United Autosports Clinches 2026 ELMS Title in Dominant Fashion at Portimão

United Autosports secured the 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) LMP2 championship with a commanding victory at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, as the #22 ORECA 07 – Gibson driven by Griffin Peebles, Gregoire Saucy, and Ben Hanley took the win in the concluding 4 Hours of Portimão.

Starting from pole, the #22 ORECA maintained a lead throughout the race, facing only one interruption due to a Safety Car caused by an incident involving the #63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3. Following a strong restart, Peebles expanded the team’s lead, which fluctuated between five and 15 seconds over competitors.

This championship marks United Autosports’ second ELMS LMP2 title, previously won in 2020, and signifies a notable achievement as the team breaks a streak of seven different champions in the series.

Finishing second, the #18 IDEC Sport ORECA of Jamie Chadwick, Valerio Rinicella, and Laurents Hörr crossed the line 12.089 seconds behind, taking their best result of the season and securing third in the overall standings. The #43 Inter Europol Competition, featuring Jakub Smiechowski, Nick Yelloly, and Tom Dillmann, rounded out the podium after a strong performance in the latter stages.

The #29 Forestier Racing by Panis ORECA finished fourth, successfully securing second place in the championship standings and an automatic invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In the LMP2 Pro/Am category, the #20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA claimed victory and the championship in dramatic fashion. Initially leading, the #14 TDS Racing ORECA was penalized for repeated track limit infringements, allowing Malthe Jakobsen of the Algarve Pro Racing team to snatch the championship by a mere 3.014 seconds, finishing ahead of the #47 CLX Motorsport ORECA.

The LMP3 category witnessed CLX Motorsport capture its fourth title with a win from the #17 Ligier JS P325 – Toyota, as Paul Lanchere, Alexander Jacoby, and Louis Iglesias carried the team to victory following a strategic pit stop. Their only title challengers, the #85 R-ace GP Duqueine, faced issues during a Virtual Safety Car period, falling to ninth place.

In LMGT3, the #75 Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 R claimed a second season victory but finished two points short of the championship title. TF Sport’s #33 Corvette Z06 effectively secured the championship with Charlie Eastwood at the wheel, narrowly defending the title amid a late-race penalty for their main rival.

The event concluded with notable challenges, including mechanical issues for several top contenders. Despite their setbacks, teams demonstrated resilience and strategy throughout the race, highlighting the competitive nature of the 2026 ELMS season.

Key Results:

• LMP2:

  • 1. 22 United Autosports ORECA 07 – Gibson

  • 2. 18 IDEC Sport ORECA

  • 3. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA

• LMP2 Pro/Am:

  • 1. 20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA

  • 2. 47 CLX Motorsport ORECA

  • 3. 14 TDS Racing ORECA

• LMP3:

  • 1. 17 CLX Motorsport Ligier

  • 2. 5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier

  • 3. 4 DKR Engineering Ligier

• LMGT3:

  • 1. 75 Proton Competition Porsche

  • 2. 33 TF Sport Corvette

  • 3. 54 High Class Racing Porsche

Next Steps:
The motorsports community will look ahead to the 2027 season, anticipating further developments and preparations as teams aim to build on their performances from this year.