ELMS - Barcelona: Prologue
The new European Le Mans Series season starts at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the official tests Wednesday and Thursday and the first round from Friday to Sunday with free sessions, qualifying and the 4 Hours of Barcelona Sunday.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. traditional pre-season group picture of the 42 cars from the 2023 grid in the first corner of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Contrary to the previous three categories (LMP2, LMP3 and LMGTE), there will be four categories, with LMP2 (top left) and LMP2 Pro/Am (top right) becoming two distinct classes with separate qualifying sessions that are joined by the LMP3 (bottom left) and LMGTE (bottom right) cars.
There are 7 cars in the LMP2 category, 11 in the LMP2 PRO-AM category, and 12 in each of the LMP3 and LMGTE categories.
Beyond the trophy, what teams are also going for is the automatic invitations for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans which will be granted to
LMP2: 1st and 2nd placed competitors in the overall classifications will receive invitations.
LMP2 Pro/Am: 1st placed competitor in the overall classifications will receive an invitation.
LMP3: 1st placed competitor in the overall classifications will receive an invitation.
LMGTE: 1st placed competitor in the overall classifications will receive an invitation.
The two days of official tests were split into four-day sessions and a one-night session. The teams concentrate their effort essentially on the set-up of the cars. Therefore the lap time may not be considered as a clear indication of the hierarchy in each class.
Here are the top 3 lap times per category for the combined sessions during the two days of official tests.
LMP2
The fastest lap of the two days official test were set the morning of the first day with #25 Algarve Pro Racing being the only one below 1:30.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. James Allen with #25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca was 0.499 sec. faster than the second fastest lap with 1:29.691. Allen co-drives the #25 Oreca with K. Simpson and Alex Lynn (driver of Cadillac Racing #2 in WEC).
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Job Van Uitert with #65 Panis Racing Oreca was second fastest. Van Uitert shares the wheel of the #65 Oreca with Maldonado and Van Der Helm.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Paul Loup Chatin with #28 IDEC Sport Oreca did set the fourth fastest lap overall of the prologue which is the third in LMP2 category. Chatin shares the #28 Oreca with P. Lafargue and L. Hôrr.
LMP2 PRO/AM
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. 2022 LMP3 champion Malthe Jaköbsen was the third fastest overall of the prologue with #37 COOL Racing Oreca and the fastest in LMP2 PRO/AM category. Jaköbsen, Coigny and team boss Nicolas Lapierre are co-driving the #37 Oreca.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Former LMP2 champion Louis Deletraz (also driving #41 team WRT Oreca in WEC LMP2, #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura in IMSA GTP Michelin Endurance and #8 Tower Racing in IMSA LMP2 sprint races) did set the fifth fastest lap overall during the two days prologue. Deletraz’s new team in ELMS this season is TF Sport who won the LMP2 PRO/AM trophy with S. Yoluc and C. Eastwood. Both drivers will do-drive the #34 Oreca this season with Deletraz.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Ben Barnicoat (Lexus factory driver in IMSA GTD PRO) did set the fastest lap of LMP2 POR/AM class during Wednesday afternoon session which is the sixth overall of the Prologue and the third of LMP2 PRO/AM category for the two days official tests. He is sharing the wheel of the #83 AF Corse Oreca with François Perrodo (also in IMSA LMP2) and Mathieu Vaxivière (winner of the 1000 Miles of Sebring 2022 and one of the six drivers of the Alpine A470 in WEC LMP2)
LMP3
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Ryan HARPER-ELLAM with #7 Nielsen Racing (which he shares with A. Wells) did set the prologue fastest lap of LMP3 category during the Thursday morning session for 0.003 sec.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Marcos SIEBERT (COOL racing #17) was the fastest of LMP3 class during Wednesday morning session with a lap time 0.003 sec. slower than Ryan Harper-Ellam
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Nick Moss was second of LMP3 category during the first morning session which remained the third of class for the Prologue. He share the wheel of the #10 Eurointernational Ligier JS P320 with G. Van Berlo.
LMGTE
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Mateo Cairoli did set the fastest lap of LMGTE class Wednesday morning with Iron Lynx Porsche 911 RSR-19 #60 which he shares with C. Schiavoni and M. Cressoni. That fastest lap remained the fastest for the LMGTE class during the whole Prologue.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Julien Andlauer was the second fastest during the same Wednesday morning session (and for the Prologue) with Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR-19 #77 which he shares with Proton Competition owner and boss Christian Ried and G. Levorato.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Barcelona. Mikkel Mac with Formula Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo #50 did set the fastest lap of Thursday morning session which is the third in class during both days. He shares the #50 Ferrari with J. ADN C. Laursen.
