The final race weekend of the 2023 European Le Mans Series season is set to feature a pair of four-hour races, following the cancellation of the 4 Hours of Imola earlier this month.
The race at Imola, originally set to be run as Round 2 of the season next month, was cancelled due to the work to the paddock and pit building ahead of the forthcoming F1 Grand Prix taking longer than expected, making the venue unsafe for the event to be held.
Following consultation with the teams and series partners, Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM) has confirmed today that there will be two races in Portugal: the 4 Hours of Portimão followed by the 4 Hours of Algarve, as part of an extended race weekend from the October 19th to 22nd.
The Michelin Le Mans Cup & Ligier European Series, which support the ELMS throughout the season, will now also feature on the support bill for the 4 Hours of Aragón to make up for the lost races in Italy.
The series organiser has also confirmed that the 4 Hours of Imola will return in 2024, as part of this announcement,emt
“It is disappointing to make this change to the 2023 European Le Mans Series calendar,” admits Frédéric Lequien, CEO of Le Mans Endurance Management. “We tried everything to find a solution to have an event at Imola this season, but it just wasn’t possible with the various international calendars.
“I can confirm that the ELMS will definitely return to Imola in 2024. We finally found another solution and we are pleased to announce the first-ever ELMS doubleheader for the season finale in Portugal.
“I would like to thank the ELMS competitors, our partners, and the management at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve for their cooperation and flexibility in agreeing to this solution. It is certainly going to be an exciting way to finish the 2023 European Le Mans Series.”
Pietro Benvenuti, the Imola Circuit general manager said that an attempt was made to find a replacement date, but a slot which would suit all of the ELMS teams proved impossible to find.
“We have tried in every way, in the name of full cooperation between the parties, to find a replacement date for the European Le Mans Series race,” he said. “However, the busy international calendar would not have allowed us to have all the teams present and therefore the agreed solution was to postpone the race to next season, effectively extending the contract which expired this year.
“What I would like to underline is that we have always worked in complete harmony, and I want to thank the management of ELMS because they have perfectly understood the safety factor, which must always be a priority when speaking of events involving many people, especially if it concerns the motorsport.
“The fact that we’re already thinking about a new date shows how much we both want this collaboration to continue over time, not just next year, to give continuity at Imola to one of the most important four-wheels races at an international level.”
