European Le Mans Series
European Le Mans Series | |
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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/ |
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
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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
year | LMP1 team ranking | LMP2 team ranking | GTS / GT1 team classification | GT / GT2 team championship |
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LMP1 driver standings | LMP2 driver standings | GTS / GT1 drivers' championship | GT / GT2 drivers' championship | |
2004 |
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2005 |
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2006 |
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2007 |
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2008 |
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2009 |
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2010 |
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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 |
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2012 | not written out |
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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 |
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2014 |
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not written out |
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not written out |
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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 |
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2016 |
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not written out |
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not written out | |
2017 |
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not written out |
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not written out | |
2018 |
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not written out |
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not written out | |
2019 |
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not written out |
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not written out |
Web links
- Official website of the ELMS
- Official website of the ACO
- News and reports about GT and sports car racing
- Official results database