Chadwick switches to ELMS with LMP2 seat for 2025

Chadwick to make prototype racing debut with 2025 European Le Mans Series entry fielded by IDEC Sport

Jamie Chadwick will return to sportscar racing in 2025 after signing a deal with the IDEC Sport LMP2 team in the European Le Mans Series.

The three-time W Series champion was announced as part of a 44-car ELMS grid on Tuesday at the French squad that won the ELMS title in 2019 with Paul-Loup Chatin, Memo Rojas and Paul Lafargue.

Chadwick has spent the past two seasons racing in Indy NXT for Andretti Global, taking a breakthrough win at Road America and finishing seventh in the standings.

The 26-year-old had her first IndyCar test at Barber Motorsport Park in September and told Autosport that progression to the top tier of US open-wheel racing was a “realistic possibility”, but will now embark on a first full season in sportscars since 2015. 

That year she teamed up with Ross Gunn aboard a Beechdean Aston Martin Vantage to claim the GT4 title in British GT.

Chadwick previously tested LMP2 machinery for the Richard Mille Racing Team in 2021, when she completed 26 laps in the World Endurance Championship's post-season rookie test in Bahrain.

Lafargue will also campaign a second IDEC entry in 2025, as part of a 21-car LMP2 grid of ORECA-Gibson 07s split between 14 pro entries and seven pro-am entries.

The 2024 ELMS P2 champions, AO by TF, will switch to the pro-am class with PJ Hyett switching from the IMSA SportsCar Championship. It will face off against the AF Corse squad that clinched the pro-am division this year, with returning line-up Francois Perrodo, Alessio Rovera and Matthieu Vaxiviere.

Alpine WEC drivers Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi are the first nominated drivers for Nielsen Racing and VDS Panis Racing respectively.

WEC LMGT3 champion Alexander Malykhin will make his prototype debut and switch to the ELMS with Nicolas Lapierre's newly renamed CLX Motorsport squad, formerly known as Cool Racing, following his revised driver grading from bronze to silver.

Two-time World Touring Car Cup champion Yann Ehrlacher will meanwhile return to the ELMS for the first time since 2019, driving a Ligier for his uncle Yvan Muller's M Racing outfit in LMP3.

The third-tier prototype class will have a new spec Toyota twin-turbo V6 engine next year, prepared by ORECA, replacing the outgoing Nissan units that have powered LMP3 cars since 2020. 

The class will also have new chassis following the end of the previous homologation cycle, allowing Ginetta to return to the championship for the first time since 2016 with DKR Engineering.

The LMGT3 class will feature the Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the first time - the Iron Lynx squad committing to a single entry with former Peugeot Hypercar racer Gustavo Menezes as its first nominated driver.

McLaren will also be present courtesy of United Autosports with a single 720 Evo in LMGT3, featuring factory driver Marvin Kirchhofer. The British squad has also committed to two LMP2 entries, with team regular Ben Hanley set to lead its Pro class attack.

In this article
James Newbold
European Le Mans
Jamie Chadwick
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