Category | Endurance racing |
---|---|
Country | International |
Inaugural season | 2016 |
Prototype Classes | LMP3 |
GT Classes | GT3 |
Tyre suppliers | Michelin |
Drivers' champion | LMP3: Julien Gerbi Gillian Henrion GT3: Valentin Hasse-Clot Arnold Robin |
Teams' champion | LMP3: Team Virage GT3: Racing Spirit of Léman |
Official website | lemanscup.com |
Current season |
The Le Mans Cup, previously the GT3 Le Mans Cup and currently known as the Michelin Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, is an international sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO).
The GT3 Le Mans Cup was created in 2016 after the GTC category was dropped from the European Le Mans Series. The new tournament was designed primarily to increase the number of amateur drivers. [1] [2] [3] The teams' champion automatically receives an invitation to take part in the following 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGTE Am category. [4]
From the 2017 season, the series adopted a new format with LMP3 and GT3-class cars competing in their respective categories, with the ACO aiming to create a secondary division of LMP3-racing and promoting the best teams from the Le Mans Cup to the European Le Mans Series. [5]
A new LMP3 specification with higher power engines was introduced for the 2020 season; this was found to consume more fuel than predicted, forcing pit stop and stint time rule changes.
The Le Mans weekend originally had a one-hour format in 2017, and has had two 55-minute races every year since 2018. The remaining races originally had a two-hour format, later shortened to 1h 50min for the 2022 season, to enable removal of this second mandatory pit stop.
Season | Drivers | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Points | Clinched | Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Jean Glorieux Alexander Toril | DKR Engineering | 5 | 4 | 5 | 114 | 6 of 7 | 24 |
2018 | Jens Petersen Léonard Hoogenboom | DKR Engineering | 0 | 3 | 4 | 103 | 6 of 7 | 11,5 |
2019 | Laurents Hörr François Kirmann | DKR Engineering | 4 | 2 | 5 | 100 | 7 of 7 | 8,5 |
2020 | Laurents Hörr | DKR Engineering | 1 | 3 | 6 | 120 | 7 of 7 | 15 |
2021 | Anthony Wells Colin Noble | Nielsen Racing | 0 | 2 | 3 | 75 | 7 of 7 | 4 |
2022 | Tom Dillmann Alexander Mattschull | Racing Spirit of Léman | 0 | 3 | 5 | 97 | 7 of 7 | 24 |
2023 | Julien Gerbi Gillian Henrion | Team Virage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 73 | 7 of 7 | 4 |
Season | Drivers | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Points | Clinched | Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Aleksey Basov Viktor Shaytar | SMP Racing | 3 | 4 | 5 | 121 | 5 of 6 | 14 |
2017 | Fabio Babini Emanuele Busnelli | Ebimotors | 0 | 2 | 5 | 104.5 | 7 of 7 | 2 |
2018 | Giacomo Piccini Sergio Pianezzola | Kessel Racing | 4 | 5 | 5 | 138 | 7 of 7 | 55 |
2019 | Giacomo Piccini Sergio Pianezzola | Kessel Racing | 1 | 4 | 6 | 130 | 7 of 7 | 21 |
2020 | Rino Mastronardi | Iron Lynx | 5 | 4 | 7 | 132 | 6 of 7 | 15 |
2021 | Nicolas Leutwiler | Pzoberer Zürichsee by TFT | 1 | 2 | 6 | 107 | 7 of 7 | 10 |
2022 | Kasper H. Jensen Kristian Poulsen | GMB Motorsport | 0 | 2 | 5 | 109 | 7 of 7 | 16 |
2023 | Arnold Robin Valentin Hasse-Clot | Racing Spirit of Léman | 1 | 1 | 5 | 97 | 7 of 7 | 20 |
Season | Team | Car | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Points | Clinched | Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | DKR Engineering | Norma M30 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 114 | 6 of 7 | 24 |
2018 | DKR Engineering | Norma M30 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 103 | 6 of 7 | 11,5 |
2019 | DKR Engineering | Norma M30 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 100 | 7 of 7 | 8,5 |
2020 | DKR Engineering | Duqueine M30 - D08 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 120 | 7 of 7 | 31 |
2021 | Nielsen Racing | Ligier JS P320 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 75 | 7 of 7 | 4 |
2022 | Racing Spirit of Léman | Ligier JS P320 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 97 | 7 of 7 | 24 |
2023 | Team Virage | Ligier JS P320 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 73 | 7 of 7 | 4 |
Season | Team | Car | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Points | Clinched | Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | TF Sport | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 107 | 6 of 6 | 11 |
2017 | Ebimotors | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 104.5 | 7 of 7 | 2 |
2018 | Kessel Racing | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 138 | 7 of 7 | 55 |
2019 | Kessel Racing | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 130 | 7 of 7 | 21 |
2020 | Iron Lynx | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 132 | 6 of 7 | 40 |
2021 | Iron Lynx | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 148 | 6 of 7 | 41 |
2022 | GMB Motorsport | Honda NSX GT3 Evo22 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 109 | 7 of 7 | 16 |
2023 | Racing Spirit of Léman | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 97 | 7 of 7 | 20 |
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Sports car racing is one of the main types of circuit auto racing, alongside open-wheel racing, touring car racing and stock car racing. Sports car races are often, though not always, endurance races that are run over particularly long distances or large amounts of time, resulting in a larger emphasis on the reliability and efficiency of the car and its drivers as opposed to outright car performance or driver skills. The FIA World Endurance Championship is an example of one of the best known sports car racing series.
Endurance racing is a form of motorsport racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a large distance in a single event, with participants given a break with the ability to change during the race. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, or to cover as much distance as possible over a preset amount of time.
The European Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the former American Le Mans Series (ALMS) based in the United States and Canada that was running with ACO and IMSA between 1999 and 2013. ELMS team champions and runners-up receive an automatic entry to the following year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Originally titled the Le Mans Endurance Series before becoming simply the Le Mans Series in 2006, the series was renamed once more in 2012, reusing a name previously utilized by IMSA in 2001.
The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida under the jurisdiction of the ACCUS arm of the FIA. It was started by John Bishop, a former executive director of SCCA, and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France Sr. of NASCAR. Beginning in 2014, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier series resulting from the merger of Grand-Am Road Racing and the American Le Mans Series. IMSA is owned by NASCAR, as a division of the company.
A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The technical requirements for an LMP include bodywork covering all mechanical elements of the car. As of 2023, there are two classes within Le Mans Prototypes, designated LMP2 and LMP3.
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992. The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid to a professional racing series where the world's largest automakers spent millions of dollars per year.
The Asian Le Mans Series (AsLMS) is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second season. The ACO aims to attract teams and drivers from Asian countries.
The Le Mans Prototype Challenge was a spec sports prototype formula created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and sports car constructor Oreca. The formula is intended as part of a ladder system for young and upcoming drivers into the world of endurance racing while also serving as a value engineered entry for drivers and teams into Le Mans Prototypes due to limitations on manufacturers and suppliers.
United Autosports is a sports car racing team based in Wakefield, England, United Kingdom, founded by businessman Zak Brown and former driver Richard Dean.
Ahmad Al Harthy is an Omani racing driver. He won the 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Pro-Am 1 Championship and in 2017 became the Blancpain Endurance Cup Pro-Am Champion along with British team-mate Jonny Adam.
The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Intercontinental Le Mans Cup which began in 2010 and is the first endurance series of world championship status since the demise of the World Sportscar Championship at the end of 1992. The World Endurance Championship name was previously used by the FIA from 1981 to 1985.
The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). It is a result of a merger between two existing North American sports car racing series, the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series. At its inception, the name was United SportsCar Championship, which subsequently changed to IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2016. Rolex SA's Tudor brand was the championship's title sponsor in 2014 and 2015, and since 2016 WeatherTech has served as title sponsor.
The 2017 Le Mans Cup, known as the 2017 Michelin Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, was the second season of the Le Mans Cup. It began on 13 May at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza and finished on 21 October at the 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 LMP3 Cup Championship is a British-based sports car racing endurance series, endorsed by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest. The championship is designed as an initial step on the ladder to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as providing further opportunities for teams to run the increasingly popular LMP3 specification cars.
The Norma M30 is an LMP3-spec sports prototype. The car is built by French constructor Norma Auto Concept and designed by company co-founder Norbert Santos. The Norma M30 won the 2017 Michelin Le Mans Cup in its debut year entered by DKR Engineering.
The Ginetta-Juno P3-15, also known as the Ginetta-Juno P3 is a Le Mans Prototype LMP3 built to ACO Le Mans Prototype LMP3 regulations. It was designed by Ewan Baldry, and built by Ginetta Cars. The car was the first car to launch, and run in the class, with it making its debut at the 2015 4 Hours of Silverstone. It subsequently formed the basis of the G57 P2, and the later G58. A direct successor to the P3-15, the G61-LT-P3, was developed to meet the new 2020 LMP3 regulations, while retaining the original tub utilised in the P3-15.
The ADESS-03 is a Le Mans Prototype LMP3 built to ACO Le Mans Prototype LMP3 regulations. It was designed and built by ADESS AG. The car had its competition debut at the 2015 4 Hours of Fuji. The car also serves as a base for the GreenGT LMPH2G and H24 Hydrogen powered Le Mans Prototype.
The Road to Le Mans is a sports car race held annually at the Circuit de la Sarthe, in Le Mans, France. It serves as a support event for the main race, the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race was first run in 2016, as a one-hour event, forming part of the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup, in its inaugural season.
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.
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