ELMS - Portimão to host a doubleheader in October

Following the announcement of the postponement of the 4 Hours of Imola due to the building work at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the 2023 European Le Mans Series calendar has been updated with a double header confirmed at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in October. The 4 Hours of Imola has been cancelled for this season but the race will return in 2024.

After speaking to the teams and partners, Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM) have confirmed that there will be two races in Portugal with the 4 Hours of Portimão followed by the 4 Hours of Algarve in an extended race weekend on the 19-22 October. Michelin Le Mans Cup & Ligier European Series will be Support Races of the 4 Hours of Aragón.

Frédéric Lequien, Le Mans Endurance Management (LMEM) CEO: 

“It is disappointing to make this change to the 2023 European Le Mans Series calendar. 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 double header 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, Imola Circuit General Manager:

“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. 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.”