Portimão, Portugal – TDS Racing Dominates ELMS Race Weekend Kickoff
TDS Racing’s entry in the LMP2 class, the #29 ORECA, set the fastest time during the opening practice of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) season finale at Portimão. Mathias Beche clocked in at 1:31.648, edging out Inter Europol’s Nick Yelloly in the #43 ORECA, who recorded a 1:31.725. The session was briefly interrupted by a red flag due to Matteo Cressoni’s #60 Proton Competition Porsche stopping without visible damage.
The #29 TDS ORECA achieved its top lap despite a trip to the gravel at the same corner, showcasing competitive pace against the field. IDEC Sport’s #28 ORECA secured third overall with a lap only a tenth slower than TDS. Vector claimed the fourth spot, while Nielsen Racing rounded out the top five. Challenging for the championship, VDS Panis Racing and IDEC Sport’s #18 finished sixth and 19th, respectively, trailing by 0.260 and 1.4 seconds.
In LMP3, Adrien Closmenil led CLX Motorsport to the top with a time of 1:38.934 in the #17 Ligier, while WTM by Rinaldi’s Duqueine was closely behind in second. RLR M Sport followed in third, bolstered by Gillian Henrion’s early 1:39.421. DKR Engineering upheld representation for all three LMP3 constructors with a fourth-place finish at 1:39.671.
The LMGT3 class saw Iron Lynx’s Fabian Schiller assert dominance with a lap of 1:42.973 in the #63 AMG GT3, surpassing competitors by 0.166 seconds. Notably, the Iron Dames Porsche secured second, while United McLaren and Kessel Ferrari finished third and fourth, all within three tenths of the leader. TF Sport’s Corvette initially took the top spot but slipped to 11th due to pit lane speeding penalties.
The next session, the Bronze Test, is scheduled for 14:40 today, followed by Free Practice 2 tomorrow morning at 10:10.
Key Times:
- TDS Racing (#29 ORECA): 1:31.648
- Inter Europol (#43 ORECA): 1:31.725
- CLX Motorsport (#17 Ligier): 1:38.934
- Iron Lynx (#63 AMG GT3): 1:42.973
