpson, official Ginetta driver.
The Ginetta G55 GT3 will bring more diversity in a field quite rich already, including Porsche 911 GT3 Rs, Ferrari F458, Audi R8 LMS, Mosler MT900, the Solution Fand GC Automobiles Silhouettes and maybe some Mercedes SLS GT3.
The Ginetta G55 was at Magny-Cours for the pre-season VdeV Endurance Series testing, Lawrence Tomlinson and Mike Simpson being both behind the wheel of the car.
Mike Simpson has kindly agreed to answer a few questions for Endurance-Info :
What can you say about these two days testing? Have you been able to set up the car and to solve problems, if any?
Mike Simpson : “Fantastic two days testing learning a new circuit. The car ran faultlessly with great performance.”
What are your expectations in the VdeV Endurance Series?
“To use the championship for development of the car and to attract new customers in the European market. We feel the car will be a contender from Barcelona.”
Do you think that the Ginetta G55 will be able to match the pace of the Porsches and of the Ferraris?
“Definetely, we have won races in the MSA British Endurance championships and had great results in British GT against the world’s largest manufacturers.”
What do you think about the GT field in the VdeV Endurance Series and about the atmosphere of the Series?
“We hope there will be lots of cars on the gird, ideally over 25 cars with many GTE and GT3 cars. The series is managed very professionally and has a friendly feel.”
What is the price of the car?
“£195,000 + VAT”
Engine
- 4.35 Litre Racing V8
- Aluminium block
- Dry sump oil system
- Performance enhancing engine installation
Some specifications
- Hewland 6 speed sequential transmission
- Auto throttle blip on down change
- Limited slip ramp/plate differential
- Alcon 6 pot front caliper with 380mm vented discs
- Alcon 4 pot rear caliper with 330mm vented discs
- Manually adjustable brake bias
- Quick release steering wheel
- Hydraulic power assisted steering
- Dry weight – 1100kg
- Driver display including RPM/shift lights/lap times/
engine parameters/mechanical pressures and forces - 6 point FIA approved safety harness
- Steel roll cage meeting FIA safety standards
- 107 Ltr bag tank FIA approved fuel cell
- Twin dry brake release couplings
