Pole position for the Oreca 07, number 25 for the home team, the Portuguese team Algarve Pro Racing which will therefore start at the head of the 4 Hours of Algarve, the fifth and final round of the 2023 calendar of the ELMS European Endurance Season (European Le Mans Series). Which has an exceptional two races this weekend!
It was Australian driver James Allen who set the reference time on the track, which was described as difficult after rain.
Allen is the author of Chrono 1’48. 674directed by 0.881Eureka 07 No. 43 for the Polish Inter Europol team, driven by Ollie Caldwell, his second 1’49.555
Third place went to the young German Lorentz Hoare, riding the No. 28 IDEC Sport Oreca car, with 1’49.886to 1’222.
He is followed in the standings by Dutchman Joop van Uetert, who drives the Panis Racing Oreca 07, and is ranked fourth with… 1’50.159to 1,485then the No. 30 Team Duqueine tri-color Oreca, the No. 22 Team United 51. and the No. 47 Team COOL Racing, respectively with 1’50.311, 1’50.634 And 1’51.793to 1,637, 1,960 And 3’119
In the LMP2 Pro Am class, first place was taken by Aleksander Machul with the #19 Oreca 07 for Team Virage which 1’55.426, Salih Yuluk in the #34 Oreca 07 car of Team Turkey is denied fifth place as he was only second in this timed session with 1’56.472 Rodrigo’s third time selling with N°24 Nielsen Racing Oreca with 1’56,792.
The LMP3 pole was eventually located to track conditions due to heavy rainfall.
As a result, in the lottery, Virage’s No. 8 Ligier was driven by Manuel Espírito Santo who finished first with 1’56.029
The Portuguese leads Oscar Tongo and Rinaldi Racing’s WTM N°12 Duqueine M30 in second place with 1’56.255 and Markus Seibert driving the N°17 COOL Racing Ligier, current leader of the LMP3 Championship and third with 1’57,727
Finally first place ever for the #72 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage driven by young Le Mans driver Arnold Rubin, who shares the wheel with his brother Maxime, and Valentin Haas-Clota, who 2’01.872 Ahead of the No. 50 Formula 1 Ferrari 488, in second place B 2’02.830
The first of two races of the 2023 ELMS Final will take place in Portimão on Friday afternoon
Gilles Guigneault
Photos: Elms
Starting grid for the first race on Friday, October 20, 2023
1 – Simpson Allen Lane (Oreca 07-Gibson) Algarve Pro – 1’48″674
2 – Andrade-Caldwell-Aberdeen (Eureka 07-Gibson) Inter Europol – 1’49″555
3 – Lafarge-Chatin-Hur (Eureka 07-Gibson) Idec 1’49″896
4 – Van Uetert-Maldonado-Van der Helm (Eureka 07-Gibson) Panis – 1,50″159
5 – Benno-Bender-Jagne (Eureka 07-Gibson) Duquesne – 1’50″311
6 – Sato-Hanson-Jarvis (Eureka 07-Gibson) United – 1.50″634
7 – Lomco-De Gerros-Lopez (Eureka 07-Gibson) Great – 1.51″793
8 – Machul-Rodriguez-Calderon (Eureka 07-Gibson) Turn – 1’55″426
9 – Espirito Santo Adcock Jensen (Ligier JSP3 – Nissan) Lap – 1′ 56″029
10 – Kratz-Weiss Tongo (Duquesque M30 – Nissan) WTM Rinaldi – 1’56″255
11 – Eulock-Eastwood-Deletraz (Eureka 07-Gibson) RT Turkey – 1’56″472
12 – Sales – Hanley Beachey (Eureka 07-Gibson) Nielsen – 1’56″792
13 – Rhoda-Red-Fiscal (Eureka 07-Gibson) Proton – 1’57″371
14 – Van Rompuy Alvarez Berthon (Eureka 07 – Gibson) Danish – 1’57″585
15 – Chila-Siebert-Garcia (Liger JSB 3-Nissan) Superb – 1,57″,727
16 – Bel Ali (Liger GSP3 – Nissan) Euro International – 1:57 inches 932
17 – Bukhantsov-Welslaw-Perino (Duquesne M30-Nissan) DKR – 1’57″950 18-
Wheels-Harper Elam (Liger JSP3 – Nissan) Nielsen – 1.58″ 067
19 – Cristovao-Aski-Brisacek (Ligier GSP3 – Nissan) Inter Europol – 1’58’182
20 – Wolf-Duquesne-Faubert (Liger GSP3 – Nissan) Spirit of LeMans – 1,58″,312
21 – Felbermaier Julian Kaprzyk (Liger JSP3 – Nissan) RLR – 1’58″489
22 – Trouille-M.Hague-JP.Hague (Liger JSB 3-Nissan) Ultimate – 1’58″578″
23 – Dyson-Eriksen-Manchester (Legire JSP3 – Nissan) RLR – 1’58″702
24 – Perrodeau-Facsivière-Barnicott (Eureka 07-Gibson) AF Corsi – 1’59″912
25 – Bordad-Vautier-Hawxworth (Eureka 07-Gibson) Algarve Pro – 2’01″126
26 – Hedman-S.Montoya-JP.Montoya (Eureka 07-Gibson) Dragonspeed – 2’01″698
27 – A. Robin-M. Robin-Haas Klot (Aston Martin Vantage AMR) TF Sport – 2’01 “872”
28 – Quigne Jacobsen Lapierre (Eureka 07 – Gibson) Great – 2’02″705
29 – J. Laursen-C. Laursen-Nielsen (Ferrari F488 GTE EVO) Formula – 2’02″830
30 – Muller-Birch-Thieme (Aston Martin Vantage AMR) GMB – 2’03″142
31 – Red-Livorato-Andlauer (Porsche 911 RSR) Proton – 2’04″008
32 – Cameron Beryl Griffin (Ferrari F488 GTE EVO) Spirit of Racing – 2’04″618 33
– Hardwick-Robichon-Piccarello (Porsche 911 RSR) Proton – 2.05 inches 864
34 – Sneijder Merek Pique (Eureka 07 – Gibson) United – 2’07″ 825 35
– Lintodis-Aguas-de-Pauw (Ferrari F488 GTE EVO) AF Corse – 2’08″059 36
– Kimura-Halfker-Serra (Ferrari F488 GTE EVO) Kessel – 2’08″779
37 – Perry-Hannafin-Lancaster (Ferrari F488 GTE EVO) GMW – 2’09″468
38 – Hartshorn-Tuck-Adam (Aston Martin Vantage AMR) TF Sport – 2’10″582
39 – Schiavone-Cresoni-Cairoli (Porsche 911 RSR) Iron Lynx – 2’11″288
40 – Fassbinder-Ramp-Litz (Porsche 911 RSR) Proton – No time