Every world championship has its own feeder series, but in recent years the rungs on the sportscar racing ladder have evolved to become as hotly contested and filled with talent as the series that sit above them. One such series is the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), which has been the breeding ground for drivers and teams in the sportscar racing world aiming to gain experience in running longer multi-driver and multi-class races with prototype and grand touring-based cars, before stepping up to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) or the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship (IMSA).

The championship is run by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) — the organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the WEC — and, since the decision to make the WEC a two-class series, it has become one of the de-facto world championships for the second tier of ACO-rules prototypes known as LMP2, and the outfits that run them. Some of the “super teams” of the category — COOL Racing, Inter Europol, Panis Racing and United Autosports — join fellow privateer entries with prototype and GT3 machinery for six endurance races across some of the finest tracks that Europe has to offer. They’re all on the entry list to race for wins every time the red lights go out, but the top prizes available for each of the four classes are what everyone wants to get: a guaranteed entry to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The cars, drivers and rules

The ELMS doesn’t feature the top-tier Hypercar or GTP classes seen in the WEC and IMSA, so the top category here is LMP2, and the top two finishers earn tickets to the Circuit de la Sarthe. These cost-capped prototypes all feature a 572bhp, 4.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 made by Gibson Technology in Derbyshire. Although four LMP2 chassis are available, the 2017 ruleset saw the ORECA 07 become the car to beat in this class. Most of the cars have dark blue number panels, but some display their racing numbers on turquoise backgrounds for the mixed-ability driver teams in the LMP2 Pro/Am sub-class. I’ll explain more on this later.

The next prototype category is LMP3, a step down in performance for closed-cockpit prototypes, designed for teams and drivers learning to run prototypes in endurance racing. Two types of LMP3 feature this year: the Ligier JS P320 and Duqueine D-08, both powered by a 448bhp, 5.6-litre naturally aspirated Nissan V8 — which sounds utterly glorious — but will be replaced by new V6-powered machines in 2025. LMP3 cars carry purple number panels.

Then there’s the LMGT3 category, featuring production-based cars built to GT3 specs. Entries include the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, Ferrari 296 LMGT3, Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 Evo2, and Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3. It’s reported these cars reach 75mph in less time than it takes to say their names. All display orange number panels.

Typically, each car has a team of three drivers, each with a slightly different skill level. Drivers are rated based on performance and skill — ratings go (in descending order) from Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Those in the first two categories are professionals in factory-backed cars, while the latter two are semi-professionals. LMP2 teams must have one Silver-rated driver, LMP2 Pro/Am must have one Bronze driver, and GT3 teams must have one Bronze-rated driver with no more than one Gold or Platinum. Still with me?

Here’s the easy bit: each race is four hours long, with the drivers splitting driving time. Pit stops may involve only refuelling, or refuelling and tyre changes — although tyres cannot be changed while refuelling takes place. A “full service” pit stop includes fuel, fresh tyres, and a new driver. If a mechanical fault occurs, the cars are pulled back into the garage, as only a limited number of team personnel are allowed in the pit lane. Mid-race repairs — like fitting new exhausts, turbochargers, or crash repairs — are routine in endurance racing. Unlike Formula or Touring Car racing, where races are a set number of laps, here the goal is to drive as far as possible within the time limit. The winner is the car that completes the most laps, with simultaneous races happening in LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, LMP3, and LMGT3.

This is what I love about multi-class racing: there’s always so much happening at once. It’s crucial to be quick over one lap of a clear track to qualify well and earn an extra championship point for pole position, but consistency matters when six cars are vying for the same square of tarmac. It doesn’t take long for the leading prototypes to catch and work through the GT ranks. And unlike in F1, where lapped cars must yield to leaders, here it’s the faster prototypes that must find their way around cars they catch.

Naturally, contact does happen, and the Race Director can intervene with penalties or race neutralisations as needed. A Full Course Yellow (FCY) slows all cars to 50mph, with overtaking prohibited and the pit lane closed. FCY periods are used for shorter neutralisations, such as removing stray bodywork or recovering a car near a marshall’s post. For more serious incidents, the safety car will pick up the overall leader and control the field’s pace. New for 2024 is the Virtual Safety Car (VSC), which will be used briefly ahead of a full safety car period. This is similar to the FCY protocol with a 50mph speed limit on the track, but cars may pit until the safety car is deployed.

The grid includes rising stars aiming to etch their names on future Le Mans winner’s trophies, as well as plenty of drivers who have already done so. The depth of established talent and exciting prospects is at an all-time high for the 2024 season. The calendar features six races, with the first stop at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. As tickets to the 24 Hours of Le Mans sold out before I could book any, my friends and I headed to Spain to get our endurance racing fix, and see the ELMS season opener first hand.

Round 1: Barcelona

For just 17€ (£14.53), we had a choice of grandstands and vantage points all around the track, along with a grid walk prior to the green flag falling, allowing us to get up close and personal with the fantastic new liveries in all classes. Highlights for me were the Sean Bull-designed not-Marlboro design on the #18 AO by TF entry, and the #24 and #27 from Nielsen Racing which featured horizontal stripes going from white to maroon, complete with a fighter jet-style shark mouth design on the antennas above the engine’s air intake. Next to the the #27 car was two time Le Mans class winner Will Stevens, to whom I said “Good luck out there - the last time I saw you, you had just won LMP2 at Le Mans!” He replied “So that must mean we’re going to win today, right?”

Not long after, the grid was cleared of anything other than racing cars, and following two formation laps behind the pace-setting Nissan GT-R safety car, 43 racers hurtled towards turn 1 creating a feast for the ears from the screaming Gibson flatplane crank V8 LMP2s, the loud rumble of the crossplane Nissan V8s in the LMP3s, and the unmistakable shrieks of the V10, V8, V6 and flat-6 powered GTs. 

The overall lead would change hands between the #22 United Autosports and #37 COOL Racing ORECAs in the early stages of the race, with the latter being able to stretch its advantage and hold on to the top position for the rest of the race, even with a series of FCY and safety car periods. The GT field was lead by the #85 Iron Dames Porsche for the majority of the race while the two Aston Martin Vantage AMRs traded paint multiple times during their scrap battle for position.

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The greatest race in the world provided another 24 hour rollercoaster ride with drama, controversy and truly epic driving from start to finish. Ken Pearson has been watching.

The LMP3 field settled into its own rhythm with their straight line speed advantage over the GTs but identical cornering speeds making for plenty of action as the two classes came together at multiple points around the track, although at one stage my eyes did wander from the racing to my copy of RUSH XP1 that came with me to the circuit. With just over an hour to go, there was heartbreak following what looked to be a routine stop for fuel and tyres, as the LMGT3 class leading #85 Porsche came to a halt at the pit lane exit, owing to a wayward wheel nut which lodged itself between the wheel and the calliper, causing irreparable damage to the right rear corner and forcing the car to retire.

The class lead was handed to the #50 Formula Racing team, leading home a Ferrari 1-2 with British team GR Racing finishing second. The Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan took third place. Overall honours went to the #37 COOL Racing crew who took their first win in the LMP2 category, ahead of the the #25 Algarve Pro Racing and #22 United Autosports ORECA 07s. In LMP2 Pro/Am, AF Corse led the #29 Richard Mille by TDS and the #24 Nielsen Racing entries to the silverware - the 24 car getting a huge cheer as Albert Costa Balboa crossed the line in his home city. The LMP3 category was won by the #19 Team Virage, followed by the COOL Racing’s #17 and the #11 of Eurointernational, making it an all Ligier podium for the class.

With the champagne sprayed and the team garages already being stripped and packed up, my friends and I headed into central Barcelona for dinner, and the ELMS circus moved on to its second venue in France.

Round 2: Le Castellet

Circuit Paul Ricard has been a mainstay on the ELMS calendar for a number of years, and the venue which is often used for teams preparing for Le Mans - owing to its 1.1-mile long straight - has provided much better sportscar racing in the last few years than it has F1 racing. With the unrestricted LMP2 cars running at their full 572bhp, the highest top speeds of the season were recorded in the south of France - peaking at 196mph for the #83 AF Corse machine. Peak speeds of 180 and 171mph were recorded in the LMP3 and LMGT3 categories respectively.

While most cars remained on the tarmac during the race, the #9 Iron Lynx-Proton LMP2 briefly became a V8-powered aircraft as it bounced over the kerbs on the Mistral straight and allowed daylight under the car. The overall lead oscillated between the #14 AO by TF and #34 Inter Europol ORECAs, until a penalty for the #14 took it out of contention. Inter Europol’s second car took the lead, before the #43 was passed by Barcelona winners COOL Racing, and the timing tower showing the #37 at the head of the field with just over an hour to go. Green flag running abruptly came to an end as the LMP3-leading #12 Duqeine 08 of WTM by Rinaldi Racing stopped on track. The ensuing safety car period didn’t deter COOL Racing, as their #37 quickly built a gap on the field at the restart, and the car was looking to be heading towards victory for a second straight race.

However, their campaign would come to an end within minutes owing to a mechanical failure, handing the lead to the pair of yellow and green Inter Europol cars. On course for a historic 1-2 victory for the Polish team, fate intervened once more as the leading #34 car got stuck in second gear, handing the lead to its sister car which would survive the final 20 minutes and take the win. The #47 car salvaged a positive result for COOL Racing, while the #14 AO by TF was elevated to the final step of the podium following a 10-second penalty for the #28 IDEC Sport team. 

Richard Mille by TDS used strategy calls to get their #29 car to win the LMP2 Pro/Am category, leading the #77 and #21 Proton and United cars to the podium. The top three in LMP3 went to the #15 RLR M Sport, #4 DKR Engineering and #35 Ultimate Racing machines, while the #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari took top honours in LMGT3, ahead of the #63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini and the #59 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin.

Round 3: Imola

Imola was the third port of call for the European Le Mans Series and the first of two visits to Italy in 2024. The race was held two weeks after the 24 Hours of Le Mans,  where the LMP2 and LMP2 Pro/Am podiums were locked out by teams from the ELMS. Fresh off their fantastic class victories at La Sarthe, United Autosports and AF Corse were hopeful of carrying some momentum to the challenging Italian track. 

The first heart-stopping moment of the race took place before the start, as the #66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari came to a halt during the second formation lap. Panis Racing took the green flag, with the #65 getting a clear run through the first few corners as the #25 Algarve Pro Racing entry slipped from second to fourth place, being jumped by the #10 Vector Sport and #37 COOL Racing prototypes.

A thrilling fight between the #59 Aston Martin and the #85 Porsche began, and Sarah Bovy took the lead for the Iron Dames team, but the two cars would be locked in an epic battle for the lead throughout the entire race. Just behind, a home-soil competition of Ferrari vs Lamborghini saw Esteban Masson make one of the overtakes of the season as he passed Axcil Jefferies’ #63 Lamborghini, handing third place to the Kessel Racing Ferrari in the second hour.

COOL Racing caused gasps for air all around as their #37 LMP2 was facing the wrong way at the first chicane, but the car managed to recover and continue the race. However, with just under two hours to go, contact with the #4 RLR M Sport LMP3 Ligier shot both cars into the gravel, with the #37 continuing into the barrier, ending its race.

With just half an hour to go, the fight for LMGT3 continued in dramatic fashion, briefly being paused  by another FCY to recover the #30 Duqueine Engineering LMP2 and #77 Proton Competition LMP2 Pro/Am ORECA 07s that found themselves beached in a gravel trap following contact. As racing resumed, quick reactions by Michelle Gatting in the #85 Porsche prevented Valentin Hasse Clot from steering his #59 Aston Martin into the class lead. 

Another caution period came less than 20 minutes later, but by delivering a masterclass in defensive driving, Gatting left no room for the chasing Aston Martin to pass, confirming a win for the all-female driver crew and sending the #59 into the reach of the #57 Kessel Racing Ferrari that had managed to dislodge the Aston’s bumper. Nevertheless, the #59 crossed the line ahead of the charging Ferrari and with its bumper in tow, hanging on by a thread.

The chequered flag usually calls time on changes of position, but Panis Racing couldn’t celebrate their lights-to-flag victory owing to a post-race 34-second time penalty for the #65 car. This gave the win to the trio of Louis Delatraz, Robert Kubica and Jonny Edgar in their #14 AO by TF machine. However, that victory was short lived as the time penalty for Panis Racing was reversed by the stewards, handing it back to the #65 car, confirming second for the #14 and third for the #10 Vector Sport team. LMP2 Pro/Am, #20 Algarve Pro Racing prevented AF Corse from taking a home victory, crossing the line just 3.6s ahead of the #83. Richard Mille by TDS secured third place in class with their #29 ORECA.

Eurointernational took their first win of the season in LMP3, with the #11 finishing 13 seconds ahead of Team Virage’s #8 car, and the #8 Ultimate which secured their second podium finish in a row with another third place. LMGT3 saw one more penalty being applied to the class, with the #57 Ferrari being stung for overtaking under yellow flag conditions, promoting the #63 Lamborghini to third place in class.

Round 4: Spa

From one fearsome circuit to another, the legendary ribbon of tarmac through the Ardennes Forest welcomed the ELMS at the start of September. The 4.35-mile long track never fails to deliver action, regardless of which cars are competing. Having had a win gifted and then taken from them, AO by TF were eager to convert their front-running pace into a win for the first time this season, and set the pace in qualifying before leading the grid to the start line. From there, the #14 tried to escape the #43 of Inter Europol which remained around a second off the diffuser of the red and white prototype. 

The LMP2s made quick work of catching and lapping the GT3s, and the first major incident came when the #10 Vector Sport car made a brave move to pass the #66 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 296 on the outside of the track. The rear of the ORECA 07 touched the front of the Ferrari, pitching the car around and straight into the #20 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 that was passing it on the left. While the #20 did a 360-degree spin and was able to carry on, the #66 had a one-way ticket to the barrier, bringing out the safety car for the first time.

Eau Rouge and Radillon are two consecutive corners that are crucial to get right in order to post a quick lap time, or to attack and defend a position at Spa. The downhill left-hander followed by the uphill right-hander can be taken flat out, and the car has got to be carefully placed to make it through successfully. 

Thankfully, the majority of cars taking on this complex part of the track make it to the end of the subsequent straight with no issues, but these turns have been the scene of some truly horrendous crashes in too many racing series, too many times. Bouncing towards the crest of the hill, the #17 LMP3 from COOL Racing lost the rear end and spun, miraculously ending up facing in the right direction but forcing three competitors to take avoiding action.

In LMGT3, the three-way fight for the lead boiled over, as the #85 Iron Dames Porsche touched the #55 Spirit of Race Ferrari and sent it sideways into the barrier. The #50 Ferrari of Formula Racing became a red and white striped lawnmower as it took evasive action, and the #63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini escaped unscathed, retaining the lead of the class. 

Another safety car period ensued and the luck of two front-running cars ran out. After being turned around by a faster LMP2 car at La Source (turn one), Hiroshi Hamaguchi in the #63 Lamborghini lost his advantage to the chasing #85 Porsche with Sarah Bovy at the helm for her home race. Running slower than expected through Eau Rouge, the #63 was hit by the #85 with race-ending damage being caused to both cars. Not long after, the corners would take two more victims, as the #29 Richard Mille by TDS LMP2 Pro/Am ORECA 07 made a late dive to lap the #50 Formula Racing Ferrari, destroying the rear suspension on both cars and spinning them uphill to make impact with the barriers.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported and the close racing continued unabated in all four classes. The #14 managed to avoid getting into trouble, relinquishing its lead when pitting, but wasting no time in reclaiming it; Robert Kubica made a decisive move on the #22 United Autosports car driven by Phillip Ugran, slipstreaming him to great effect down the Kemmel Straight and sticking to the outside line to claim the lead at the subsequent chicane.

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The #14 kept a resurgent effort from the #43 Inter Europol entry at bay, and claimed AO by TF’s first win of the season. IDEC Sport’s #28 car took third place, with the podium reflecting the championship standings. LMP2 Pro/Am was won by AF Corse’s #83, leading home the #77 from Proton Competition and the #20 of Algarve Pro Racing. Fourth place went to the #24 of Nielsen Racing which led a good portion of the race and looked to be in contention, before a puncture scuppered their chances. 

Eurointernational took their second LMP3 win in a row with the #11 car, the #31 Racing Spirit of Leman team enjoyed their highest finish of the year with second place, and COOL Racing’s #17 rounded out the top three. With the early race chaos subsiding, the LMGT3 category belonged to Ferrari. Kessel Racing took the win ahead of GR Racing and AF Corse, resulting in a fantastic 1-2-3 finish for the Prancing Horses. 

Round 5: Mugello

Returning to a familiar country but a brand new circuit, the ELMS arrived at Mugello. Cars ran two-wide in all categories on the opening lap, before the #9 Iron Lynx LMP2 staked its claim on the lead, and another titanic battle between Porsche and Aston Martin began in LMGT3. 

It didn’t take long for the first safety car of the race to be called, as the #3 DKR Engineering LMP2 Pro/Am ORECA wedged itself under a tyre wall. LMP3 saw positions switching with door-to-door running between the RLR M Sport and Eurointernational cars, at various points, and the #34 from Inter Europol building a healthy 11-second overall lead after the restart. 

The save of the season came after 45 minutes, when the #47 COOL Racing and #30 Duqueine Engineering LMP2s touched on the home straight, sending the #30 car sideways at top speed before recovering and continuing forwards with a dislodged windscreen wiper and four long tyre tracks in its wake.

Positions changed hands relentlessly, with no one car having a pace advantage. The saying “Safety cars breed safety cars” rang true here as much as it did in Spa, and the close racing in the LMGT3 category got just a bit too close following a restart. With just under two hours to go, contact between the #85 Iron Dames and #60 Proton Competition Porsche 911s on the start/finish straight led to the #60 being sent straight into the wall at top speed, bouncing back onto the circuit as it disintegrated. Luckily, none of the six cars behind made contact with Claudio Schiavone as his car came to a halt broad-side on the fastest part of the track. The red flag flew, and the race was halted as the carbon fibre carnage was cleared up.

Eventually, the Maserati Quattroporte safety car led the field back up to speed, and as green flag racing resumed all 17 of the LMP2 cars on track were on the lead lap - something almost unheard of in the ELMS with less than 90 minutes to go. The two main protagonists of the first half of the race - the #9 and #43 resumed their scrap for the overall lead. Fittingly at the circuit owned by Ferrari, four 296 GT3s ran line astern in the battle for the class win with one hour to go, with the Kessel Racing #57 eventually providing a home win for the brand in the LMGT3 category, beating the #97 Grid Motorsport by TF Aston Martin, and the #50 Formula Racing Ferrari.

Iron Lynx’s #9 ORECA 07 finally managed to stretch out an advantage, beating the #25 from Algarve Pro Racing and #34 from Inter Europol to the win in the top LMP2 category for the first time, while the Pro/Am class saw the #29 Richard Mille by TDS, #20 Algarve Pro Racing and #77 Proton Competition make up the top three.

The stand-out drive came in LMP3 owing to a fuel-saving masterclass by the #8 Team Virage Ligier JS P320. Rising star Gillian Henrion was at the helm of the car for the final stint, and he faced the challenge of making a single tank of fuel last close to 80 minutes at racing speeds. As the rest of the field pitted, the #8 stayed out, including the #15 which had been leading. Henrion lifted and coasted his way around the 3.25 mile track while the chasing #15 RLR M Sport car being driven by Gael Julien was forced to put in an hour’s worth of qualifying laps. The #15 came within a second of spoiling the #8 crew’s day, but the gamble paid off thanks to a truly stellar drive by the young talent in the yellow Ligier.

As things stood, 19 of the 39 cars left Mugello with a mathematical chance of taking an ELMS title. In LMP2, AO Racing by TF led the standings ahead of the #43 Inter Europol and #65 Panis Racing entries. LMP2 Pro/Am was set for a four-way battle starring the #83 AF Corse, #29 Richard Mille by TDS Racing, #20 Algarve Pro Racing cars in close contention, with Proton Competition crossing their fingers for some luck to bring their #77 into contention. Just two points separated the top three teams in LMP3, with the #11 Eurointernational team leading the #8 Virage and #15 RLR M Sport entries. 

The category with the most contenders to the crown was LMGT3, with the top 9 in the standings all having a chance of taking the teams title. Tied on 64 points were the #57 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 and the #59 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin Vantage, 8 points ahead of GR Racing’s #86 Ferrari. The shortest track on the ELMS calendar would once again set the stage for a thrilling title showdown in all four classes.

Round 6: Portimão 

For the final time in 2024, two long lines of racers accelerated towards the five red lights above the start/finish straight, and it didn’t take long for the drama to start. The number #27 Nielsen Racing LMP2 car took advantage of its best qualifying of the year to vault past the #28 IDEC Sport and pole-sitting #37 COOL Racing prototypes to snatch the lead of the race. As the field snaked across the hillsides that the Portimão circuit is built upon, a spin for the #34 Inter Europol LMP2 car left it stopped in the centre of the track as the GT3s filtered past it. It looked to be a lucky escape for British driver Ollie Grey, but unfortunately the #51 AF Corse Ferrari clipped the front of the stranded. The prototype made it back to pit lane for a change of nose section, but the stricken Ferrari 296 GT3 wouldn’t make it back. Having left the circuit and stopping in one of the gravel traps, the first safety car period of the race was called after only three minutes.

After a brief neutralisation, the green flag flew once more and the #27 of Gabriel Aubry led the field back to racing, before Nico Pino steered his #28 machine into the lead, quickly building up a 5 second advantage until the first round of green flag pit stops with 53 minutes elapsed. Elsewhere, the championship contending #59 Aston Martin was hit by the #63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini, forcing both cars off track and the rear window of the #59 to leave its frame and sit on the rear wing before falling onto the tarmac. 

Just when the race seemed to settle down, the challenge of passing slower traffic resulted in contact between the #28 IDEC Sport LMP2 and the #86 GR Racing LMGT3 cars, leaving the prototype in the gravel and costing the Ferrari time that it couldn’t afford to lose in its hunt for the championship. The #22 United Autosports LMP2 cycled to the lead of the race, gaining a half-second advantage by the end of the start/finish straight, while its sister car in LMP2 Pro/Am would be losing sight of the field following contact with an LMP3 and GT3 car.

As the race entered its second hour, a penalty was handed to the #57 Kessel Racing Ferrari, dropping it down the order and seemingly out of contention for the championship. More retirements came in quick succession, with the #35 Ultimate LMP3 developing an exhaust leak that sent fumes into the cockpit, the #31 Racing Spirit of Leman breaking its right rear suspension, and the #21 United Autosports LMP2 Pro/Am car losing more time with a trip to the gravel before recovering. Only a few laps later, Oliver Jarvis made a brave move to lap the #59 Aston Martin at the final corner, ultimately aiming for a gap that didn’t exist. Contact instantly broke the prototype’s suspension and sent it to an early finish with only three tyres intact.

Another safety car period ensued, with most of the teams opting to pit for fuel, tyres and driver changes. With the broken cars retrieved and tiny gaps separating the field, racing once again resumed with the #37 COOL Racing cycling to the lead, and the #14 AO Racing by TF crew putting one hand on the championship in second place. The two Inter Europol cars switched positions into the first corner, with the now fourth place #34 car swapping positions with Charles Milesi in the Panis Racing #65. In LMGT3, the top six cars were separated by just three seconds, with the #85 Iron Dames Porsche and #63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini almost running as one as they entered turns side-by-side.

Two cars that categorically did run as one at various points of the circuit were the #29 Richard Mille by TDS and #83 AF Corse LMP2 Pro/Am cars, which made contact more times than I could count, but remained pointing in the right direction. With 12 minutes to go, the chrome #83 would finally and emphatically pass the yellow #29, appearing to take the LMP2 Pro/Am teams and drivers titles with it. The #29 was awarded two time penalties to add insult to injury.

Because of the timing of the final safety car period, the LMP2 cars all had to stop for fuel in order to make it to the end, but none of them wanted to relinquish track position until the very last moment. As a result, the final fuel stops were being made with just over two minutes to go, ending a mad four minute period where nobody appeared to be in the right place on track. Eventually, the running order settled at the front of the field with COOL Racing finishing first and third with the #37 and #47 cars respectively, while the #14 AO Racing by TF Sport car secured the Teams and Drivers Championships with their second place finish.

In the LMP2 Pro/Am category, Algarve Pro Racing’s fuel saving gamble came incredibly close to paying off, as a surprise win would’ve snatched the title away from AF Corse. However, Alex Quinn and his #20 machine were caught and passed by the #77 of Proton Competition in the dying seconds of the race. Rounding out the podium was the #24 from Nielsen Racing, bookending their season which started with a third place finish in Barcelona.

COOL Racing won the LMP3 class, although the titles were decided 9 minutes beforehand, as the #15 RLR M Sport made a move for second place, relegating the #11 Eurointernational car to third on the road and second in the teams standings. I’ve seen plenty of season-ending races with championships on the line, but never so many remaining undecided until the dying moments of the race! The final round of the 2024 season will be marked as a classic in the ELMS history books, and for good reason.

Post-season

With the autumn sun setting over Portimão, another action-packed European Le Mans Series season has come to an end. Final points tallies were as close as the on-track battles, with only the LMP2 class decided by more than two points. Close racing means unpredictable racing, and each round kept me gasping and cheering — whether trackside in Spain or watching the live stream on my phone at a wedding. Congratulations are in order for AO by TF in LMP2, AF Corse in LMP2 Pro/Am, RLR M Sport in LMP3, and Iron Lynx in LMGT3 for claiming their respective ELMS Teams Championships, along with Inter Europol for securing second in LMP2 and earning one of five automatic ELMS entries to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

While manufacturer involvement is a major draw for motorsports fans, endurance racing is as much about privateer entries with smaller budgets as it is about factories with deep pockets. The European Le Mans Series is more than just a feeder series; it’s a hotbed of talent and thrilling racing, where established teams with veteran drivers face off against new organisations with tomorrow’s world champions. It's a fantastic championship in its own right, and for newcomers to endurance racing who want a taste of Le Mans, it’s an ideal starting point.

The series is free to watch, with all practice sessions, qualifying, and races live streamed on YouTube in English and French, with extra highlights videos following post-race. For fans wanting the full experience in person, the trackside action and access are excellent and well-priced.

My friends and I paid just €17 (£14.53) for a choice of grandstands and vantage points, plus pit lane and gridwalk access at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. We roamed the track to watch cars tackle the final five-corner complex, accelerate out of the pit lane, and blast past at over 180mph. I can't recommend it enough. Next year’s calendar has already been revealed, and while the thunderous Nissan V8-powered LMP3s will be absent, the fourth round will be held at Silverstone — heralding the return of ACO-rules endurance racing to the UK for the first time since 2019. I’ll see you there in September 2025.