 | |
| Michelin Le Mans Cup | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Circuit de la Sarthe |
| First race | 2016 |
| First MLMC race | 2016 |
| Duration | 2x 55 Minutes |
| Most wins (team) |  DKR Engineering |
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. [1]
The race was announced on 13 November 2015, a support race for LMP3 cars, competing in series sanctioned by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, and GT3 cars competing in the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup. It would by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest with the collaboration of Le Mans Endurance Management (promoter of the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup Series) [2] It was announced to be a non-championship race for the LMP3 cars, while all full-season entrants of the GT3 Le Mans Cup would receive automatic invitations to the race. [2] For the inaugural race in 2016, a total of 39 cars were entered, with 22 LMP3 and 17 GT3 cars. [3] The race was the first time that GT3 and LMP3 cars had competed on the full Circuit de la Sarthe. [4]
In 2017, the race was announced to be returning on the Le Mans support calendar, albeit with a number of changes. The event was expanded to comprise 2x 55 minute long races, with up to 46 cars competing, instead of 42 in the previous year. [5]
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.
United Autosports is a sports car racing team based in Wakefield, England, United Kingdom, founded by businessman Zak Brown and former driver Richard Dean.
The 2016 GT3 Le Mans Cup, known as the 2016 Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, was the inaugural season of the GT3 Le Mans Cup. It began on 15 May at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari and finished on 23 October at the Autódromo do Estoril. The series was open to grand tourer sports cars in the GT3 class.
The 2017 European Le Mans Series season was the fourteenth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) European Le Mans Series. The six-event season began at Silverstone Circuit, in conjunction with the FIA World Endurance Championship, on 15 April and ended at Algarve International Circuit on 22 October.
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 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 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.
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.
Philip Beauchamp Hanson is a British racing driver who currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series with United Autosports.
The 2018–19 Asian Le Mans Series was the seventh season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Asian Le Mans Series. It is the fourth 24 Hours of Le Mans-based series created by the ACO, following the American Le Mans Series, the European Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship. The four-event season began at the Shanghai International Circuit on 25 November 2018 and ended at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor on 24 February 2019.
The 2019 European Le Mans Series was the sixteenth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) European Le Mans Series. The six-event season began at Circuit Paul Ricard on 14 April and finished at Algarve International Circuit on 27 October.
The 4th Road to Le Mans Cup is an automobile endurance event that took place on 13 and 15 June 2019, at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France. The race features LMP3 and GT3 category cars competing in their respective classes.
The Ligier JS P320 is an LMP3 Le Mans Prototype. It was created by Onroak Automotive, and named in partnership with former French driver Guy Ligier. It was built to meet ACO Generation II LMP3 standards, and can be built through an update kit for its predecessor, the Ligier JS P3. The car is set to be eligible in a series of Championships worldwide, such as the Michelin Le Mans Cup, Prototype Cup Germany, Asian Le Mans Series, European Le Mans Series, IMSA Prototype Challenge and IMSA SportsCar Championship. The car was launched on 4 June 2019, and was the first Gen II LMP3 to be revealed.
The 2020 European Le Mans Series was the seventeenth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) European Le Mans Series. The six-event season began at Circuit Paul Ricard on 19 July and finished at Algarve International Circuit on 1 November.
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.
The 5th Road to Le Mans Cup is an automobile endurance event that took place on 17 and 19 September 2020, at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France. The race features LMP3 and GT3 category cars competing in their respective classes.
The 2021 Le Mans Cup, known as the 2021 Michelin Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, was the sixth season of the Le Mans Cup. It began on 17 April at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and ended on 25 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 6th Road to Le Mans Cup is an automobile endurance event that took place on 19 and 21 August 2021, at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France. The race features LMP3 and GT3 category cars competing in their respective classes.
The 2023 Le Mans Cup, known as the 2023 Michelin Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, was the eighth season of the Le Mans Cup. The six-event season began at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 22 April and finished at Algarve International Circuit on 22 October. The series is open to Le Mans Prototypes in the LMP3 class, and grand tourer sports cars in the GT3 class.
Rodrigo Sales is an American-Mexican businessman and part-time racing driver.
