ELMS victors get 2025 Le Mans entries

Following the final round of the 2024 European Le Mans Series at Portimao on Saturday, five automatic invitations were confirmed for the 2025 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. By winning the LMP2 teams’ championship, AO by TF has secured an …

Following the final round of the 2024 European Le Mans Series at Portimao on Saturday, five automatic invitations were confirmed for the 2025 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

By winning the LMP2 teams’ championship, AO by TF has secured an invitation to the French classic, while Inter Europol Competition claimed an invitation of its own by finishing second in the class standings.

AF Corse, meanwhile, earned an invitation with the LMP2 Pro-Am win for the No. 83 ORECA, after winning the class title in dramatic circumstances on the final lap of the race.

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LMP3’s championship-winning outfit – RLR MSport – will also have the opportunity to enter next year’s Grand Prix D’Endurance in LMP2 following its triumph over Eurointernational and Team Virage in the nail-biting finale.

And finally, in LMGT3, after a title showdown during the weekend between nine of the 11 cars in the class, Iron Lynx came out on top with its Lamborghini Huracan and has been awarded an automatic invitation to enter the Le Mans 24 Hours in the LMGT3 class.

The title was sealed on the final corner of the final lap when Andrea Caldarelli darted past Iron Dames’ Michelle Gatting to narrowly take the class win and crown from Ferrari team Kessel Racing.

This set of five invitations adds to the pair handed out a week ago at Petit Le Mans. There, driver Nick Boulle claimed the Jim Trueman Award after his title-winning campaign with Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and AWA racer Orey Fidani won the Bob Akin Award for his efforts in GTD, granting him the chance to enter a car in the LMGT3 class next year.

Two additional invitations are also up for grabs over the winter in the Asian Le Mans Series, where the LMP2 and GT title-winning teams will be granted a space apiece on the 2025 Le Mans entry list.

Young ELMS standouts get FIA WEC rookie test invitations

A pair of standout 21-year-olds from this season’s European Le Mans Series, Reshad de Gerus and Gillian Henrion, have become the first two drivers confirmed for the FIA WEC’s post-season rookie test in Bahrain. De Gerus is set to drive a car …

A pair of standout 21-year-olds from this season’s European Le Mans Series, Reshad de Gerus and Gillian Henrion, have become the first two drivers confirmed for the FIA WEC’s post-season rookie test in Bahrain.

De Gerus is set to drive a car provided by the title-winning Hypercar manufacturer in the test, while Henrion will steer Manthey PureRxcing’s LMGT3 championship-winning Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 (pictured above).

Both drivers have been nominated to participate in the test by the WEC as a reward for their efforts in the ELMS this season.

De Gerus sits third in the LMP2 standings as part of IDEC Sport’s driver crew.

“I was really happy to receive the news — it was a fantastic start to my day! This has been a great year for me so far, and this is a wonderful opportunity for my career. It feels like all my efforts are really beginning to pay off,” he said.

“I’m super-excited to get the chance to discover the Hypercar. It will be a completely new experience for me. I know there will be more technology to get to grips with, and a big learning curve to understand how everything works. The Hypercar is heavier than my LMP2 car and obviously more powerful — and faster in every way!

“I will take the test one step at a time, with the objective of learning as much as I can. My ultimate goal is to race for a manufacturer at Hypercar level, so if I can show my potential in Bahrain, even better!”

Henrion, meanwhile, currently drives with Team Virage in its LMP3 class Ligier JS P320, having climbed the ACO’s ladder to the ELMS via the Ligier European Series and Le Mans Cup support series that run on the same bill.

“I’m extremely happy and proud to have been selected for the WEC rookie test. This will mark my first steps in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and getting closer to my goal of one day competing in this prestigious series is an amazing opportunity,” he said.

“It will be my first time in GT machinery, but I will do my best and learn in the best possible environment with Manthey PureRxcing. Nothing has been decided yet for next year, but I hope this experience will help me in the future.

“I would like to thank ACO President Pierre Fillon and WEC CEO Frédéric Lequien for giving me this chance. The path offered by the ACO pyramid proves that it’s possible to gradually reach the pinnacle of the sport. I started with the Ligier European Series in 2022, and two years later, here I am making my WEC debut. It’s a dream come true.”

The rookie test, first held in 2015, has provided a valuable opportunity for a number of young drivers to showcase their talents to factories over the years. The list of previous attendees includes current Hypercar drivers Robert Shwartzman, Norman Nato and Julian Andlauer.