European Le Mans Series Season Opener: Barcelona Qualifying Results
Barcelona, Spain – Reshad De Gérus of Inter Europol Competition secured pole position for the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) season opener at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, clocking a blistering 1:28.368 in the #34 ORECA 07 – Gibson LMP2. This marks De Gérus’ second consecutive pole at Barcelona, having achieved the same feat the previous year with Duqueine Team.
The LMP2 qualifying session featured a split strategy over two runs, with De Gérus initially leading the pack, only to be momentarily eclipsed by defending champion Esteban Masson of Forestier Racing by Panis, who set a 1:28.557. However, De Gérus reclaimed the top spot as the session concluded.
LMP2 Qualifying Results:
- Reshad De Gérus (#34 Inter Europol) – 1:28.368
- Esteban Masson (#29 Forestier Racing) – 1:28.557
- Tom Dillmann (#43 Inter Europol) – 1:28.740
- Laurents Hörr (#18 IDEC Sport) – 1:28.797
- Jake Hughes (#25 Algarve Pro Racing) – 1:29.019
Notably, rookie Jack Doohan claimed eighth in the #24 Nielsen Racing entry, while Mike Rockenfeller rounded out the grid in 11th with the #9 Proton Competition entry.
In the LMP2 Pro/Am category, Giorgio Roda of Duqueine Team dominated qualifying, achieving pole with a time of 1:30.332 despite running out of sequence. PJ Hyett secured second in the #99 AO by TF ORECA, while John Falb followed in third.
Pro/Am Qualifying Results:
- Giorgio Roda (#30 Duqueine Team) – 1:30.332
- PJ Hyett (#99 AO by TF) – 1:31.272
- John Falb (#19 Rossa Racing by Virage) – 1:31.490
LMP3 Highlights
The LMP3 qualifying saw an exciting session with six different drivers leading the timesheets. Ultimately, Hugo Schwarze claimed pole in the #85 R-ace GP Duqueine D09 – Toyota with a final lap of 1:36.524.
LMP3 Qualifying Results:
- Hugo Schwarze (#85 R-ace GP) – 1:36.524
- Henry Cubides Olarte (#13 Inter Europol) – 1:37.031
- Daniel Nogales (#8 Team Virage) – 1:37.072
LMGT3 Updates
In the LMGT3 class, Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi secured pole on his ELMS debut, clocking a 1:42.289 in the #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG. The gap was a mere 0.063 seconds from Blake McDonald of TF Sport.
LMGT3 Qualifying Results:
- Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi (#62 Team Qatar) – 1:42.289
- Blake McDonald (#33 Corvette) – 1:42.352
- Matt Kurzejewski (#75 Proton Competition) – 1:42.472
The #51 AF Corse Ferrari did not participate due to damage sustained in earlier practice.
The race, the 2026 4 Hours of Barcelona, will commence at 12:00 CEST tomorrow, marking an exciting start to the ELMS season.
