GTE farewell photoshoot
Ahead of the season finale the ELMS assembled all 12 GTE cars on the entry for a photoshoot to mark the end of the category’s stint in the series. Next year LMGT3 will replace the current GTE category, after 13 seasons and 69 races.
Jakobsen attends royal celebrations
COOL Racing LMP2 driver and Peugeot Sport Hypercar junior driver Malthe Jakobsen was invited the 18th birthday celebrations for the Danish Crown Prince’s son last weekend in Copenhagen.
The event was attended by around 350 guests, including representatives from sport and culture of a similar age to His Royal Highness Prince Christian from each municipality in Denmark.
Jakobsen shared a table with His Royal Highness Prince Joachim, who shares an interest in motorsport and competes in historic racing in Demark. He was also previously the vice president of the FIA International Historical Commission.
Inter Europol ORECA penalised
The #43 Inter Europol ORECA was handed an 8-lap 36.5-second penalty after the race yesterday as Jonathan Aberdein did not meet the minimum drive time in LMP2 for Gold-rated drivers.
This dropped the #43 from sixth overall and sixth in LMP2, to 37th and last of the classified finishers.
Inter Europol Ligier and Proton ORECA repaired
The #13 Inter Europol Ligier JS P320 which retired from yesterday’s ELMS race due to a fire caused by leaking oil onto the exhaust due to cracked bell housing, was repaired overnight and turned laps in Free Pactice 2.
The team told DSC this morning that the car has had its gearbox and engine replaced.
Proton Competition’s #99 ORECA meanwhile, also made it out for FP2 after Jonas Ried’s big off in yesterday’s race which left the car heavily damaged at the front and rear.
ELMS 4H Algarve highlights
Catch up with yesterday’s ELMS 4 Hours of Algarve with the official highlights package on YouTube:
Which titles will be settled tomorrow?
The penultimate race of the 2023 ELMS season saw two sets of titles clinched. The LMP3 Teams and Drivers championships went the way of COOL Racing and its #17 trio. The Overall Teams Trophy and Drivers Trophy was awarded to Algarve Pro Racing and its drivers Alex Lynn, James Allen and Kyffin Simpson.
This means the LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am and GTE class titles are still up for grabs in tomorrow’s finale, with a maximum haul of 26 points still available at the time of writing (25 for a win and a point for pole).
As it stands, Algarve Pro Racing and its #25 drivers look poised to take the LMP2 teams and Drivers titles. They hold a 20-point lead after finishing second yesterday. United Autosports’ #22 and Panis Racing’s #65 are now second and third in the standings.
LMP2 Pro/Am meanwhile, is set to be a three-way fight between AF Corse, COOL Racing and Racing Team Turkey’s crews, with three points separating them.
In GTE the top four cars in the standings are still in contention. Proton Competition, Iron Lynx and Kessel Racing are all in with a chance but Proton has two horses in the race. Its #16 leads the standings by three points and its #77 Porsche sits third, 12 points back.
Murphy Duqueine quickest in LMC Bronze Test
Prior to the ELMS race yesterday afternoon the Michelin Le Mans Cup Bronze Driver Collective test took place.
In LMP3, the fastest lap was set by Murphy Prototypes’ Duqueine. Torsten Kratz set the time, a 1:40.259. Behind him, the #59 Ligier of Team Virage ended up second with Oscar Bittar 0.154 off the pace.
GT3’s fastest time was set by Hiroshi Hamaguchi in Iron Lynx’s #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO 2. Racing Spirit of Leman ended up second with its #10 Aston Martin V8 Vantage AMR GT3.
Thor Ligier tops LMC FP2
The Michelin Le Mans Cup grid met a damp and drying track this morning in the second and final practice session ahead of Qualifying later today.
LMP3 was topped by the #77 Ligier of Team Thor with Colin Noble at the wheel, who set a 1:38.864. Scott Andrews was slightly over a tenth off the pace in the #22 United Autosports machine, while Gillian Henrion ended up third in the #16 Team Virage car.
Racing Spirit of Leman was quickest of the teams in GT3, with Valentin Hasse-Clot in the #10 Aston Martin V8 Vantage AMR GT3 setting the best time, a 1:42.548. Kei Cozzolino came closest in the #51 Ferrari of AF Corse with a 1:42.971. Lamborghini factory squad Iron Lynx finished the session third with their #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, Japanese driver Hiroshi Hamaguchi setting the third fastest time.
Michelin Le Mans Cup Qualifying starts this afternoon, with the GT3 class hitting the track at 15:10 local time.
GTE photoshoot images courtesy of ELMS
