We are going to look at the history of the ELMS LMP2 teams at Le Mans, starting with Inter Europol Competition, United Autosports and Algarve Pro Racing, who all know how to win at the world’s most famous race.
The Polish team received their first entry in 2019, Jakub Smiechowski, James Winslow and Nigel Moore finishing 16th.In 2020, the team finished 17thbut in 2021 leapt up the order to record a top 5 finish with Jakub Smiechowski, Renger Van der Zande and Alex Brundle finishing 3 laps behind LMP2 winners Team WRT.
In 2022 the team slipped back to 13thin class but in 2023 it all came good with Jakub Smiechowski, Alex Costa and Fabio Scherer standing on the top step of the famous podium after finishing 21 seconds ahead of Team WRT and 1 lap ahead of third placed Duqueine Team.
For the 2024 race, ELMS regulars Clement Novalak and Vlad Lomko will join team boss Jakub Smiechowski to help him retain his drivers crown and help Inter Europol Competition do the double at Le Mans.
Reigning ELMS LMP2 champions Algarve Pro Racing first entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016, with the Portuguese flagged team running a Nissan powered Ligier JS P2 for British Olympian Sir Chris Hoy, Andrea Pizzitola and Michael Munemann, with the car finishing 12thin class, 16 laps behind that year’s winners Signatech Alpine.
Top 10 finishes followed in 2019, 2020 and 2021, but in 2022 with the advent of a separate LMP2 Pro/Am podium, Algarve Pro Racing came to the fore.Rene Binder, James Allen andSteven Thomas finished at the head of the nine car LMP2 Pro/Am field in 15thoverall in LMP2, and the team taking the first Le Mans winner’s trophy home to Portugal.
James Allen took the LMP2 Pro/Am winner’s trophy again in 2023 for Algarve Pro Racing, this time with George Kurtz and Colin Braun, the two Americans returning in 2024 as the reigning Asian Le Mans Series Champions and racing with Nicky Catsburg this year in the no45 Crowdstrike by APR Oreca-Gibson in the Pro/Am category.
As the reigning ELMS LMP2 champions Algarve Pro Racing will also be running the no25 Oreca-Gibson at Le Mans, for ELMS regulars Matthias Kaiser, Olli Caldwell, with Canadian Roman de Angelis, replacing Alex Lynn who is racing at Le Mans with Cadillac in the Hypercar category.
2024 will be Anglo American team United Autosports eighth 24 Hours of Le Mans, having first receiving an entry in 2017.The single car entry for Filipe Albuquerque, Will Owen and Hugo De Sadeleer finished 4thon the team’s debut, just 3 minutes 32 seconds behind the third placed car.
A podium finish followed in 2018 for Will Owen and Hugo De Sadeleer, who were joined on the third step of the podium by their teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.
In 2019 the no22 Oreca Gibson was the highest finisher of the two United Autosports Orecas with Filipe Albuquerque, Phil Hanson and Paul Di Resta finishing 4th.However, in 2020 Albuquerque, Hanson and Di Resta took the team’s first win at Le Mans, finishing 32 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals.The three drivers also secured the FIA WEC title and Albuquerque and Hanson also took the ELMS LMP2 title to become the first drivers to secure all three LMP2 titles in a single season.
Three more top ten finishes followed for United Autosports in 2021, 2022 and 2023.For the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, United Autosports are fielding two cars.The no22 Oreca will be run for Oliver Jarvis, Bijoy Garg and Nolan Siegel, with the no23 car entered in the Pro/Am category for Ben Keating, Filipe Albuquerque and Ben Hanley.
Part 2 of this four part article will take a look at the history of AF Corse, Proton Competition and AO by TF at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place on June 15/16.
