The grid for Round 3 of the 2020 European Le Mans Series will feature 35 cars as the teams and drivers head back to Le Castellet for the second time this season.
The four-hour race on Saturday 29 August, which was originally scheduled to be held in Barcelona, will be called the Le Castellet 240, the name referencing the 240-minute duration of the race which will be, once again, held behind closed doors due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The entire grid will represent twenty-six different nations from all around the world, with sixteen drivers and seven cars racing at Le Castellet under blue, white and red of the French tricolour.
LMP2: Large Grid Promising Plenty of Action
For the third race in a row the LMP2 category will feature the largest contingent, with fifteen cars due to make the trip to the south of France.
Anglo-American team United Autosports are heading the championship with the no22 Oreca of Phil Hanson and Filipe Albuquerque at the top of the table on 42 points after winning in Belgium. Their teammates in the no32 Oreca, Will Owen, Alex Brundle and Job Van Uitert, are in second place on 35 points and will be hoping to replicate their winning form at Le Castellet for the second time in 2020.
The no39 Graff Oreca of Thomas Laurent, Alexandre Cougnaud and James Allen finished second at Spa and are currently on 20 points, just two ahead of the no26 G-Drive Racing Aurus, which sees French driver Jean-Eric Vergne re-join the team alongside Roman Rusinov and Mikkel Jensen.
French flagged teams Richard Mille Racing Team and Panis Racing are in 5th and 6th places respectively, with Germany’s Sophia Flörsch getting her first race outing in the ELMS in the no50 Richard Mille Racing Team Oreca at Le Castellet.
French outfit Duqueine Team had a better race in Belgium, finishing 4th at the end of the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and will begin Round 3 in 8th overall on 12 points. Reigning champions Idec Sport are currently lying in 11th place on 6 points and will be looking to get their title defence back on track on home turf.
LMP3: Who Can Stop United Autosports?
The no2 United Autosports Ligier of all British driver line up of Wayne Boyd, Tom Gamble and Rob Wheldon have not put a foot wrong so far and have a maximum 52 points from the opening two rounds of the 2020 season.
Their nearest rivals are reigning champions Eurointernational with Niko Kari lying in second place on 23 points.
The all French no9 Graff Ligier of Vincent Capillaire, Arnold Robin and Maxime Robin is just one point behind the Eurointernational Ligier in the championship standings and just one point ahead of the no15 RLR MSport Ligier. The cars that finished second in Le Castellet and Spa, the no13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier and the no7 Nielsen Racing Duqueine, are currently tied on 18 points each and both cars can be expected to be challenging the no2 Ligier for the race win at the end of the Le Castellet 240 on Saturday 29 August.
LMGTE: One Race Win Each for Porsche and Ferrari
The LMGTE entry will feature eight cars, with Ferrari and Porsche going head to head once again at Le Castellet.
After winning the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and finishing second in the opening round at Le Castellet last month, the no74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 of Michael Broniszewski, David Perel and Marcos Gomes is leading the championship on 44 points, seven points ahead of the 4 Hours of Le Castellet race winners Christian Ried, Michele Beretta and Alessio Picariello in the no77 Proton Competition Porsche.
The no93 Proton Competition Porsche of Richard Lietz, Felipe Laser and Michael Fassbender had a better race in Belgium by finishing fourth from pole position and now lie third in the championship table on 25 points, just two ahead of the all-female crew of Michelle Gatting, Manuela Gostner and Rahel Frey in the no83 Iron Lynx Ferrari.
The Le Castellet 240 will take place on Saturday 29 August at the Circuit Paul Ricard and is the final opportunity for the teams competing in the ‘big one’ to prepare for the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans on September 19/20.
CLICK HERE for the provisional entry list for the Le Castellet 240
The four-hour race on Saturday 29 August, which was originally scheduled to be held in Barcelona, will be called the Le Castellet 240, the name referencing the 240-minute duration of the race which will be, once again, held behind closed doors due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The entire grid will represent twenty-six different nations from all around the world, with sixteen drivers and seven cars racing at Le Castellet under blue, white and red of the French tricolour.
LMP2: Large Grid Promising Plenty of Action
For the third race in a row the LMP2 category will feature the largest contingent, with fifteen cars due to make the trip to the south of France.
Anglo-American team United Autosports are heading the championship with the no22 Oreca of Phil Hanson and Filipe Albuquerque at the top of the table on 42 points after winning in Belgium. Their teammates in the no32 Oreca, Will Owen, Alex Brundle and Job Van Uitert, are in second place on 35 points and will be hoping to replicate their winning form at Le Castellet for the second time in 2020.
The no39 Graff Oreca of Thomas Laurent, Alexandre Cougnaud and James Allen finished second at Spa and are currently on 20 points, just two ahead of the no26 G-Drive Racing Aurus, which sees French driver Jean-Eric Vergne re-join the team alongside Roman Rusinov and Mikkel Jensen.
French flagged teams Richard Mille Racing Team and Panis Racing are in 5th and 6th places respectively, with Germany’s Sophia Flörsch getting her first race outing in the ELMS in the no50 Richard Mille Racing Team Oreca at Le Castellet.
French outfit Duqueine Team had a better race in Belgium, finishing 4th at the end of the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and will begin Round 3 in 8th overall on 12 points. Reigning champions Idec Sport are currently lying in 11th place on 6 points and will be looking to get their title defence back on track on home turf.
LMP3: Who Can Stop United Autosports?
The no2 United Autosports Ligier of all British driver line up of Wayne Boyd, Tom Gamble and Rob Wheldon have not put a foot wrong so far and have a maximum 52 points from the opening two rounds of the 2020 season.
Their nearest rivals are reigning champions Eurointernational with Niko Kari lying in second place on 23 points.
The all French no9 Graff Ligier of Vincent Capillaire, Arnold Robin and Maxime Robin is just one point behind the Eurointernational Ligier in the championship standings and just one point ahead of the no15 RLR MSport Ligier. The cars that finished second in Le Castellet and Spa, the no13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier and the no7 Nielsen Racing Duqueine, are currently tied on 18 points each and both cars can be expected to be challenging the no2 Ligier for the race win at the end of the Le Castellet 240 on Saturday 29 August.
LMGTE: One Race Win Each for Porsche and Ferrari
The LMGTE entry will feature eight cars, with Ferrari and Porsche going head to head once again at Le Castellet.
After winning the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and finishing second in the opening round at Le Castellet last month, the no74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 of Michael Broniszewski, David Perel and Marcos Gomes is leading the championship on 44 points, seven points ahead of the 4 Hours of Le Castellet race winners Christian Ried, Michele Beretta and Alessio Picariello in the no77 Proton Competition Porsche.
The no93 Proton Competition Porsche of Richard Lietz, Felipe Laser and Michael Fassbender had a better race in Belgium by finishing fourth from pole position and now lie third in the championship table on 25 points, just two ahead of the all-female crew of Michelle Gatting, Manuela Gostner and Rahel Frey in the no83 Iron Lynx Ferrari.
The Le Castellet 240 will take place on Saturday 29 August at the Circuit Paul Ricard and is the final opportunity for the teams competing in the ‘big one’ to prepare for the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans on September 19/20.
CLICK HERE for the provisional entry list for the Le Castellet 240
