European Le Mans Series

ELMS is a redirect to this article. For other meanings, see The Elms .

European Le Mans Series
European Le Mans Series 2020
Vehicle type	Le Mans prototypes and Gran Turismos
Country or region	Europe
Current name	European Le Mans Series
Previous names	Le Mans Endurance Series, Le Mans Series
First season	2004
Official website	europeanlemansseries.com/

Le Mans Series logo

The European Le Mans Series ( ELMS ) is an endurance racing series organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest , which has been based on the rules and guidelines of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2004 . Up to and including 2005, the championship operated under the name Le Mans Endurance Series (also LMES for short) and from 2006 to 2011 as the Le Mans Series (also LMS for short)

championship

The European Le Mans Series was initially held as a championship over 1000 km runs. Championship races with longer distances and time segments were also rarely completed. For example in 2007 the 1000 miles of Mil Milhas and in 2010 eight hours on the Circuit Paul Ricard . Since 2013, the race distance has been limited to 3 hours. As is customary in the long-distance sector, several racing classes are racing in one race at the same time. The races are scored separately for each class and are independent of other classes. The three fastest driver pairs in each class take part in an award ceremony after the race. The class division of the European Le Mans Series is based on the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been supplemented by a one-make cup class and the GT3 group and, in return, does without the more powerful LMP1 prototype category.

• LMP2 (Le Mans Prototypes 2): Sports cars with series-based engines
• LMP3 (Le Mans Prototypes 3): Replaces the LMPC which was abolished in 2013. So far only Ginetta, Onroak and Oreca have an LMP3 on offer for private teams and there will be a uniform engine from Nissan . From 2015 in racing of the ELMS and the Asian Le Mans Series .
• GTE ( Gran Turismo Endurance): series-based sports cars with more aerodynamic freedom and restrictions on driver choice
• GTC (Gran Turismo Challenge): series-based sports cars with less aerodynamic freedom and restrictions on driver choice

Due to the length of the race, several drivers are registered for one vehicle, who take turns regularly during the race. A driver change is not compulsory, but no person may spend more than 1.5 hours in the vehicle. Since a race usually lasts three hours, a driver change is inevitable. As a rule, two to three drivers drive one car per race. Points are given to all drivers. In addition to the driver rating, there is also a team rating, as teams with one or two cars compete, the points for each vehicle are evaluated individually.

history

Two Ferrari 550s during the Spa 1000 km race in 2005

Team owner Henri Pescarolo during the Mil Milhas 2007

The starting point for the series is the Le Mans endurance race , which has been held annually since 1923 . As part of the FIA Sports Car World Championship since 1953, the race became the highlight of the season. With the departure of the world championship in 1992, the race lacked an accompanying series, which could only be partially offset by the introduction of the American Le Mans Series by Don Panoz. After the American Le Mans Series was successfully established, Don Panoz tried in 2001 to set up a European counterpart. The newly created European Le Mans Series failed despite the support of the American sister series, but Don Panoz ELMS is the direct forerunner of the ACO's European Le Mans Series.

When the FIA ​​Sportscar Championship, which was competing with the ELMS, was also discontinued in 2003, the French automobile club ACO decided to set up a racing series itself. In order to make the championship planned for 2004 attractive to racing teams and drivers, the ACO automatically granted the respective championship winner an invitation to the 24-hour race of the following year. A similar regulation was already used in Don Panoz's American racing series.

The first race was held in November 2003 on the Bugatti Circuit . However, the 1000 km run was a single event and not part of the championship. In 2004 the first season of the series then comprised four races in Monza , Nürburgring , Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps , each of which was held over a distance of 1000 km. In the following year, an additional run was added to the racing calendar. A race outside the European continent was also held for the first time on the new Istanbul Park Circuit .

Before the start of the 2006 season, the series was renamed the Le Mans Series, and it was also driven for the first time in Donington and Jarama . In the fourth year of the championship, diesel-powered vehicles also took part in the races, and after 2005 another race outside of Europe took place. The end-of-season race in Brazil wasn't added to the racing calendar until later in the year.

After the Peugeot works team won several races and the title in 2007 , Audi returned in 2008 and offered spectators the opportunity to meet the two works prototype teams in a racing series. In addition, from 2008 series-based GT engines could be installed in vehicles of the two LMP categories. So far, this concept has only been used in a prototype developed by Lola , which led to the participation of the Aston Martin works team in 2009 and which also decided the 2009 season in favor of the team.

2010 and 2011 include selected races in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup . As a result of the international championship, the majority of the works teams migrated to the new series. With ORECA, for example, another private team won the team ranking in the more powerful LMP1 prototype category. In addition, the Formula Le Mans Cup, which had previously been part of the supporting program, was integrated as an additional prototype class. Further restructuring of the class concept followed in 2011. This is how the ACO reacted to the decline in participants in the previously more powerful Gran Turismo GT1 class . The organizers split the GT2 into two categories. GTE-Am for amateurs with a maximum of one professional driver whose vehicles must be at least one year old. All other participants are authorized to start in the GTE-Pro. But the LMP ratings have also been reconsidered. For example, after the transition year 2011, only series-based engines are permitted in LMP2, while racing engines specially developed for the regulations are reserved in LMP1.

After the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup was elevated by the FIA ​​to the sports car world championship , a major restructuring of the series followed. Organizer Patrick Peter tried again to address private drivers more strongly. Accordingly, the high-performance LMP1 was not put out to tender again, but a further, more cost-effective GT class was introduced. However, the concept failed, only 21 vehicles appeared at the start of the season on the Circuit Paul Ricard . Not a single one of them in the new GT class. The race that followed in Zolder was canceled. The number of participants for Donington could not be increased and instead fell to 13 vehicles. The following championship races were canceled and instead announced that Petit Le Mans will be held together with the American Le Mans Series.

Further changes followed in 2013. Initially, the championship races were shortened to three hours and most of them were held in the framework of the World Series by Renault program . Furthermore, GT3 vehicles can now compete in the GTC category.

master

Multiple LMPs in the 2008 Silverstone 1000km race

James Watt's Porsche 997 GT3 RSR at the Spa 1000 km race in 2008

2011 drivers' championship winner Emmanuel Collard ahead of the team championship winner, Rebellion Racing, at the 6-hour race in Castellet

year	LMP1 team ranking	LMP2 team ranking	GTS / GT1 team classification	GT / GT2 team championship
	LMP1 driver standings	LMP2 driver standings	GTS / GT1 drivers' championship	GT / GT2 drivers' championship
2004	Audi Sport UK Veloqx	Courage Compétition	Larbre Compétition	Sebah Automotive
	Johnny Herbert Jamie Davies	Alexander Frei Sam Hancock	Pedro Lamy Christophe Bouchut Steve Zacchia	Roman Russinov
2005	Pescarolo sport	Chamberlain Synergy	BMS Scuderia Italia	Sebah Automotive
	Jean-Christophe Boullion Emmanuel Collard	Gareth Evans	Michele Bartyan Christian Pescatori Toni Seiler	Xavier Pompidou Marc Lieb
2006	Pescarolo sport	Barazi epsilon	Aston Martin Team Larbre	Autorlando Sport
	Jean-Christophe Boullion Emmanuel Collard	Juan Barazi Michael Vergers	Pedro Lamy Gabriele Gardel Vincent Vosse	Marc Lieb Joël Camathias
2007	Team Peugeot Total	RML	Team ORECA	Virgo Motorsport
	Stéphane Sarrazin Pedro Lamy	Mike Newton Thomas Erdos	Soheil Ayari Stéphane Ortelli	Robert Bell
2008	Audi Sport Team Joest	Van Merksteijn Motorsport	Luc Alphand Aventures	Virgo Motorsport
	Alexandre Prémat Mike Rockenfeller	Jos Verstappen	Guillaume Moreau Patrice Goueslard	Robert Bell
2009	Aston Martin Racing	Quifel ASM team	Luc Alphand Aventures	Team Felbermayr Proton
	Tomáš Enge Jan Charouz Stefan Mücke	Miguel Amaral Olivier Pla	Yann Clairay Patrice Goueslard	Marc Lieb Richard Lietz
2010	Team ORECA Matmut	RML	Larbre Compétition	Felbermayr-Proton team
	Stéphane Sarrazin	Mike Newton Thomas Erdos	Gabriele Gardel Patrice Goueslard	Marc Lieb Richard Lietz
year	LMP1 team ranking	LMP2 team ranking	GTE-Pro team ranking	GTE-Am team ranking
	LMP1 driver standings	LMP2 driver standings	GTE-Pro driver ranking	GTE-Am driver standings
2011	Rebellion Racing	Greaves Motorsport	AF Corse	IMSA Performance Matmut
	Emmanuel Collard Julien Jousse	Karim Ojjeh Tom Kimber-Smith	Giancarlo Fisichella Gianmaria Bruni	Nicolas Armindo Raymond Narac
2012	not written out	TDS Racing	JMW Motorsport	IMSA Performance Matmut
	not written out	Pierre Thiriet Mathias Beche	Jonathan Cocker	Nicolas Armindo Raymond Narac Anthony Pons
year	LMP2 team ranking	LMPC team ranking	GTE team ranking	GTC team classification
	LMP2 driver standings	LMPC driver standings	GTE driver rating	GTC driver standings
2013	Signatech	ORECA	RAM Racing	SMP Racing
	Nelson Panciatici Pierre Ragues	Gary Hirsch Paul-Loup Chatin	Johnny Mowlem Matt Griffin	Fabio Babini Kirill Ladygin Victor Shaitar
2014	Signatech	not written out	SMP Racing	SMP Racing
	Nelson Panciatici Paul-Loup Chatin Oliver Webb	not written out	Andrea Bertolini Sergey Zlobin Victor Shaitar	Olivier Beretta Anton Ladygin David Markozov
year	LMP2 team ranking	LMP3 team ranking	GTE team ranking	GTC team classification
	LMP2 driver standings	LMP3 driver standings	GTE driver rating	GTC driver standings
2015	Greaves Motorsport	Team LNT	Formula racing	TDS Racing
	Björn Werdenheim Gary Hirsch Jon Lancaster	Charlie Robertson Chris Hoy	Andrea Rizzoli Johnny Laursen Mikkel Mac	Dino Lunardi Eric Dermont Franck Perera
2016	G-Drive Racing	United Autosports	Aston Martin Racing	not written out
	Giedo van der Garde Jake Dennis Simon Dolan	Alex Brundle Christian England Mike Guasch	Alex MacDowall Andrew Howard Darren Turner	not written out
2017	G-Drive Racing	United Autosports	JMW Motorsport	not written out
	Léo Roussel Memo Rojas	John Falb Sean Rayhall	Jody Fannin Robert Smith	not written out
2018	G-Drive Racing	RLR MSport	Proton Competition	not written out
	Andrea Pizzitola Roman Rusinov	Job Van Uitert John Farano Robert Garofall	Gianluca Roda Giorgio Roda	not written out
2019	Idec Sport	Eurointernational	Luzich Racing	not written out
	Paul Lafargue Paul-Loup Chatin Memo Rojas	Mikkel Jensen Jens Petersen	Fabien Lavergne Nicklas Nielsen Alessandro Pier Guidi	not written out

Web links

Commons : Le Mans Series  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website of the ELMS
• Official website of the ACO
• News and reports about GT and sports car racing
• Official results database

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.gt-eins.at/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7176&Itemid=2
2. ↑ http://www.speedweek.de/news/26930/Gemeinsames-Saisonfinale-von-ALMS-und-ELMS.html