Following a two-month break, the European Le Mans Series returns this weekend for the third round of the season, the 4 Hours of Imola.
47 cars are set to compete at the Italian venue, with 11 in LMP2, 12 in LMP2 Pro/Am, 10 in LMP3 and 14 in LMGT3, and with the 24 Hours of Le Mans (not an ELMS round, but only three teams on the grid didn’t compete at the Circuit de la Sarthe) now in the rear-view mirror, the teams’ full-focus can turn to positioning themselves to launch a title bid in the second half of the season.
In LMP2, the #22 United Autosports ORECA 07 – Gibson of Ben Hanley, Grégoire Saucy and Griffin Peebles leads the championship on 40 points, following its victory last time out at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The #34 Inter Europol Competition ORECA of Bijoy Garg and Reshad De Gérus, which has finished second in both races so far this season, sits three points back in second, with the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis entry, which won at Imola last year, a further 11 points behind in third after retiring at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The Le Mans-winning #43 Inter Europol ORECA has work to do if its wants to challenge for the ELMS title, with it currently down in seventh, 24 points off the lead. Nick Yelloly returns to the car, which he shares with Jakub Smiechowski and Tom Dillmann, after missing the 4H Le Castellet due to a clash with his IMSA Sportscar Championship programme.
LMP2 Pro/Am offers the closest title battle at the moment, with only seven points separating the top five.
The #30 Duqueine Team ORECA of Doriane Pin, Giorgio Roda and Richard Verschoor leads the way, five points ahead of the the #83 AF Corse entry of François Perrodo, Antonio Fuoco and Matthieu Vaxiviere.
The #20 Algarve Pro Racing, #27 Nielsen Racing and #14 TDS Racing ORECAs complete the top five, with the defending champion, the #99 AO by TF ORECA, only 11 points off the lead in sixth. As with Yelloly at Inter Europol, Louis Delétraz is set to return to ‘Spike the Dragon’ this weekend, having been on IMSA duties last time out.
At DKR Engineering, meanwhile, Maceo Capietto will return to the ELMS aboard the #3 ORECA, replacing Sebastian Alvarez. The Frenchman raced for Iron Lynx – Proton the past two years, but an upgrade to Gold in the FIA driver categorisation system over the off-season put his career at risk, with an opportunity in Porsche Carrera Cup France keeping him racing this year.
In LMP3, the #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P325 – Toyota of Alexander Bukhantsov, Chun Ting Chou and Henry Cubides Olarte heads the standings after winning at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The Polish outfit has a nine-point advantage over the Barcelona-winning #5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier trio of Alvise Rodella, Jose Fernandes Cautela and Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen, with the #85 R-ace GP Duqueine D09 a further four points behind in third.
For Imola, the #68 M Racing Ligier has slimmed down to a two-driver crew, with Quentin Antonel no longer joining Nick Adcock and Thomas Imbourg.
Elsewhere, defending champion, and 2025 Imola winner, CLX Motorsport has added Louis Iglesias to its #17 Ligier for the rest of 2026, in place of Bruno Ribeiro. CLX Academy driver Iglesias is making the step up from the Michelin Le Mans Cup, where he competes for ANS Motorsport, and starred at Circuit Paul Ricard.
“This felt like the logical next step in my career, but to see it happen so soon is a fantastic opportunity,” the Frenchman said.
And in LMGT3, Kessel Racing’s #57 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo of Daniel Serra, Takeshi Kimura and Mathys Jaubert is out front after finishing third at Barcelona and then winning in Circuit Paul Ricard.
The #75 Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) LMGT3 of Matt Kurzejewski, Richard Lietz and Tom Sargent is nine points behind in second, with the #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari third.
The #23 United Autosports McLaren LMGT3 Evo, #33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, #86 GR Racing Ferrari and #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 then make it seven different teams in the top seven.
High Class Racing will rely on a third different Pro driver in as many races aboard its #54 Porsche, with Klaus Bachler taking the seat previously occupied by Laurin Heinrich and Thomas Preining
At Proton Competition, meanwhile, ‘Bankcy’ has been replaced by Martin Berry in the #77 Porsche. Berry raced for Iron Lynx in the ELMS last year, and has subsequently transitioned into the FIA WEC with the Italian outfit.
Track action at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, will begin on Thursday 2nd July with the Collective Test, ahead of Free Practice 1 and the Bronze Driver Collective Test on Friday.
FP2 will be held on Saturday, ahead of Qualifying at 14:55 CEST, before the 4 Hours of Imola, the third round of the 2026 European Le Mans Series, takes place at 13:00 CEST on Sunday 5th July 2026.
