The last time the European Le Mans Series raced at Silverstone was on the 31 August 2019, just over six years ago, and it was a very special event for three-time ELMS champion Paul Loup Chatin.
The French driver, along with his current teammate Paul Lafargue and Mexico’s Memo Rojas, secured the debut ELMS victory for IDEC Sport, with the team winning again at the season finale in Portimao to secure the 2019 ELMS LMP2 Driver and Team titles.
This year Chatin and Lafargue are joined by former ELMS LMP3 Champion Job Van Uitert, who also finished second in the 2019 race at Silverstone, but a combination of bad luck and mishap has denied the no28 Oreca-Gibson the results. The Franco-Dutch trio bounced back with a fighting fourth place finish last time out in Spa-Francorchamps and they are looking for a podium finish on their return to Silverstone.
We caught up with Paul Loup Chatin as he prepares for the return of the ELMS to UK for the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone on Sunday 14 September, Round 5 of the 2025 European Le Mans Series.
Q. You and Paul won at Silverstone the last time the ELMS raced in the UK back in 2019. What do you remember about that race and the circuit?
Paul Loup Chatin: “It was a great race and the first ever win of IDEC Sport in LMP2. This was an important race which allowed us to fight for the championship till the end.”
Q. What are your thoughts on returning to Silverstone?
PLC: “I am really happy to go back there. Silverstone is one of my favourite racetracks and the LMP2 car is built for this kind of circuit”
Q: Do you have a favourite corner or sequence?
PLC: “Of course, everyone knows the mythic Maggots Becketts and Chapel corners, but my favourite one is Stowe. The entry speed you can bring into this one makes it amazing.”
Q: You finished 4thlast time out in Belgium after a disappointing start to the season.What is the goal for you and the team at Silverstone?
PLC: “We had a decent result at Spa with this 4th place, but we are still missing results we want to achieve. We will work as hard as possible to find more pace at Silverstone and to bring to all the 28 crew the podiums we deserve.”
