Jake Hughes Sets the Pace on Opening Day of ELMS Pre-Season Testing
In a strong debut for Algarve Pro Racing, Jake Hughes clocked the fastest time during the opening day of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) pre-season test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, posting a remarkable 1:28.667 in the #25 ORECA 07 – Gibson LMP2. This time not only eclipsed Louis Delétraz’s morning benchmark but also surpassed last year’s best lap of 1:28.808.
The track session structure comprised a four-hour main session followed by two 30-minute segments for LMP3 and LMGT3, and then LMP2 and LMP2 Pro/Am categories. In the afternoon session, Scott Huffaker led the LMP2 Pro/Am field with a 1:29.894 in the #14 ORECA from TDS Racing, outpacing Alex Quinn in the #27 Nielsen Racing ORECA by a mere 0.157 seconds.
Tom Dillmann in the #43 Inter Europol Competition entry secured third overall, followed closely by the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis and #47 CLX Motorsport ORECAs. In LMP3, R-ace GP’s debut saw Pierre-Alexandre Provost take the top spot with a time of 1:38.226 in the #85 Duqueine D09 – Toyota, leading DKR Engineering’s Wyatt Brichacek by 0.260 seconds.
In the LMGT3 category, Kessel Racing’s Daniel Serra captured the fastest time, with a lap of 1:42.318 in the #57 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo, narrowly edging teammate Fran Rueda. Valentin Hasse-Clot completed the LMGT3 top three in the #59 Racing Spirit of Leman Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo.
Bruno Ribeiro set the best LMP3 time of the day during subsequent sessions, achieving a 1:38.664 for CLX Motorsport in the #17 Ligier, just 0.007 seconds faster than Douwe DeDecker’s #11 Eurointernational entry.
Testing was temporarily halted due to a red flag caused by Steven Thomas’s incident in the #14 TDS ORECA, but several teams managed to complete over 100 laps, with the #99 AO by TF ORECA leading the way at 140 laps.
The second day of testing will feature seven hours of track time, further refining setups ahead of the 2026 season.
Key Results:
- LMP2 Fastest: Jake Hughes (#25 Algarve Pro Racing) – 1:28.667
- LMP2 Pro/Am Leader: Scott Huffaker (#14 TDS Racing) – 1:29.894
- LMP3 Fastest: Pierre-Alexandre Provost (#85 R-ace GP) – 1:38.226
- LMGT3 Leader: Daniel Serra (#57 Kessel Racing) – 1:42.318
The testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya continues tomorrow, promising critical insights as teams prepare for the season ahead.
