Double the fun for 41 entries at the ELMS grand season finale in Portugal
The 2023 European Le Mans Series will come to an end on Sunday, 22 October at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve with two 4-Hour races on the 4.6km circuit in Southern Portugal. This is the first time in the long history of the series that two races have been held on the same weekend.
The first race, the 4 Hours of Algarve will be held on Friday, 20 October, with the final race of the year, the 4 Hours of Portimão, on Sunday.
The 41-car grid features 26 teams and 120 drivers from 29 different nations, with all of the world’s continents represented, with the exception of Antarctica.
Local interest will be focused on Portuguese team Algarve Pro Racing, with the no25 entry currently leading the LMP2 championship.
There are also four Portuguese drivers taking part in their home event. Manuel Espirito Santo (no8 Team Virage), Miguel Cristovao (no13 Inter Europol Competition) and Pedro Perino (no4 DKR Engineering) all competing in LMP3, while Rui Aguas (no51 AF Corse Ferrari) will be racing in LMGTE.
The local fans will also be able to cheer on Lisbon based Hollywood actor Michael Fassbender, the Irish-German driver racing the no93 Proton Competition Porsche in his adopted country for the fourth time.
LMP2
There are seven cars entered in the LMP2 class, with 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps winners Alex Lynn, James Allen and Kyffin Simpson in the n°25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca heading to Portimão with a 17-point advantage over Neel Jani, Nico Pino and René Binder in the n°30 Duqueine Team on 59 Points.
With a maximum of 52 championship points still available, the battle to be crowned European Champions is far from over with 26 points splitting the top six cars.
The n°65 Panis Racing crew of Job Van Uitert, Manuel Maldonado and Tijmen Van Der Helm just 3 points behind the Duqueine Team crew on 56 points. The no28 IDEC Sport is on 55 points, the n°37 COOL Racing Oreca is on 51 points and 4 Hours of Aragon race winners Marino Sato, Oliver Jarvis and Phil Hanson in the n°22 United Autosports USA on 50-points.
LMP2 Pro/Am
A 10-car entry for the LMP2 Pro/Am class with the n°34 Racing Team Turkey Oreca of Louis Delétraz, Salih Yoluç and Charlie Eastwood holding a slender 4-point advantage over the n°83 AF Corse leads the championship, with Francois Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxiviere on 70-points, the two French drivers being joined for the final two races of the year by Ben Barnicoat.
The n°37 COOL Racing, the n°24 Nielsen Racing and the n°21 United Autosports USA, who are on 58 points, 42 points and 41 points respectively, still have a mathematical chance to fight for the class titles.
LMP3
The LMP3 class will feature a 12-car grid. After taking their third victory from four races in Belgium, the n°17 COOL Racing Ligier trio of Adrien Chila, Alejandro Garcia and Marcos Siebert have a comfortable 46-point lead in the LMP3 championship standings. They just need to finish in the top seven in the opening race of the weekend to secure enough points to be crowned 2023 LMP3 champions.
The chasing pack is led by the n°13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier of Kai Askey, Wyatt Brichacek and Portugal’s Miguel Cristovao who are on 45 points, with the no31 Racing Spirit of Léman Ligier on 44 points, the n°11 Eurointernational Ligier on 43 points, n°12 WTM by Rinaldi Racing Duqueine on 37 and the n°15 RLR M Sport Ligier on 34.
LMGTE
The two races in Portugal will bring to an end 12 years of the Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) in the ELMS, with the category being replaced by LMGT3 in 2024.
There will be 12 entries on the LMGTE grid, with Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin battling it out for the final time.
After a great battle in Belgium last month, the top two cars are tied on 61 points, with 4 Hours of Barcelona winners Alessio Picariello, Ryan Hardwick and Zac Robichon in the n°16 Proton Competition Porsche tied with the winners in Belgium, Claudio Schiavoni, Matteo Cressoni and Matteo Cairoli in the no60 Iron Lynx Porsche.
4 Hours of Aragon race winners Takeshi Kimura and Scott Huffaker, in the n°57 Kessel Racing Ferrari, are on 53 points and will be joined by former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Daniel Serra for the season finale.
Round 2 winners Christian Ried, Giammarco Levorato and Julien Andlauer are on 42 points in the n°77 Proton Competition Porsche, with Father and Son duo Johnny and Conrad Laursen on 40 points in the n°50 Formula Racing Ferrari, with fellow Dane Niklas Nielsen joining them in Portugal.
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