Rookie Test times
Thirty-seven cars and drivers aged from 17 through to 79-years-old were on track on Sunday for the post-season Rookie Test.
DSC’s observations were that multiple cars were showing incorrect drivers throughout the test.
The times can be found below:
Rackstraw seeking prototype switch
Newly-crowned Porsche Carrera Cup GB Champion Andrew Rackstraw was a notable name on the Rookie Test entry yesterday. The South African is looking to progress into prototype racing after clinching his single-make title, with an eye on climbing the ACO ladder to a factory seat.
“This is the place you want to be, and I loved driving the P3 car,” he told DSC after spending a day with High Class Racing at the Portuguese circuit. “I got plenty of laps in and felt comfortable. It’s so different to everything I’ve ever driven, with the downforce and traffic, but I loved it.
“But I really want to find a way into multi-class racing, if you want to be a professional, this is the route now and this is the paddock where I want to be. I want to secure my future in the sport.
“This is my only test booked for now, but I’m sure I’ll be testing more over the winter ahead of next season. I have a few options, I just want to make the right one for my career.”
APR prepping for Asian Le Mans
Algarve Pro Racing is spending the post-season test preparing for its forthcoming 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series campaign in LMP2, as well as assessing a few young drivers.
In the Rookie Test, the team ran cars for three young guns, Enzo Trulli (son of former F1 driver Jarno), Pilot Challenge TCR regular Bryson Morris and WTM by Rinaldi LMP3 regular Griffin Peebles (who tested with United Autosports today).
Trulli is readying himself for a future (unannounced) race programme in LMP2 with Stewart and Sam Cox’s outfit, building on multiple tests with the team previously, completing long runs to learn the ins and outs of fuel and tyre saving.
“We did a lot of good runs, lots of good traffic management and race stints,” he told DSC. “It was good to get some set-up work done, too, to see what works and what doesn’t. The car is mega, super fast, it has a mega engine. It’s an amazing opportunity to work with such a professional team, I’m learning and growing with them.
“Stewart knew my father when he was a mechanic, and he decided to help me when I was old enough. It’s thanks to Stewart and Sam that they believe in me and are giving me a chance to prove them right.”
Morris, meanwhile, explained that he is unlikely to race an LMP2 anytime soon. Instead, he used the Rookie Test as a chance to follow up on his first run in an ORECA this time last year.
“I’m really getting used to the car. I’d like to race it soo, but I’m more here because I want it on my resume that I have the experience here, with a team like APR and with the ORECA. I’ve picked up from where I left off last year, and am building on my LMP3 experience. It’s nice getting used to the downforce and the new tyre, it’s all very different to the Hyundai.
“I hope to be back with Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport next year. I’ve got an eye on their new LMP2 programme, though I’m unlikely to race in it next year. It’s all just about building experience.”
There will be more soon on the APR team’s confirmed Asian LMS line-ups, as well as conversations with some of the drivers set to play a part in the team’s immediate plans.
Dillmann pays tribute
Inter Europol driver Tom Dillmann was amongst the drivers on parade for APR, with a likely appearance with the team looming. It’s been a tough few weeks on the personal front for the Frenchman.
His father, Gérard Dillmann, passed away some weeks ago, and since then he has been wearing his helmet in his father’s yellow racing colours in both IMSA and the ELMS.
Notably for Tom, in the early years of his circuit career, he tested a bike-engined prototype built by his father on both circuit and ice and Gérard was a huge part of his career from there on in.
Another tribute on display in the APR garage was a message written on the engine cover of one of its ORECAs for longtime racer John Graham, who previously contested LMP2 with the team win the Asian Le Mans Series and passed away last week. DSC will be looking back at his career in the coming days.
Happy families
There was a family feel to the Rookie test on Sunday with fathers, daughters, sons and brothers (at the very least) featuring.
The Al Qubaisi family, father, ex-WEC racer Khaled, sharing a Team Virage Ligier LMP3 car with racing sisters (and daughters) Hamda and Amna.
The sisters, who have been on improving form throughout the season in Ligier European Series, are set to step up to Michelin Le Mans Cup in LMP3 in 2026, with father Khaled still looking for an opportunity to share a car with his daughters sometime soon.
Another family affair was going on at Proton Competition, where dad Christian Ried was overseeing not only lappery from his EMS-filled season racer son Jonas, but also with a first-time set of outings on track from Jonas’s younger brother, 18-year-old Lenny Ried.
Lenny lapped in the High Class racing Ligier on Sunday and was due to sample both the #60 Porsche 911 GT3R and, at some point this week, will also sample one of the team’s ORECA 07 LMP2 cars.
Also at Proton were father and son Horst and Horst Felix Felbermayr, both sampling the Iron Lynx Proton #9 ORECA ahead of contesting the Asian Le Mans Series this winter.
At Ultimate in the #25 Ligier, there was seat time for Gilles Heriau, younger brother of ex-team driver and now Vista AF Corse LM GT3 Ferrari race winner Francois Heriau.
Ligier European Series Championship winner Max Dodds had a brief opportunity to try out an R-Ace GP Duquiene on Sunday, but the run was cut short after the repaired car (the car shunted in the race by Romano Ricci) developed a damage-related transmission issue.
Max’s Dad, Oliver, was a rising star in Formula Ford in his day, when his mechanic/engineer was none other than APR co-owner Stewy Cox.
Bastard, Edgar & Stevenson test for Kessel
Three notable names tested at Portimão today for Ferrari customer team Kessel Racing. TF Sport WEC driver Jonny Edgar, Heart of Racing GTD driver Casper Stevenson and Racing Spirit of Leman regular Erwin Bastard all tried their hand at driving a 296 GT3 prepped by the Swiss team.
Edgar told DSC he was using it as an opportunity to get experience with a new car as he assesses his options for 2026. The rapid Briton, who won the 2024 ELMS LMP2 title with AO by TF before shifting to the British team’s Corvette programme in WEC for 2025, has been upgraded from Silver to Gold and is searching for a significant programme in the ACO sphere to take him forward.
“It’s really nice to be here with the Kessel guys for a day. They’re a world-class team, and this will help me learn my way around one of the best GT3 cars currently racing. I haven’t signed with them, but I would love to race here in the future if the opportunity came up.”
As for Bastard, he explained that he felt it was a good chance to try something new after spending multiple seasons on a journey with Aston Martin and French team Racing Spirit of Leman.
“I haven’t driven a Ferrari before, or a mid-to-rear-engined GT3 car, so it’s good to get this time,” he said. “I want to stay in ACO racing next year and am looking at multiple options with teams looking for a Silver.”
Gudmunssen & Aust injured after Le Mans Cup incident
The official line after the multi-car shunt in the Michelin Le Mans Cup season finale at Portimao was that Audunn Gudmunssen and Stefan Aust had been passed as ‘OK’ by the circuit medical centre but sent to a local hospital for further tests.
Those tests proved to be important, the Icelandic driver suffering significant bruising around his vertebrae and Aust, who lost control coming into a Full Course Yellow and was collected, driver’s side, by Gudmunssen with a separate but adjacent heavy collision between Romano Ricci and Ben Stone.
Stefan Aust, meanwhile, was diagnosed with a double hip fracture and fractured ribs; the German racer underwent surgery yesterday in Germany. DSC wishes him a rapid recovery.
Tuck steps in for Aust
In Stefan Aust’s absence at the Rookie Test on Sunday, Proton Competition FIA WEC driver Ben Tuck stood in at the German team, trying his hand in the #77 ORECA 07.
With manager Oliver Gavin spotting the opportunity, Tuck spent his time in the car completing long runs. Feedback suggests his pace was very competitive, comparable to experienced drivers in Saturday’s race. His 2026 programmes are understood to be already nailed in, but having time and data in an LMP2 could well be a valuable asset going forward.
Dom Bastien also lapped in the #77 car, becomes by far the oldest driver to ever sample LMP2 machinery, at 79-years-old (80 next month). He will be giving his impressions at the test to DSC in the coming days.
RSLM enjoys productive Rookie Test
Racing Spirit of Léman tested its Ligier JS P325 and Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo on Sunday for three interesting names.
In the LMP3, Oskar Kristensen (nephew of Tom) and Frenchman Enzo Richer turned laps, while Kessel Racing regular Takeshi Kimura sampled the Vantage.
Team manager Herminie Barbier assessed of the team’s day in conversation DSC, as the family-run team it puts together its ELMS and Le Mans Cup programmes for 2026.
“We are delighted with the test,” she said. “It was Oskar and Enzo’s first time in an LMP3, and it was a really good chance for them to drive. Enzo had only previously driven a Nova Prototype, and it was a big step for Oskar as he only previously had experience with us in GT4. But he was confident with the downforce. We are discussing with both for next year.
“And for Takeshi, it was his first time in an Aston Martin,” she added. “He wanted to drive it last year, but we couldn’t make it happen. He has a really good feeling with it after about 50 laps.”
Henrion gets P2 shot
A fantastic gesture from Le Mans Cup LMP3 Pro/Am champion Eric Doncker was a first test in an LMP2 car with IDEC Sport for his 2025 co-driver Gillian Henrion.
Unfortunately, after a significant off for F2 racer Sami Meguetounif in the morning session, there was no oppportunity for the Frenchman to drive on Sunday. But the team has promised him an opportunity to drive it in the near future.
Manthey, TF Sport on tyre test duties
Manthey and TF Sport were on hand for a Goodyear tyre test today, with Michelle Gatting and Richard Lietz lapping in a Porsche 911 LMGT3.R 992 and Charlie Eastwood on driving duties in the team’s ELMS title-winning Z06 LMGT3.R.
Goodyear Racing boss Mike McGregor explained to DSC that this week’s programme marked the start of track testing for its forthcoming 2027-spec LMGT3 Eagles.
“It’s a key day for us, hitting the track for the first time after meeting sustainability targets through internal simulations.”
Roda & Peebles United
United Autosports didn’t run on Sunday but is testing this week, from today, with drivers in an LMP2 ORECA.
Its list of drivers includes long-time Proton Competition driver and serial pole-setter in LMP2 Pro-Am Giorgio Roda and rapid youngster Griffin Peebles.
Pearson amongst drivers testing with Nielsen
Following the conclusion of the Euroformula Open season, Ed Pearson is set to test Nielsen Racing’s ORECA 07 this week.
Ed Pearson delivered a standout year with Nielsen in the team’s first year of single-seater competition, scoring six podiums across Portimão, Spa, Hockenheim, Hungaroring, and Barcelona, including wins at Portimão and Barcelona, the former being his first victory in a race car.
“This year has been all about learning and adapting to a new discipline while maintaining the standards we’ve built in endurance racing,” said Sven Thompson, Nielsen Racing’s team principal. “To win in our debut season and finish inside the top five in the championship is a huge achievement for everyone involved.
“It’s been a year of growth and discovery, and being able to offer Ed the opportunity to test our LMP2 car is a perfect example of the progression we want to create for young drivers within our programme. It sets a strong foundation for our future in single seater racing.”
Elsewhere at Nielsen, George Nakas, Fraser Ross, Ferdi Habsburg and Anthony McIntosh all turned laps with the team over the past two days.
McIntosh, a current WEC LMGT3 driver with Racing Spirit of Leman, was simply taking the chance to sample the ORECA. He is understood to be confirmed for the Asian Le Mans Series in a WRT BMW and to have LMGT3 plans in place for the WEC in 2026 too.
Champions crowned at end of season Awards Ceremony
Following the Rookie Test, the entire paddock descended on the Portimao Arena last night for the annual end-of-season Awards Ceremony.
The top three finishers in each class of all three series on the ELMS bill received trophies for their achievements in front of the packed auditorium.
Several other standout individuals also took home prizes for their efforts during the year:
- ELMS Rookie of the Year, Mathys Jaubert (IDEC Sport)
- ELMS Gentleman of the Year, PJ Hyett (AO by TF)
- ELMS Performance of the Year, CLX Motorsport (for its dominant LMP3 campaign)
- Goodyear Golden Wingfoot Award (for stint averages across the season), Conrad Laursen (LMGT3), Mathias Beche (LMP2 Pro/Am), Tom Dillmann (Inter Europol)
- Personality of the Year, Paola Depalmas (for her stellar photography and for her contribution to the ELMS efforts in the field of Women in Motorsport)
- LES Rookie of the Year, Romain Boeckler (Loire Valley Racing by Trajectus Motorsport)
Chip Hart Racing Porsche
The Wright Motorsports-run Porsche 911 GT3 R that appeared in the 2025 Formula One movie was in Proton Competition’s garage on Sunday, sporting the livery for the fictional team Chip Hart Racing, ‘Sonny Hayes’ and co.
That wrap was quickly taken off the car during the day, though, and was spotted in bare carbon this morning for the start of the multi-day private test. It acted as the team’s spare for the final ELMS weekend of the season and the test.
