2023 will mark James Allen’s seventh consecutive season competing in the top flight of the ELMS.
The 26-year-old from Perth in Australia started his ELMS career at Graff in 2017, taking two wins and finishing third in the standings at his first attempt.Three more wins and four further podiums followed during seasons with G-Drive Racing, Dragonspeed, Panis Racing, with a move to Algarve Pro Racing in 2022, a partnership he has resumed for the 2023 season.
“It’s crazy to think that it’s my seventh season in the European Le Mans Series, and it definitely makes me feel a bit old in a way,” said Allen.“There are so many memories to choose from, but my first LMP2 win at Spa in 2017 was something I’ll never forget, and I’d have to say my favourite memory was Le Castellet 2019; I took the start of the race from fifth and managed to build a 25-second lead in the first stint, and we ended up winning the race overall. It was a really special win to me, and I’ll always remember it.”
After competing in the LMP2 Pro/Am for Algarve Pro Racing in 2022, Allen now teams up with an all-pro line up to challenge for the overall title with the Portuguese flagged team.
“I’m really happy to be returning to Algarve Pro Racing for the coming season,” Allen said. “It’s always nice to be with a team that I already know and get on well with, since we already understand how each other works and any procedures. I met Kyffin (Simpson) last year at the FIA WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain and he’s a hard-working driver who’s very easy to get along with, and us doing the Asian Le Mans Series together has been a big plus. I’ve only met Alex (Lynn) once or twice and he was nice to talk to and is obviously a very fast and experienced driver. I’m really looking forward to working with them all in the coming season.”
James Allen and Kyffin Simpson joined double ELMS Champion John Falb in the Asian Le Mans Series, taking a win in Dubai and finishing 3rd overall in the championship standings after the four-race championship concluded in Abu Dhabi last Sunday (19 February).
Another successful race for James happened in January when the Australian won the LMP2 category at the Daytona 24 Hours with Proton Competition, standing on the top step of the podium alongside his APR teammate Fred Poordad, reigning ELMS LMGTE champion Gianmaria Bruni and Italian Francesco Pizzi.
“Daytona was obviously an incredible experience for me this year,” Allen grinned. “Winning the race at quite literally the last possible second felt really amazing and to do it with a team that, while very experienced in GT machinery, was almost brand new to prototypes, and with one of my good friends Fred (Poordad) made it even better.
“Gimmi (Bruni) and our silver driver Francesco (Pizzi) were both incredibly easy to get along with and they constantly worked hard to get us the result at the end, even with some hiccups along the way. It was great to work with Proton for Daytona, I’m really proud of all the work and effort put in by all of the team and feel happy that we got the win in the end.”
However now James must look forward to the start of the 2023 ELMS in Barcelona and the competition in the LMP2 category that he and his teammates will have to face.
“The LMP2 class is going to be very close this year,” the Australian admitted. “I’d say our biggest rivals for the season would have to be United Autosports, as it’s a team that has seen so much success in sportscar racing and will always be one of the ones to beat in the ELMS paddock. Phil (Hanson) and Oliver (Jarvis) are both very fast and experienced drivers and Marino (Sato), also being very experienced in high level open-wheel racing in F3 and F2, will certainly be a driver line-up to be wary of.”
So, which is his favourite track this season? “There are so many good tracks on the ELMS calendar as always, but I don’t think anyone would be surprised when I say Spa is the track I’m looking forward to the most. It’s a favourite among most drivers and for good reason, because it’s very fast while still being technical, it has corners that still challenge the best drivers in the world and always provides exciting racing for all classes.”
The 2023 European Le Mans Series will start with the 4 Hours of Barcelona on the 21-23 April, with The Prologue, the official pre-season test taking place at the Spanish circuit on the 18 and 19 April.
