2016 Road to Le Mans

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The track layout of the Circuit de la Sarthe Circuit de la Sarthe track map.svg
The track layout of the Circuit de la Sarthe
The race-winning .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help} No. 85 DC Racing Ligier JS P3-Nissan car DC Racing - LIGIER JS P3 - Nissan (27701416102).jpg
The race-winning No. 85 DC Racing Ligier JS P3-Nissan car

The 1st Road to Le Mans was an 55-minute automobile endurance event for 37 teams of one or two drivers racing Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) and Group GT3 (GT3) cars. It was held on 18 June 2016 at the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France, as a support race for the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans and the second round of the 2016 GT3 Le Mans Cup. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) organised the first Road to Le Mans race in partnership with the promoter Le Mans Endurance Management.

Contents

United Autosport's Martin Brundle and Christian England shared a Ligier JS P3-Nissan car and began from pole position after Brundle set the fastest overall lap time in qualifying. Brundle lost the race lead to Team LNT's Charlie Robertson and Lawrence Tomlinson at the start, which Tomlinson maintained until the mandatory pit stops. Alexandre Cougnaud and Thomas Laurent of DC Racing took the race lead following the pit stops and led the final six laps to win by 16.863 seconds over Brundle and England. The GT3 category was won by SMP Racing's Aleksey Basov and Viktor Shaytar in a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 from FFF Racing Team by ACM's McLaren 650S GT3 shared by Hiroshi Hamaguchi and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs after Mentos Racing's Porsche 911 GT3 R of Klaus Bachler and Egidio Perfetti served a ten-second stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

Background

A support race for the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans was reported in October 2015, [1] and formally announced the next month. [2] The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) in partnership with the Le Mans Endurance Management promoter organised the 2016 Road to Le Mans event, which took place on 18 June 2016 at the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans, France. [2] [3] It was the event's inaugural edition, the second round of the 2016 GT3 Le Mans Cup and served as a support event for the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. [2]

Euan Hankey and Salih Yoluç led the Drivers' Championship with 25 points after winning the season-opening round at Imola, seven ahead of Hiroshi Hamaguchi and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs in second and ten ahead of Nicolas Misslin and Matthieu Vaxivière in third. [4] The No. 34 TF Sport team led the Teams' Championship with 25 points, seven points ahead of FFF Racing Team by ACM's No. 55 squad and ten ahead of the No. 26 Classic and Modern Racing team. [5]

Regulations and entrants

Entry to the event was open from 18 March to 15 April 2016. [2] The ACO's selection committee issued invitations to Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) vehicles from the ACO's continental racing series, the European Le Mans Series and/or the Asian Le Mans Series, as well as Group GT3 (GT3) cars from the GT3 Le Mans Cup (GT3 LMC). [2] [6] [7] All current GT3 Le Mans Cup full-season entries were automatically accepted while the ACO reserved the right to invite additional LMP3 and GT3 cars to the race. [2] LMP3 teams could field one or two drivers, however GT3 teams could not field only one driver. Each team had to sign a Bronze-rated driver. [6] [7] No platinum-rated driver could participate. [7] Each driver was permitted no more than 20 minutes to drive on the track. Michelin supplied the event's control tyres with each class receiving a single slick tyre specification. [2] [6]

The entry list was published on 19 May 2016. [8] [9] The 37-car entry list included 19 LMP3 and 17 GT3 cars. [10] Several of the LMP3 entries were ELMS competitors and all but two used Ligier JS P3-Nissan cars. The two non-Ligiers were a Ginetta P3-15-Nissan car and a ADESS 03-Nissan car. [8] The GT3 LMC contributed 11 of the 17 entries in the GT3 class, [9] and there were manufacturers represented in the category. [8] AF Corse and Larbre Compétition were the only teams competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Road to Le Mans. [8] The BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 was the lone GT3 car missing from the entry list. [9] [11]

Balance of performance

The balance of performance was modified to try to create parity within the GT3 category. [11] Ballast was added to the No. 19 Tockwith Motorsports Audi R8 LMS ultra, the No. 26 Classic and Modern Racing Ferrari F458 Italia GT3, the No. 34 TF Sport Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia GT3 and the No. 55 FFF McLaren 650S GT3 to effect their handling while the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 was made 10 kg (22 lb) lighter. [11] The Ferrari's power was reduced by a smaller air restrictor whilst the Lamborghini's was increased by a larger air restrictor. [11] New entries are the No. 22 TF Sport Aston Martin, the No. 37 IDEC Sport Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, the No. 44 DKR Engineering BMW Z4 GT3, the No. 50 Larbre Competition Mercedes-Benz, the No. 57 AF Corse Ferrari and the No. 66 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini, each with a ballast of 10 kg (22 lb). [11]

Practice

Two one-hour practice sessions were held on the evening of 15 June and afternoon of 16 June. [2] [6] During the first session, there was light rain and reportedly oil on the track, but track conditions improved. [12] [13] Thomas Laurent No. 85 DC Racing's car was fastest, with a lap time of 4:05.758 achieved on his sixth and last lap of the session. [13] He was 4.128 seconds faster than James Winslow's second-placed No. 61 Graff Racing entry. Yann Ehrlacher's No. 18 M.Racing-YMR car was third. [12] Philippe Prette's No. 48 PS Racing car stopped at the Esses with its front-left wheel detached on his out-lap. [13] Viktor Shaytar's No. 57 AF Corse Ferrari was fastest in GT3 at 4:15.418. Shaytar was six-tenths of a second faster than Lonni Martins's No. 17 Duqueine Engineering's car. Klaus Bachler's No. 88 Mentos Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R was third in class. [12] [13]

Several cars went off the circuit during the second practice session and race control ended the session after 20 minutes when Jean-Claude Poirier wrecked the No. 31 Graff car into the tyre barrier at Mulsanne corner. Poirier was unhurt and exited the car unaided, but the barriers needed substantial repair and marshals removed excess oil from the circuit. [14] [15] Laurent's No. 85 DC Racing entry led overall at 4:21.444. [15] John Falb's No. 77 Graff entry was 1.7 seconds slower in second. [16] Jesus Fuster's No. 11 By Speed Factory Ligier stopped at the pit lane entry, prompting a six-minute Slow Zone at the Ford chicane to recover the vehicle. [14] [15] The fastest GT3 car was Egidio Perfetti's No. 88 Mentos Porsche, which was third overall in 4:24.020. Martins's No, 17 Duqueine Ferrari was three seconds and five overall positions behind in second in class. [16] Tockwith's No. 19 Audi had to be driven slowly to the pit lane with a flat rear tyre. [14]

Qualifying

The No. 3 United Autosports Ligier as raced by Guy Cosmo and Mike Hedlund. 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans 3-1 (3) (27688656132).jpg
The No. 3 United Autosports Ligier as raced by Guy Cosmo and Mike Hedlund.

On the evening of 16 June, a 30-minute qualifying session was held to set the race's starting order. [2] [6] [12] Qualifying was held in dry, cool weather. [17] [18] Martin Brundle's No. 2 United Autosports entry was second for most of qualifying until improving his lap time to 3:55.748 at the end to claim overall pole position and his second at Le Mans after the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans. [17] [19] Charlie Robertson's No. 32 Team LNT entry was 0.185 seconds slower in second. Laurent's No. 85 DC Racing, Ehrlacher's No. 18 M.Racing-YMR, and Giorgio Sernagiotto's No. 7 Scuderia Villorba Corse finished third through fifth. [19] [20] Pierre Nicolet's No. 24 OAK Racing Ligier slid into the gravel trap at Tertre Rouge corner, crashing into the barriers midway through qualifying. [18] [19] Qualifying was stopped for the first time due to debris on the circuit but Nicolet returned to the pit lane. [18] [19] [20] Perfetti's No. 88 Mentos Porsche took pole position in GT3 with a 4:04.494 lap. He was nearly seven-tenths of a second faster than Aleksey Basov's No. 57 SMP Racing Ferrari. [20] Hamaguchi's No. 55 FFF Racing Team by ACM McLaren took third, ahead of Misslin's No. 26 Classic and Modern Racing Ferrari and Mads Rasmussen's No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari. [20] [21] A second stoppage ended qualifying two minutes early, as Hamaguchi spun into the tyre barriers at Karting Corner. [18] [20] Hamaguchi was unhurt. [18]

Qualifying results

Pole positions in each class are denoted in bold. [22]

Final qualifying classification
Pos.ClassNo.TeamQualifyingGrid
1LMP32 United Autosports 3:55.7481
2LMP332 Team LNT 3:55.9332
3LMP385 DC Racing 3:56.2473
4LMP318M.Racing-YMR 3:57.6624
5LMP37Scuderia Villorba Corse3:58.0295
6LMP361 Graff 3:58.4856
7LMP377 Graff 3:58.5457
8LMP331 Graff 3:58.5478
9LMP39 Racing Team Holland 4:00.4109
10LMP315 Duqueine Engineering 4:00.89110
11LMP33 United Autosports 4:00.89111
12LMP316 Duqueine Engineering 4:01.35812
13LMP324 OAK Racing 4:01.48513
14LMP324360 Racing4:02.05514
15GT388 Mentos Racing 4:04.49415
16LMP311 By Speed Factory 4:04.85616
17GT311 SMP Racing 4:05.18317
18GT355 FFF Racing Team by ACM 4:07.16818
19LMP310Race Performance4:07.18619
20GT326Classic and Modern Racing4:08.11220
21GT371 AF Corse 4:08.79021
22GT334 TF Sport 4:10.55922
23LMP317 Duqueine Engineering 4:10.83723
24GT351 AF Corse 4:12.28224
25GT337 IDEC Sport Racing 4:12.87925
26LMP399WinEurasia Limited4:14.40726
27GT366Barwell Motorsport4:14.42127
28GT322 TF Sport 4:15.65528
29GT319Tockwith Motorsports4:15.86029
30GT38Scuderia Villorba Corse4:15.89930
31GT35 FFF Racing Team by ACM 4:19.03531
32LMP348PS Racing Ltd.4:20.04232
33GT325 FF Corse 4:26.12933
34GT350 Larbre Compétition 4:26.63534
35GT314 AF Corse 4:38.99335
36GT344 DKR Engineering 4:45.90736
37GT328 Delahaye Racing Team 4:45.96837

Race

The start of the race 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans Start-1 (2) (27714162171).jpg
The start of the race

It was dry and overcast before the event. [23] The air temperature was between 16.35 and 17.7 °C (61.43 and 63.86 °F) and the track temperature was between 20 and 21.75 °C (68.00 and 71.15 °F). [24] The race commenced at 11:10 Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00), [2] [6] which was led by the starting polesitter Brundle. [25] Second-place starter Robertson battled Brundle as he crested the hill approaching the Dunlop chicane and braked later on the inside to take the race lead, despite Brundle appearing to have caught Robertson off guard when the race began. [26] [27] Winslow began quickly, moving from sixth to third before passing Brundle for second at the Mulsanne corner. [28] [29] Meanwhile, Perfetti maintained his lead in GT3 with the No. 88 Mentos Porsche, gradually pulling away from Basov's No. 57 SMP Ferrari. [29]

During the first lap, Hamaguchi dropped from third to fifth in class, but he began duelling Misslin's No. 26 Classic and Modern Racing Ferrari for fourth while being challenged by Yoluç's No. 34 TF Sport Aston Martin until Yoluç's driver error while attempting to pass Hamaguchi at the Forza chicane gave him a temporary reprieve, allowing him to pull way slightly. [26] [29] On lap four, when Robertson began to pull away from the rest of the race, Brundle was close behind Winslow and passed him to retake second place overall. [29] [30] The following lap saw Phil Hanson's No. 44 Tockwith Audi driven slowly to the pit lane due to a failed front right tyre, while Martins overtook Basov for second in GT3 at the Indianapolis corner, but Basov retook the position at the same corner the following lap. [26] [29] Roberto Lacorte caused the race's first Slow Zone by going into the gravel trap at the Forza chicane. The No. 7 Scuderia Villoriba Corse car was recovered after five minutes and the Slow Zone was lifted. [29]

At this point, cars began making mandatory pit stops to allow teams to change drivers. [29] [31] Robertson and Brundle made their pit stops on the same lap, however both drivers lost a significant amount of time to DC Racing's No. 85 team, and Laurent took the overall lead after the pit stops, having relieved his co-driver Alexandre Cougnaud who was fourth during his stint. [28] Christian England had relieved Brundle but he spun the No. 2 United Autosports car exiting the Dunlop chicane. [23] On his second lap, Lawrence Tomlinson lost control of the rear of the No. 32 Team LNT entry, which became stuck in the gravel at the Dunlop chicane. [27] [28] Tomlinson's spin activated the race's second Slow Zone, dropping him from second to tenth overall. [29] [30] The No. 88 Mentos Porsche received a ten-second stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane. [31] Shaytar's No. 57 SMP Ferrari now led the GT3 category lead as Hankey's No. 34 TF Aston Martin, Vaxivière's No. 26 Classic and Modern Ferrari and Quaife-Hobbs's No. 55 FFF Ferrari battled for the final places on the podium in class. [29]

The podium ceremonies that were held following the completion of the race. 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans Podium-01 (27714390391).jpg
The podium ceremonies that were held following the completion of the race.

With ten minutes remaining, Hankey spun the No. 34 TF Aston Martin following the Dunlop chicane when scything his way by slower LMP3 cars. This moved Vaxivière, Quaife-Hobbs and Bachler to second, third and fourth in GT3. [29] Romano Ricci's No. 18 M.Racing-YMR entry was third overall, but Falb's No. 77 Graff car was gaining on him and, on the suggestion of his engineer, passed him at the first chicane to take third on the final lap, [28] [29] [32] having passed Dean Koutsoumidis's sister No. 61 Graff car on lap 11. [26] [30] Both Quaife-Hobbs and Bachler gained second and third in GT3 when Vaxiviere's Classic and Modern Ferrari sustained a puncture on the final lap. [28] [33] Laurent pulled away from the field and held the No. 85 DC Racing car's lead for the final six laps to win the race for himself and Cougnaud. [30] [31] The No. 2 United Autosports car recovered to finish second, 16.863 seconds behind. [31] Falb competed alone in the No. 77 Graff entry, finishing third overall. [28] The No. 57 AF Corse Ferrari won the GT3 category by 11.238 seconds over the No. 55 FFF McLaren, [30] [31] propelling the team and drivers Basov and Shaytar to third in the Drivers' and Teams' Championships. [4] [5] The No. 88 Mentos Porsche completed the class podium in third. [30] [31]

Race result

The minimum number of laps for classification (70% of the overall winning car's race distance) was seven laps. Class winners are in bold and ‡. [30] [34]

Final race classification
PosClassNoTeamDriversChassisLapsTime/Retired
Engine
1LMP385 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg DC Racing Flag of France.svg Alexandre Cougnaud
Flag of France.svg Thomas Laurent 		Ligier JS P3 1355:30.230‡
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
2LMP32 Flag of the United States.svg United Autosports Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Martin Brundle
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Christian England 		Ligier JS P3 13+16.863
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
3LMP377 Flag of France.svg Graff Flag of the United States.svg John Falb Ligier JS P3 13+32.846
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
4LMP318 Flag of France.svg M.Racing-YMR Flag of France.svg Yann Ehrlacher
Flag of France.svg Romano Ricci		 Ligier JS P3 13+35.566
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
5LMP33 Flag of the United States.svg United Autosports Flag of the United States.svg Guy Cosmo
Flag of the United States.svg Mike Hedlund		 Ligier JS P3 13+39.428
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
6LMP36 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 360 Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Terrence Woodward
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Swift		 Ligier JS P3 13+47.034
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
7LMP315 Flag of France.svg Duqueine Engineering Flag of France.svg Thomas Dagoneau
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alexis Kapadia		 Ligier JS P3 13+48.823
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
8LMP324 Flag of France.svg OAK Racing Flag of France.svg Jacques Nicolet
Flag of France.svg Pierre Nicolet		 Ligier JS P3 13+49.204
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
9GT357 Flag of Russia.svg SMP Racing Flag of Russia.svg Aleksey Basov
Flag of Russia.svg Viktor Shaytar 		Ferrari 488 GT3 13+57.918‡
Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8
10LMP361 Flag of France.svg Graff Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dean Koutsoumidis
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Winslow 		Ligier JS P3 13+1:03.281
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
11GT355 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg FFF Racing Team by ACM Flag of Japan.svg Hiroshi Hamaguchi
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Adrian Quaife-Hobbs 		McLaren 650S GT3 13+1:09.156
McLaren 3.8 L Turbo V8
12GT388 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Mentos Racing Flag of Norway.svg Egidio Perfetti
Flag of Austria.svg Klaus Bachler 		Porsche 911 GT3 R 13+1:11.384
Porsche 4.0L flat-6
13LMP310 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Race Performance Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Marcello Marateotto
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Giorgio Maggi 		Ligier JS P3 13+1:12.274
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
14GT334 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg TF Sport Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Euan Hankey
Flag of Turkey.svg Salih Yoluç 		Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 13+1:27.512
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
15GT351 Flag of Italy.svg AF Corse Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Castellacci
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Thomas Flohr 		Ferrari 488 GT3 13+1:34.373
Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8
16LMP316 Flag of France.svg Duqueine Engineering Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Antonin Borga
Flag of France.svg Laurent Millara		 Ligier JS P3 13+1:37.722
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
17GT322 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg TF Sport Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andrew Jarman
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Devon Modell		 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 13+1:56.761
Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
18GT317 Flag of France.svg Duqueine Engineering Flag of France.svg Christophe Hamon
Flag of France.svg Lonni Martins		 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 13+2:03.476
Ferrari F136 4.5L V8
19GT366 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Barwell Motorsport Flag of the United Kingdom.svg James Cottingham
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Joe Twyman		 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 13+2:06.454
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
20GT337 Flag of France.svg IDEC Sport Racing Flag of France.svg Patrice Lafargue
Flag of France.svg Paul Lafargue 		Mercedes-AMG GT3 13+2:10.863
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
21GT38 Flag of Italy.svg Scuderia Villorba Corse Flag of France.svg Steeve Hiesse
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Joe Twyman		 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 13+2:19.659
Ferrari F136 4.5L V8
22GT316 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg FFF Racing Team by ACM Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Marco Attard
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Matt Bell 		Lamborghini Huracán GT3 13+2:23.115
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
23LMP399 Flag of Hong Kong.svg WinEurasia Limited Flag of Hong Kong.svg William Lok Ligier JS P3 13+2:27.776
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
24LMP331 Flag of France.svg Graff Flag of France.svg Jean Claude Poirier
Flag of France.svg Paul Petit		 Ligier JS P3 13+2:32.467
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
25GT371 Flag of Italy.svg AF Corse Flag of Portugal.svg Felipe Barreiros
Flag of Denmark.svg Mads Rasmussen 		Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 13+2:36.360
Ferrari F136 4.5L V8
26GT326 Flag of France.svg Classic and Modern Racing Flag of France.svg Nicolas Misslin
Flag of France.svg Matthieu Vaxivière 		Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 12+1 Lap
Ferrari F136 4.5L V8
27GT350 Flag of France.svg Larbre Compétition Flag of France.svg Franck Labescat
Flag of France.svg Christian Philippon		 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 12+1 Lap
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
28GT351 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg FF Corse Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ivar Dunbar
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Johnny Mowlem 		Ferrari 488 GT3 12+1 Lap
Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8
29LMP332 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Team LNT Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lawrence Tomlinson
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Charlie Robertson		 Ginetta P3-1512+1 Lap
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
30GT328 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Delahaye Racing Team Flag of France.svg Pierre-Etienne Bordet
Flag of France.svg Alexandre Viron		 Porsche 997 GT3-R 12+1 Lap
Porsche 4.0L V8
31GT344 Flag of Luxembourg.svg DKR Engineering Flag of the Netherlands.svg Niels Bouwhuis
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan Storm		 BMW Z4 GT3 12+1 Lap
BMW S65 4.4L V8
32LMP311 Flag of Spain.svg By Speed Factory Flag of Spain.svg Jesus Fuster
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Rebecca Jackson		 Ligier JS P3 12+1 Lap
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
33LMP39 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Racing Team Holland Flag of the Netherlands.svg Jan Lammers
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Bernhard van Oranje 		Ligier JS P3 12+1 Lap
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
34LMP37 Flag of Italy.svg Scuderia Villorba Corse Flag of Italy.svg Roberto Lacorte
Flag of Italy.svg Giorgio Sernagiotto		 Ligier JS P3 12+1 Lap
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8
35GT344 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tockwith Motorsports Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Phil Hanson
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Nigel Moore 		Audi R8 LMS ultra 11+2 Laps
Audi 5.2L V10
36GT314 Flag of Italy.svg AF Corse Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Adrien De Leener
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Pierre-Marie De Leener		 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 9+4 Laps
Ferrari F136 4.5L V8
37LMP348 Flag of Finland.svg PS Racing Ltd. Flag of Italy.svg Angelo Negro
Flag of Italy.svg Philippe Prette		 ADESS-033Did not finish
Nissan VK50VE 5.0L V8

Championship standings after the race

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The 2018 European Le Mans Series was the fifteenth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) European Le Mans Series. The six-event season began at Circuit Paul Ricard on 15 April and finished at Algarve International Circuit on 28 October. The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes, divided into the LMP2 and LMP3 classes, and grand tourer-style racing cars in the LMGTE class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 87th 24 Hours of Le Mans was an 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars entered by teams of three drivers each held from 15 to 16 June 2019 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, close to Le Mans, France before approximately 252,500 people. It was the 87th running of the event, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. The round was the last race in the 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship and the second time in the season that the series had visited Le Mans. A test day was held two weeks prior to the race on 2 June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans was a 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars fielded by teams of three drivers each held from 19 to 20 September 2020 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, close to Le Mans, France. It was the 88th running of the event, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. The race, held behind closed doors, was the seventh in the 2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship, having been postponed from June to September as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in France.

The 2020 Le Mans Cup, known as the 2020 Michelin Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, was the fifth season of the Le Mans Cup. It began on 18 July at the Circuit Paul Ricard and finished on 1 November at Algarve International Circuit. The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes in the LMP3 class, and grand tourer sports cars in the GT3 class. The 2020 calendar was released on 4 April 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans was a 24-hour automobile endurance race for teams of three drivers each entering Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars held between 21 and 22 August 2021, at the Circuit de la Sarthe, close to Le Mans, France, before 50,000 spectators. It was the event's 89th edition, as organised by the automotive group, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) since 1923. The event, the fourth round of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship, was postponed from June to August to increase the likelihood of admitting spectators to the race amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in France. A test day was held a week prior to the event on 15 August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans was a 24-hour automobile endurance event that was held in front of 244,200 spectators on 11 and 12 June 2022 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France for Le Mans Hypercar (Hypercar), Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars that were entered by teams of three drivers each. It was the 90th edition of the event organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, and the third round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. A test day was held the week before the race on 5 June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alessio Rovera</span> Italian racing driver

Alessio Rovera is an Italian racing driver. He is a Ferrari factory driver and currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship with AF Corse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 24 Hours of Daytona</span> 61st 24 Hours of Daytona race

The 2023 24 Hours of Daytona was an endurance sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The event was held at Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on January 28–29, 2023. This event was the 61st running of the 24 Hours of Daytona since its inception in 1962, and the first of 11 races across multiple classes in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship, as well as the first of four rounds in the 2023 Michelin Endurance Cup. The No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura, driven by Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Hélio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, took the overall win, but the team was later penalized for tire pressure data manipulation, resulting in penalties, fines and probation for those responsible. This was Meyer Shank's second Rolex 24 win in a row, and their third major endurance race win in four events. The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura finished second overall and scored the most points towards the GTP championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 91st 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 91st 24 Hours of Le Mans, also known as the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans, was an automobile endurance race for teams of three drivers racing Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars held from 10 to 11 June 2023 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France. Held in front of 325,000 spectators, it was the 91st running of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's 24-hour race—100 years after the first—and marked the fourth round of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). There was a test day on 4 June, a week before the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 92nd edition of the endurance race

The 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans was an automobile endurance race for teams of three drivers each racing Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Car (LMGT3) cars held from 15 to 16 June 2024 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest's 92nd 24-hour race drew 329,000 spectators and was the fourth round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. There was a test day on 9 June, a week before the event.

References

  1. ↑ Mercier, Laurent (18 October 2015). "Lancement de la Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup avec une course en ouverture des 24 Heures du Mans" [Launch of the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup with a race to open the 24 Hours of Le Mans]. Endurance-Info (in French). Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kilbey, Stephen (1 March 2016). "Further Details On Le Mans LMP3-GT3 Le Mans Cup Race". DailySportsCar. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  3. ↑ "Road to Le Mans race as a curtain-raiser to the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup – Drivers' Championship Estoril After Race Final Classification" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 22 October 2016. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup – Teams' Championship Estoril After Race Final Classification" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wittemeier, Roman (2 March 2016). "LMP3 und GT3: So läuft das Rahmenrennen in Le Mans" [LMP3 and GT3: This is how the support race in Le Mans works]. Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 Dagys, John (1 March 2016). "Le Mans GT3/LMP3 Support Race Details Revealed". SportsCar365. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Kilshaw, Jake (19 May 2016). "39 Cars on Road to Le Mans Entry List". SportsCar365. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 Kilbey, Stephen (19 May 2016). "Entry List For The Road To Le Mans Race Revealed". DailySportsCar. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  10. ↑ "Circuit de La Sarthe Entry List". GT3 Le Mans Cup. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Mercier, Laurent (10 June 2016). "Road To Le Mans : La Balance de Performance revue et corrigée en GT3" [Road To Le Mans: The Balance of Performance reviewed and corrected in GT3]. Endurance-Info (in French). Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Wet Start to the Road to Le Mans". GT3 Le Mans Cup. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 ten Caat, Marcel (15 June 2016). "DC Racing Quickest in Road to Le Mans Free Practice". SportsCar365. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  14. 1 2 3 Kilbey, Stephen (16 June 2016). "DC Racing & Menthos Top Shortened Road To Le Mans FP2". DailySportsCar. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  15. 1 2 3 ten Caat, Marcel (16 June 2016). "Laurent Tops Shortened Final Road to Le Mans Practice". SportsCar365. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  16. 1 2 "DC Racing Ligier and Mentos Racing Head Shortened Free Practice 2". GT3 Le Mans Cup. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  17. 1 2 Cozens, Jack (16 June 2016). "Martin Brundle on pole position for Le Mans 24 Hours support race". Autosport . Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 "Martin Brundle and Egidio Perfetti Claim Road to Le Mans Pole Positions". GT3 Le Mans Cup. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Klein, Jamie (8 June 2023) [16 June 2016]. "Brundle takes LMP3 pole for Le Mans support race". Motorsport.com . Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 ten Caat, Marcel (16 June 2016). "Brundle Claims Pole Position for Road to Le Mans". SportsCar365. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  21. ↑ "Road to Le Mans 84º Edition des 24 Heures du Mans After Qualifying Session Provisional Classification by Driver Fastest Lap" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 16 June 2016. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  22. ↑ "Road to Le Mans 84º Edition des 24 Heures du Mans Qualifying Session Final Classification" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 16 June 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  23. 1 2 "United Autosports Claims Excellent Inauguaral "Road to Le Mans" Podium" (Press release). United Autosports. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  24. ↑ "84º Edition des 24 Heures du Mans Road to Le Mans Race Weather Report" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 18 June 2024. p. 1. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  25. ↑ "Road to Le Mans 84º Edition des 24 Heures du Mans Race (55') Final Starting Grid" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 18 June 2016. p. 1. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Errity, Stephen (18 June 2016). "DC Racing Duo Win Road To Le Mans Race". DailySportsCar. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  27. 1 2 Cozens, Jack (23 June 2016). "French crew beats Brundle" (PDF). Autosport : 60. Retrieved 12 November 2024– via Porsche Cars History.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Klein, Jamie (18 June 2016). "DC Racing takes honours in Le Mans support event". Motorsport.com . Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "DC Racing and AF Corse are the first Road to Le Mans winners". GT3 Le Mans Cup. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Road to Le Mans 84º Edition des 24 Heures du Mans Race Provisional Classification" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 18 June 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 ten Caat, Marcel (18 June 2016). "DC Racing Claims Road to Le Mans Victory". SportsCar365. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  32. ↑ "Un premier podium Road to Le Mans pour le Graff" [A first Road to Le Mans podium for Graff] (Press release) (in French). Graff Racing. 22 June 2016. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  33. ↑ "Stunning Second for FFF Racing at Le Mans" (Press release). FFF Racing Team. 20 June 2016. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  34. ↑ "Road to Le Mans 2016". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
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