24h Le Mans
The next European Le Mans Series round at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium will be a special one. For the race’s tenth anniversary, the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps boasts a field of 47 cars and 140 drivers. The season enters its second half for the four hotly disputed ELMS classes.
The 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is round 4 of 6 in the 2026 season of the European Le Mans Series. The 47-car entry list breaks down as follows: 11 LMP2s, 12 LMP2 Pro/Ams, 10 LMP3s and 14 LMGT3s. A total of 140 drivers and 30 teams representing 30 nations are to take part in the tenth anniversary race, introduced in 2016 when the ELMS season was extended to five rounds.
The championship remains undecided at the halfway mark. Ben Hanley, Grégoire Saucy and Griffin Peebles top the tables with 58 points for the #22 Oreca 07-Gibson of United Autosports.
The crew took second place at the 4 Hours of Imola, behind the Forestier Racing by Panis #29 Oreca. Esteban Masson, Louis Rousset and Oliver Gray come to Belgium with 52 points, just six points behind the leaders. Forestier Racing by Panis has banked sturdy results this year. They won two of the first three races this season and Spa-Francorchamps could well see a shift in the rankings.
In LMP2 Pro/Am, the gap is even smaller. Algarve Pro Racing crew Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli and Malthe Jakobsen (#20), winners of the 4 Hours of Barcelona, tie for first place with Jens Reno Møller, Cem Bölükbaşı and Lorenzo Fluxá (#7 Vector Sport) who triumphed at Imola. The teams have 43 points apiece.
Doriane Pin, Richard Vershoor and Giorgio Roda are not far behind, having earned 38 points at the wheel of the Duqueine Team #30.
AF Corse lie fourth on 36 points. The car remains in the hands of former class winners François Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxiviere and Antonio Fuoco. There is still all to play for in the second half of the season.
The LMP3 class is just as evenly matched. Alvise Rodella, Jose Fernandes Cautela and Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen took the lead after their second place at the 4 Hours of Imola. The Rinaldi Racing #5 Ligier drivers currently have 49 points. Eight more than their nearest rivals Alex Bukhantsov, Henry Cubides Olarte and Chun Ting Chou in the Inter Europol Competition #13 who won at Le Castellet.
Reigning class champions CLX Motorsport made a comeback by winning at Imola. With 40 points, Paul Lanchere, Alexander Jacoby and Louis Iglesias stand third in the championship rankings.
Only 9 points separate the top three crews as they head to Spa-Francorchamps.
In LMGT3, the first three rounds were won by three different cars. The TF Sport #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R won the 4 Hours of Imola, placing Blake McDonald, Alec Udell and Charlie Eastwood in the lead.
With 44 points, the British crew have just one point in hand over the Proton Competition #75 Porsche Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 – Richard Lietz, Matt Kurzejewski and Thomas Sargent having claimed victory at the 4 Hours of Barcelona.
The Kessel Racing #57 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo stands third on 40 points. Takeshi Kimura, Daniel Serra and Mathys Jaubert were the winners at Le Castellet.
Just four points then, between the top three. In such a sharp contest, the four hours of Spa-Francorchamps could change the pecking order.
As a springboard to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the European Le Mans Series is streamed live on FIAWEC+, the official ELMS platform. Head to the free app for full live coverage and videos of the season’s highlights.
Watch ELMS races free of charge with a FIAWEC+ account www.plus.fiawec.com
