United Autosports Clinches 2026 European Le Mans Series Title at Portimão

Portimão, Portugal — United Autosports secured the 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) LMP2 championship with a commanding victory at the season-ending 4 Hours of Portimão. The #22 ORECA 07 – Gibson, driven by Griffin Peebles, Gregoire Saucy, and Ben Hanley, controlled the race from pole position, marking the team’s second ELMS title after their first in 2020.

The race saw only one Safety Car deployment due to an early incident involving the #63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3. Following the restart, Peebles consistently maintained a lead fluctuating between five and 15 seconds over the course of the four hours, never truly threatened by competitors.

Final Standings in LMP2

1. #22 United Autosports ORECA (Peebles, Saucy, Hanley) – Winner
2. #18 IDEC Sport ORECA (Chadwick, Rinicella, Hörr) – 12.089 seconds behind
3. #43 Inter Europol Competition (Smiechowski, Yelloly, Dillmann)

The championship concludes a streak of seven different teams winning the LMP2 title, with the #18 IDEC Sport claiming its best finish of the season, allowing it to finish third overall in the standings. The #29 Forestier Racing by Panis ORECA secured second place in the championship, ensuring an automatic invite to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In LMP2 Pro/Am, Algarve Pro Racing’s #20 ORECA, piloted by Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli, and Malthe Jakobsen, captured both the race victory and the championship after a penalty shuffled the order in the final stages. The #14 TDS Racing, leading until the final lap, was demoted to third position due to a drive-through penalty.

LMP2 Pro/Am Final Standings

1. #20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA (Jensen, Trulli, Jakobsen)
2. #47 CLX Motorsport ORECA
3. #14 TDS Racing ORECA

Jakobsen noted, “It’s been a crazy day. We’ve been strong all season.”

In LMP3, CLX Motorsport defended its title with a fourth ELMS championship win after an assertive drive by the #17 Ligier JS P325, with drivers Paul Lanchere and Alexander Jacoby both finishing as champions.

LMP3 Final Standings

1. #17 CLX Motorsport Ligier
2. #5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier
3. #4 DKR Engineering Ligier

In the LMGT3 category, Proton Competition’s #75 Porsche 911 GT3 R won the race, but TF Sport’s #33 Corvette secured the championship title. The #75 led early but battled through the race to finish 21.077 seconds ahead.

LMGT3 Final Standings

1. #75 Proton Competition Porsche
2. #33 TF Sport Corvette – Champions

Proton’s Richard Lietz expressed pride in the team, acknowledging the challenges faced throughout the season.

The results from Portimão underscored United Autosports’ dominance and set the stage for a competitive 2027 season, with the team, drivers, and competitors looking to build on their performances into the future.

Race Results

LMP2:

1. 22 United Autosports

2. 18 IDEC Sport

3. 43 Inter Europol Competition

LMP2 Pro/Am:

1. 20 Algarve Pro Racing

2. 47 CLX Motorsport

3. 14 TDS Racing

LMP3:

1. 17 CLX Motorsport

2. 5 Rinaldi Racing

3. 4 DKR Engineering

LMGT3:

1. 75 Proton Competition

2. 33 TF Sport

Further updates to follow as the 2026 ELMS season concludes.