AO by TF and AF Corse crowned 2024 Champions after thrilling finale
The 4 Hours of Portimão saw the ORECA 07 #14 of Louis Delétraz, Jonny Edgar, and Robert Kubica secure the LMP2 title. In the Pro-Am category, the ORECA 07 #83 of AF Corse retained its crown thanks to François Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxivière, and Alessio Rovera. Race victories went to the ORECA 07 #37 of Cool Racing and the ORECA 07 #77 of Proton Competition.
LMP2:
AO by TF added another impressive achievement to their record. Arriving in Portugal as championship leaders, the ORECA 07 #14 from the American team needed a strong race to clinch the LMP2 title. Navigating through various challenges, Louis Delétraz, Jonny Edgar, and Robert Kubica were crowned 2024 champions of the premier category of the European Le Mans Series. The Swiss driver also claimed his third title in the championship.
However, the #14 didn’t win in Portugal and had to settle for second place. Victory went to the ORECA #37 of Cool Racing. Lorenzo Fluxa, Malthe Jakobsen, and Ritomo Miyata finished the season on a high, after also winning the opening race in Barcelona. The trio managed every aspect of the race perfectly to take the top step of the podium. A late fuel stop for the ORECA 07 #30 of Duqueine Team in the final five minutes cleared the way for their success.
Nicolas Lapierre’s team even saw their sister car round out the top three. The ORECA 07 #47 of Carl Wattana Bennett, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Frederik Vesti contributed to a remarkable collective triumph for Cool Racing. Meanwhile, Inter Europol, after securing the IMSA title last week, didn’t enjoy the same success due to various incidents, including an early race collision for the #34. Still, both cars finished in the top five, and like AO Sport by TF, earned an invitation to the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Still in contention for the title, the ORECA 07 #65 of Panis Racing faced a tough final hour. Arthur Leclerc, Manuel Maldonado, and Charles Milesi crossed the finish line in 12th place. Like at Mugello in the previous race, the ORECA 07 #28 of IDEC Sport lost its chance of a good result after colliding with a Ferrari while battling for the lead.
LMP2 Pro-Am:
The ORECA 07 #83 of AF Corse did it! After missing their first chance to seal the title at Mugello, François Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxivière, and Alessio Rovera clinched their crown on track. The battle was intense, especially between Matthieu Vaxivière and his main rival Mathias Beche (Richard Mille by TDS). The two French drivers secured their second consecutive title together, guaranteeing AF Corse a spot on the starting grid for the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The ORECA 07 #29 of Richard Mille by TDS gave it everything. Rodrigo Sales, Matthias Beche, and Grégoire Saucy fought hard to turn the tide, but a drive-through penalty in the final moments dashed their hopes of a championship victory.
Giorgio Roda, René Binder, and Bent Viscaal helped the ORECA #77 of Proton Competition claim victory in the 4 Hours of Portimão—a first win for a crew that had already stood on the podium three times in 2024.
The ORECA 07 #20 of Algarve Pro Racing narrowly missed out on the championship by just a few points. Kriton Lentoudis, Richard Bradley, and Alex Quinn finished second, which wasn’t enough to overtake AF Corse. The Pro-Am podium saw the ORECA 07 #24 of Nielsen Racing (John Falb, Colin Noble, Nicholas Yelloly) claim the third spot.
Congratulations to the champions, and well done to all teams for the great spectacle throughout the season! See you at the end of March for what promises to be an epic season.
March 31–April 1: Prologue Barcelona
April 4-6: Barcelona
May 2-4: Le Castellet
July 4-6: Imola
August 22-24: Spa-Francorchamps
September 12-14: Silverstone
October 17-19: Portimão