Filipe Albuquerque will contest the European Le Mans Series with JOTA Sport for a second consecutive year aiming to go one better and win the championship title in 2015. The 29-year-old Portuguese and Simon Dolan will again race JOTA’s venerable Zytek Z11SN which has now been rebranded a Gibson 015S.

Albuquerque, who along with Dolan and Harry Tincknell, missed out on last year’s ELMS title by just four-points despite scoring a win and two other three podium finishes, and four pole positions.

Filipe will combine his JOTA Sport five-race ELMS campaign, that begins at Silverstone on April 11, with an LMP1 program at Audi Sport Team Joest, as in 2014.

Albuquerque and Dolan recently tested the Gibson at Estoril in Portugal. It now features aerodynamic, safety and serviceability updates to the cost-capped open-top prototype that have been made over the winter.

The third and final driver who will partner Albuquerque and Dolan in ELMS this season will be announced next month, the team says. Discussions are also underway for Albuquerque’s replacement for the FIA World Endurance Championship races at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans.

Dolan, Tincknell and Marc Gene recorded a fine second in LM P2 at Spa last May. Simon, Harry and Oliver Turvey, the latter subbing for Gene when the Spaniard was unexpectedly recalled by Audi Sport, took the P2 win in the legendary twice-around-the-clock French race while finishing an impressive fifth overall.

“I am very happy to be returning to race for JOTA Sport in 2015 in addition to my Audi Sport factory commitments,” said Albuquerque. “After last season, I now know all of the JOTA team very well, which will immediately help from the opening race.

“I am delighted to return to ELMS, having just missed out on winning the title with Simon and Harry Tincknell last year. The championship gets more competitive every year and I think 2015 will be even tougher, in terms of both cars and drivers, because teams are raising the level. But I am sure that we as a team will be even stronger. Looking specifically at the championship rules and driving time, I am really happy to see that the organizers have taken action and changed the mandatory driving time of silver/bronze-graded drivers.

“Racing in ELMS last year was perfect and definitely helped me to get in to a rhythm quicker for my Audi Sport LM P1 program. I learned many things including coping with traffic situations. Competing in ELMS gives me the opportunity again to race on home soil at Estoril and that is always special.

“We were very unlucky with the weather at a Dunlop test at Estoril earlier this month. It mostly rained on both days and we only managed a few laps in damp conditions. There is great potential with the revised Gibson but there is still a lot of work to be done.”