Global InformationList of European Le Mans Series champions information
The European Le Mans Series (ELMS) is a European endurance motor racing championship organised by the umbrella organisation Le Mans Endurance Management and administered by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) automobile club.[1][2][3] Michel Cosson, the ACO president, launched the Le Mans Endurance Series (LMES) in 2004 following the success of the American Le Mans Series at applying ACO rules in the United States.[1] It was renamed the Le Mans Series (LMS) in 2006 and became the ELMS in 2012.[4][5] It is regarded as a stepping stone for competitors aspiring to the ACO's highest endurance series, the FIA World Endurance Championship.[6] The ACO awards European championships and trophies to the most successful drivers and teams in each of the series' categories over the course of a season. Points are awarded for individual race results as well as taking pole position, with the highest tally of points winning the respective championship or trophy.[7] At the conclusion of the season, four champions and one runner-up receive an automatic invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.[8] The champions are not formally crowned until the ELMS awards ceremony after the season's final race.[9]
There were four classes when the LMES was founded in 2004: Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), Gran Turismo Special (GTS) and Grand Touring (GT).[1][3] The GTS and GT categories were replaced by the Le Mans Grand Touring 1 (LMGT1) and the Le Mans Grand Touring 2 (LMGT2) classes in 2005.[3] During the 2009 season, the entry-level Formula Le Mans Cup ran separate races at LMS events. Formula Le Mans (FLM) was later absorbed into the series in 2010.[3][10] In 2011, the Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Pro (LMGTE Pro) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance Am (LMGTE Am) categories replaced the LMGT2 class while LMGT1 was discontinued.[11][12] The following year, LMP2 replaced LMP1 as the ELMS' top class and FLM was renamed Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC) which remained until 2013.[13][14]
LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am were merged to become the LMGTE class in 2013,[15] and the Grand Touring Challenge (GTC) category for Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; motor racing's world governing body)-homologated GT3 cars began racing that same year.[3][16] In 2015, the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) category was introduced and the GTC class was discontinued when the season ended.[17][18] A Pro-Am subcategory for teams fielding at least one bronze-rated racer was added to the LMP2 class in 2021.[19] An overall championship for both drivers and teams was introduced in the 2023 season.[20][21] The LMGTE category was discontinued following the 2023 season and will be replaced by the LMGT3 class for GT3 machinery in 2024.[22]
As of the 2023 season,[update] 135 drivers and 51 teams have won a ELMS title.[23][24][25] Marc Lieb is the most successful ELMS driver with four championships and Proton Competition are the series' most successful team with six titles.[23] There have been 83 drivers and 33 teams who have won a title in the LMP classes. Paul-Loup Chatin and Emmanuel Collard have earned the most LMP drivers' titles with three each and G-Drive Racing have achieved the most LMP teams' championships with four. Of the 53 drivers and 19 teams to have achieved a GT championship, Lieb's four championship wins are the most in the GT classes and Proton Competition have claimed all six of their teams' titles in the GT categories.[23][24][25]
- ^ a b c "The LMES Presentation". DailySportsCar. 16 January 2004. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "ACO to organise European Le Mans Series from 2013". Autosport. 25 August 2012. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Stritzke, Heiko (11 February 2024). "Langstrecken-ABC: Alle Abkürzungen im Sportwagensport erklärt" [Long-distance ABC: All abbreviations in sports car racing explained] (in German). Motorsport-Total.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Gifford, Clive (2006). "Le Mans Series". The Kingfisher Motorsports Encyclopedia. Kingfisher Books Ltd. p. 36. ISBN 0-7534-1382-5 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Bye Bye LMS, Hello ELMS!". DailySportsCar. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ "ELMS". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "2023 Sporting Regulations" (PDF). French Federation of Automobile Sport. 8 December 2022. pp. 69–73. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ Kilbey, Stephen (22 October 2023). "ELMS Champions Crowned, Le Mans Invitations Handed Out After 4H Portimão". DailySportsCar. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (31 October 2018). "Champions Crowned In Portimao, Plus Some Additional Season Awards!". DailySportsCar. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
Lloyd, Daniel (14 October 2022). "Portimao Weekend Notebook". SportsCar365. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023. - ^ Joseph, Noah (13 November 2009). "Formula Le Mans joins the big boys in the Le Mans Series". Autoblog. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "The 2011 categories (2012 categories soon available)". Le Mans Series. Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ "A fully-subscribed field for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms!". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "LMS Announces 2012 Plans – Still Very Much Alive And Kicking". DailySportsCar. 22 July 2011. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Formula Le Mans Becomes LMPC". DailySportsCar. 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ "LMGTE: End of an Era" (PDF). European Le Mans Series. October 2023. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ ten Caat, Marcel (4 November 2012). "ELMS To Run FIA GT3 Cars As GTC". DailySportsCar. Archived from the original on 3 October 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Collins, Sam (15 July 2014). "LMP3 officially launched". Racecar Engineering. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ Watkins, Gary (27 November 2015). "GTC class for GT3 cars dropped from ELMS for 2016". Autosport. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (5 December 2020). "2021 Regulations See Changes For ELMS & Michelin Le Mans Cup". DailySportsCar. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
2023OverallDriverswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
2023MSportStatswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "LMGTE End of an Era: Interview with Ferrari Driver Matt Griffin". European Le Mans Series. 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ a b c "Le Mans Series & LMES & ELMS: Overview of seasons". Speedsport Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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