The ELMS is a true international championship

The provisional entry list for the final race of the 2014 European Le Mans Series season includes 37 cars from nine different countries, with around 100 drivers representing 18 diverse nationalities.

While France is the country best represented on the ELMS grid (10 cars and 30 drivers), the British are also flying the flag numerically in the European endurance racing series with 19 drivers and seven cars.  After that, it’s the Italians, who will enter six cars and 12 national drivers and the Russians, for the most part within the SMP Racing team, with five cars and 10 drivers.  Finally Switzerland rounds things out as four Swiss cars and 4 drivers from the country will be on the starting grid at Estoril. 

While Filipe Albuquerque has been the only local competitor to complete the full season, with the JOTA Sport team, for the Iberian round he will be joined by two other compatriots. Miguel Faisca is in the No.41 Greaves Motorsport LMP2 entry while the other, Filipe Barreiros, is with AF Corse in GTC (No.63).  Belgium, Germany and Austria will be represented by teams, while Mexico, Poland, Belarus, the Netherlands, Estonia, Monaco, the USA, Finland and Denmark will have their flags flown at Estoril on the helmets or suits of talented drivers.

A final which will have everyone on the edge of their seats

The finale for the 2014 European Le Mans Series will certainly be as exciting as that of 2013.  Indeed, as we go into the final race of the season all the championship titles are still open and up for grabs,  and the drivers as well as the teams will be doing their utmost until the very last minutes of the final laps to secure the 2014 ELMS “Teams” and “Drivers”  trophies.

In the top category, four teams are still in contention for the title of European champion. Signatech Alpine is defending its 2013 title and is currently leading the LMP2 class with 68 points, 10 more than second-placed JOTA Sport (58 points). The Swiss NewBlood by Morand Racing has shown that it can also be a front-runner with its victory at Paul Ricard and its third place at Silverstone. It now has 50 points in the classifications and can still win the 2014 title if it claims its second win this season and the first two do not finish better than 7th and 3rd respectively.  And that’s not all, for a fourth car also has a shot at the title; Race Performance is currently in fourth place overall and, should its rivals fail, it is mathematically still able to claim the 2014 crown. With their 68 points, Signatech Alpine’s drivers Nelson Panciatici (2013 LMP2 champion) and Paul- Loup Chatin (2013 LMPC Champion), as well as their teammate Oliver Webb, are well placed to pick up the “Drivers Trophy.  However, the trio at the wheel of the No.38 JOTA Sport Zytek Z11 SN Nissan, Simon Dolan, Harry Tincknell and local star Filipe Albuquerque, would love to score a second victory this season to win the 2014 title in Portugal.  A podium at Estoril on top of their 58 points would allow them to taste the [championship] victory champagne, providing Signatech Alpine finishes no higher than fourth. Gary Hirsch (2013 LMPC Champion) and Christian Klien, NewBlood by Morand Racing’s loyal drivers, are now only 18 points behind the Alpine drivers and eight behind the JOTA Sport drivers; everything is therefore still possible for the Swiss and the Austrian drivers. The team’s third driver, Pierre Ragues, having only participated in the last two rounds, totals 35 points cannot retain his 2013 “LMP2 Drivers” title.  Points scorers at every race this season, the Race Performance duo of Franck Mailleux and Michel Frey are in fourth place in the Drivers’ classification with 45 points. While it’s more difficult for the drivers of the No.34 ORECA 03-Judd to claim the title, mathematically it is still possible.

Four teams are therefore still able to win the championship, while no fewer than ten drivers can lay claim to the crown.

If the content is fascinating in the LMP2 class, it is equally so in LMGTE.  That the Italian Prancing Horse manufacturer will win the ELMS title is beyond doubt, but with which car?

The No.55 AF Corse F458 leads the LMGTE standings with 81 points, 21 more than the No.72 SMP Racing entry (60pts).  It will therefore be between these two competitors; the Italians having won three races, while the Russians have scored valuable points in each event with a win (Imola), second place (Silverstone) and three points for three pole positions..

In the LMGTE drivers’ point table, it would be hard to imagine that defending champion Matt Griffin (his 2013 title won with Ram Racing) won’t be doing everything in his power to repeat the performance in 2014. With his teammate Duncan Cameron, the duo currently hold 81 points but their third teammate, Michele Rugolo, did not take part in the Imola race and only has 75 points so can’t claim the 2014 “Driver” title.

At SMP Racing, Andrea Bertolini (2010 GT1 World Champion) would like to get back to title success, while Viktor Shaitar (2013 GTC champion) would love to claim the crown for the next class above last year’s.  Teamed with Sergey Zlobin (currently leading the FIA WEC LMP2 drivers’ standings), the 60 points of the second-placed men could still exceed the 81 of the leaders if they win and the AF Corse drivers finish in 9th. And what about the GTC class, which still has three teams and eight drivers vying for the trophies awarded to both?  At SMP Racing, hands will be rubbed with glee as the No.73 F458 Italia GT3 of the Russian team is leading the class with 79 points while the team’s No.71 entry is third with 54. Both can still claim the Team Trophy, but the No.60 Ferrari of the Danish Formula Racing team has been very consistent throughout the season and is currently second, just 18.5 points behind its rival.

After setting two pole positions and taking three podiums finishes, its total is 60.5 points which means the Danish team is still in with a chance if it wins and the No.73 runs into trouble. 

With one win and one pole position, No.71 SMP Racing F458 Italia GT3 could also shake things up and it’s no less exciting for its drivers.  Anton Ladygin, David Markozov and Monégasque Olivier Beretta (SMP Racing No.73) are at the head of the class with 79 points, followed by Johnny Laursen and Mikkel Mac on 60.5 points. Jan Magnussen, the third driver for the Danish team, wasn’t present for the No.60’s Imola victory so has 34.5 points and is 6th in the standings, unable to claim the title this year.  

In third place in the drivers’ classification are Aleksey Basov and Luca Persiani, with 54 points, the same as Kirill Ladygin who was ELMS GTC champion last year.  With one win and one pole position, the 2013 champion could join his teammates in taking the 2014 crown … The 4 Hours of Estoril thus promises battles from start to finish and, as nothing is yet decided, both teams and drivers are going to be working extra hard to achieve the best possible results.

Emotions will therefore be running high on 18 and 19th October in Portugal, venue for the 4 Hours of Estoril!

Provisional entry list HERE (as of September 26, 2014) Provisional standings after Round 4 of the Championship (Paul Ricard) HERE