World Endurance Championship grid at capacity despite fewer entries
The entry list for the 2016 World Endurance Championship is at capacity despite a reduction on last year's figure, according to series boss Gerard Neveu
The 32-car total announced on Friday compares with the 35 entries accepted ahead of last season when Neveu and his organisation decided to exceed that figure, citing "the quality of the entries received".
"We consider this to be a full entry list, because before Le Mans we needed to keep space for people doing races as a warm-up and afterwards we want to keep positions open for wildcards," Neveu told Autosport.
"My dream is to have Adrian Fernandez in a car in Mexico City for example and we hope to have local cars with local drivers at the other races."
He also said that 32 worked logistically because the cars and equipment equated to four jumbojet's worth of freight for the flyaway events.
Neveu stressed that the 32 entry represented an increase on last year's figure because of a series of withdrawals: Nissan only contested the Le Mans 24 Hours with its LMP1 GT-R LM NISMO, Team SARD Morand slimmed down to one car after missing the opening round and an OAK Racing entry only raced up to and including Le Mans.
The level of the LMP2 entry was also of satisfaction, explained Neveu.
Eight cars contested all the rounds last year, but 10 cars have been entered this time around.
Their number includes a second ORECA-Nissan 05 from Signatech Alpine entered under the Baxi DC Racing Alpine banner, Manor's entry into sportscar racing with another ORECA coupe and SMP Racing's move from the European Le Mans Series with a pair of its BR Engineering-built BR01s.
P2 frontrunner KCMG will only race in the category at Le Mans, but has moved into the GTE Am division with a Porsche 911 RSR run in conjunction with the German Proton team.
ELMS regular Gulf Racing has stepped up to the WEC with its Porsche 911 RSR.
The three Aston Martin Racing entries, two in GTE Pro and in Am, are listed as running on Dunlop tyres.
The team has tested on Dunlop, but a decision to move over from Michelin has yet to be made.
The ByKolles LMP1 has, like privateer P1 rival Rebellion Racing, switched from Michelin to Dunlop tyres.
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