2024 ELMS LMP3 Champion Michael Jensen is getting ready to compete in the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans with his championship winning team RLR MSport, where he will join former IMSA GTLM Champion Patrick Pilet and 2017 Porsche GT3 Challenge ME Champion Ryan Cullen.
This won’t be Jensen’s first time in an LMP2 car at Le Mans, competing for CD Sport in 2022, finishing 9th in LMP2 Pro/Am in the only Ligier JS P217-Gibson on the 27-car LMP2 grid.
Michael Jensen also won the 2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 title with Algarve Pro Racing, taking the top spot at the end of the six-race series alongside Peugeot Hypercar driver Malthe Jakobsen and Italian Valerio Rinicella.
Jensen has been defending his ELMS LMP3 title with RLR alongside fellow 2024 champion Nick Adcock and 2023 MLMC LMP3 Champion Gillian Henrion.With a podium finish in Barcelona and a DNF in Le Castellet, how would Michael Jensen sum up the start to the 2025 ELMS season?
“Rolling out a brand-new car at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya proved to be quite a challenge without any pre-season testing or setups,” he said. “However, RLR MSport, Gillian (Henrion), Nick (Adcock) and I managed to pull off a solid result, which was great.
“We could have done with another solid finish to score points in Le Castellet, but we made the wrong decision to start on slicks and had to box to change to wets early on. An unfortunate contact from an LMGT3 car ultimately brought our race to an end.”
Looking ahead to the big race in June, how well does Jensen know his Le Mans teammates Ryan Cullen and Patrick Pilet?
“Patrick (Pilet) needs no introduction, and I certainly know him by reputation as someone who has raced at Le Mans several times and is very well versed with LMP2 racing. I’m looking forward to working closely with him.
“Ryan (Cullen), on the other hand, is someone I first became familiar with in and around the European Le Mans Series paddock. Having tested the RLR MSport ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 together, I now know him to be a very nice and helpful person. He’s also very experienced, I think this is his seventh Le Mans.”
How much has the experience of racing and winning in Asia helped you prepare for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans?
“Racing a full-specification LMP2 car and getting lots of competitive track time in the Asian Le Mans Series is hugely beneficial, because going directly from LMP3 to LMP2 at Le Mans would have been a tall order. The Asian campaign and testing means I am as prepared as I can be.
“Of course, as I am competitive by nature, I always go into a new season or a big race like the 24 Hours of Le Mans hoping for a championship win or a podium. At the same time, you want to be humble, keep your head down and just do your best. Le Mans is a very hard and long race, and you need a little bit of luck, flawless reliability and for each team member to execute their duties perfectly, even while exhausted.
“We’re entering this year’s race with ambition, and we will hopefully make our team proud when crossing the line at 16:00 on Sunday 15 June.”
Jensen has raced in the Le Mans 24H before in 2022 with CD Sport and like many drivers he has his favourite section of the mythical circuit. “Coming through the Forest Esses at full speed during the night is something special, not to mention when the sun is rising and you know you have made it through the hours of darkness."
He also understands the challenges that are unique to Le Mans like traffic with the Hypercars and LMGT3. “Watching the intense battles play out in the previous rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship shows you how competitive the endurance racing has become, with 21 Hypercars driven by top-drawer racers giving it everything to win.
“We’ve seen so many times that even a small hit from another car can put you in the wall at Le Mans, so it will be important for me to keep it clean and deliver good and consistent lap times while managing the traffic as best as possible.”
Looking at the 17-strong LMP2 field, with nine cars in the LMP2 Pro/Am category, what would Michael Jensen consider a good result when the chequered flag is waved on Sunday 15 June?
“I sincerely think that there is a good chance of a podium finish if we keep it clean. There’s nothing stopping us if we avoid reliability issues and on-track incidents, but then again, Le Mans can throw anything at you. At the end of the day, the common strategy in LMP2 Pro-Am will be to stay on the lead lap for 21-22 hours and then give it everything to see where you end up at the chequered flag.
“I’m hoping for some nice weather, not only because I don’t fancy a 24-hour wet race, but because it’s the spectators make Le Mans an iconic and unique event and it is a lot less fun watching the action under an umbrella. With sunshine and decent summer temperatures, we will experience a fantastic atmosphere from so many fans from all over the world.”
