With just two races of the 2020 ELMS season remaining, all eyes are on the battle for the six titles. With the coveted crown of European Champion and a place on the grid at the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans on offer, the teams and drivers will be once again racing for glory at Monza this weekend.
LMP2: United Autosports Lead the Way
The no22 United Autosports Oreca of Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson travel to Italy as championship leaders and after taking the LMP2 victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship title with one race remaining in Bahrain this November.The Anglo-Portuguese duo are currently 29 points ahead of their teammates Alex Brundle, Job Van Uitert and Will Owen in the no32 United Autosports Oreca, who are on 39 points.
The no26 G-Drive Racing Aurus 01 is third on 36 points with Mikkel Jensen and Roman Rusinov being joined by Nyck de Vries again in Italy. Just one point behind the Russian team is the no39 Graff Oreca of Alexandre Cougnaud, James Allen and Thomas Laurent on 35 points.
With 52 points still on offer from the final two races at Monza and Portimão there is all still to play for but victory in Italy for Albuquerque and Hanson would seal the European Le Mans Series title to add to their world and Le Mans crowns, which would be the first time that had been achieved in the same season.
Should any of the other cars in the top 4 win the 4 Hours of Monza the title race will go down to the final round in Portugal in three weeks’ time.Each team will certainly have a calculator handy on Sunday afternoon.
LMP3: United Autosports Also Out in Front
While United Autosports are leading LMP2, the British team are also out in front in the LMP3 category with the no2 Ligier of Rob Wheldon, Tom Gamble and Wayne Boyd on 52 points, 14 points ahead of their nearest rivals David Droux and Esteban Garcia in the no8 Realteam Racing Ligier.
Just 8 points separate the next five cars in the championship standing with the no3 United Autosports Ligier on 34 points, the no13 Inter Europol Competition and no15 RLR MSport Ligiers on 33 points, reigning champions Eurointernational on 29 points and the no9 Graff on 26 points, 26 points behind the no2 United Autosports Ligier.
With a total of 52 points on offer the LMP3 title is still up for grabs, with the battle more than likely going to the final race in Portugal.
LMGTE: Too Close to Call?
While there are clear leaders in the LMP2 and LMP3 categories, the same cannot be said in the LMGTE class with the top two cars tied on 56 points, each with one win, one second, one fourth and one pole position. The no77 Proton Competition Porsche of Alessio Picariello, Christian Ried and Michele Beretta is classified in first place thanks to their victory in Round 1, while the no74 Kessel Racing Ferrari is classified second with Michael Broniszewski and David Perel looking to move ahead of their rivals in Italy.
The no55 Spirit of Race Ferrari is lying in third place after winning Round 3 at Le Castellet, with Aaron Scott, Duncan Cameron and Matt Griffin on 40 points. They are just two points ahead of the no83 Iron Lynx Ferrari of Manuela Gostner, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting, while the no51 AF Corse Ferrari is still in touch on 28 points.
While the winner of the LMGTE category at the 4 Hours of Monza will be hard to predict, it is certain that the battle for the 2020 titles will not be decided in Italy this weekend.
The 4 Hours of Monza takes place on Sunday 11 October, with the race due to start at 11h00 CET.
