The ELMS paddock in recent years has become a real draw for young talent, with drivers from across the globe flocking to the LMP2 and LMP3 classes, all keen to impress and climb the sportscar ladder to the promised land of Hypercar and GTP.
One of those is 17-year-old British racer Alfie Briggs, who is yet to make a race start in the series but has spent the past 12 months in and around the paddock, soaking up knowledge ahead of a planned transition to a full-season seat in 2026.
Who is Alfie Briggs, you ask? The son of Steve Briggs – the second ‘B’ in race car restoration, preparation and trackside management company BBM Sport – who has proven to be a total natural behind the wheel.
“I got involved with him about two or three years ago,” his mentor Bob Berridge (the first ‘B’ in BBM) told DSC.
“He looked to have a bit of promise, so I got behind him, fixed him up with sponsors, and he went and did Super ROK (Karting) in 2022, and in 15 races, he got 15 poles, 15 fastest laps and 15 wins. And we were spending 60 grand when everyone around him was spending 250.”
From there, Briggs made a smooth transition to racing with a roof over his head in 2023, getting his race licence driving a Citroen Saxo in the Junior Saloon Car Championship and later an International B driving an LMP3 car in the Masters Historic arena.
“He was quick when we put him in an LMP3 car in Masters to get his International B, he won three races immediately. I’ve taken him to tests, too, and he’s blown people with experience away.
“He’s driven all sorts since. We’ve put him in a BR01 (LMP2), and he won in that, then we put him in a difficult car, a Honda ARX-04b, and he won in that too.”
Under the guidance of Berridge, Briggs has gained plenty of valuable experience outside the cockpit, too, working in the back of the garage at RLR Msport in LMP3 (during pit stops) and Algarve Pro Racing in LMP2 during the 2024 ELMS season, soaking up knowledge along the way.
“I’ve been on hand to get to know everyone, meet the teams and show them what I am made of,” Briggs added in conversation with DSC. “It’s been really valuable working with David Leach (APR’s technical director) to improve me, and Stewart Cox (APR’s owner).
“I also learned from Alex (Lynn, who won the 2023 title with APR) and Olli (Caldwell) and all the guys that race in the ELMS with the APR team.”
His hard graft culminated with a run at the ELMS post-season test in Portimao last October, where, over multiple days, he gained his first experience in a contemporary ORECA 07 LMP2 car with Algarve Pro.
“It just feels like you’re always on the edge in a current LMP2,” he reflected. “It’s not easy, it’s a lot more demanding than a historic P2, which surprised me.”
Briggs’ aim is to stay in sportscar racing long term. He has a head-turning total of 10 tests booked between now and the start of the 2026 season, when he hopes to be part of the ELMS field.
And looking further ahead, like many of his peers, his sights are set on the top class of sportscar racing during this ‘Golden era’.
Within three years, he wants to have completed multiple ELMS seasons. Within five years, he wants to be in Hypercar. “Then, in the next 10 years, I hope to have won Le Mans!” He said.
“I enjoy watching F1, but you have to have an unlimited budget, there’s only 20 seats and in prototypes there’s more cars, with three drivers in each car and I think in F1 the pressure is a lot higher,” he continued.
“In Hypercar, the pressure is still there, but I feel you can be a lot more relaxed. It seems like a much better place to be, and the racing is just going to get better and better. It makes me more excited for the future and what my career may bring.
“As you move through motorsport, the higher you get, you really notice how much more professional everything gets. So I’ve just got to do the best I can, be as fast as I can, and hopefully impress Stewart, and they’ll ask me to race for them in 2026.
“I know I need to make the most of the opportunity and impress. I need to be like a sponge.”
And it’s self-awareness that is perhaps his most important asset at this early stage. He has grand ambitions, but they are complemented by a level of maturity that should see him go far.
“I feel that a young kid like Alfie needs to serve an apprenticeship,” Berridge points out. “Which is why he was at RLR, it’s why he is spending time with APR. He will learn more in the next 12 months than the majority of drivers with big budgets.”
“He’s done a really good job so far, so we are trying to help him,” Stewart Cox continued. “We are always keen on helping young drivers who don’t have the budget, give them chances to smash it out the park.
“The thing is about P2, you can do the same amount on a test day, for a fraction of the cost of racing, and you can improve so quickly. If the mindset and the work ethic are there, you will see it.
“Alfie is young and has limited experience, but we think he has a future in sportscar racing, so we are going to put a programme together to help him achieve his goal.
“We’re not a race team, we are a university, because we charge people. But like any good university, like Oxford, Harvard, or Yale, you pay, learn and then go out with the tools to achieve in the outside world.”
