Photo: Dutch Photo Agency
MP Motorsport has completed its five-strong Eurocup-3 driver line-up with the signing of Dario Cabanelas.
The 17-year-old Swiss is going into his fourth year of single-seater racing, although he only raced part-time last year.
His car racing career began in French Formula 4 in 2021, and he came eighth in the standings with a best finish of fourth. He dropped down a spot in the points table in his sophomore season, but did take two podiums and two fastest laps.
Last year he was out of action until September, when he joined Sainteloc Racing in Eurocup-3. Over the last four rounds he scored five points, putting him 18th in the standings.
“I am very happy to start my first full season in the Eurocup-3 with MP Motorsport,” said Cabanelas. “Their experience in today’s single-seater world is unparalleled and the prospect of them being able to take talented drivers up the full formula ladder to the top is an enticing prospect for me. I’m really looking forward to the start of the season in Spa in two weeks.”
Cabanelas had initially signed with Sainteloc for 2024, but with him now not racing for the team Diego de la Torre has taken his place in its line-up.
The Mexican took five podiums and three fastest laps from his four NACAM F4 outings in 2022, and took two poles and a podium from doing the first two rounds of last season. He then joined AKM Motorsport in Europe, coming 26th in the Euro 4 championship and 48th in a part-time Italian F4 campaign.
Drivex School has signed Nick Gilkes, Gaspard Le Gallais and Daniel Nogales for the upcoming Eurocup-3 season.
Gilkes was a race-winner in GB3 two years ago, and made the sideways step to Eurocup-3 last year with Drivex. He came 11th in the standings with a best finish of fifth.
Le Gallais is the nephew of Nicolas Prost, and also has plentiful Formula Regional-level experience having been runner-up in the Ultimate Cup Series last year. He took three wins and finished second 12 times in his rookie single-seater campaign.
Like Gilkes, he has also worked with Drivex before as he joined the team for last month’s non-championship Eurocup-3 event at Motorland Aragon. However he failed to perform there, retiring from race one in an opening lap collision then finishing 12th in race two.
Nogales started his car racing career in Clio Cup Europe, and after switching to single-seaters he quickly established a relationship with Drivex. In his rookie Spanish F4 season he switched from Teo Martin Motorsport to Drivex after four rounds, and came 14th in the standings. The team move also enabled him to make a Euroformula cameo which he scored in.
For 2023 he combined series again, coming 18th in Spanish F4 after doing the first three rounds then stepping back up the ladder to Eurocup-3 where he came 12th in the points table despite missing the first quarter of the season.