United Autosports ends the season in style!
On Sunday October 24th, the 4 Hours of Portimao marked the end of an intense 2021 European Le Mans Series season! At the end of the final round, the #22 United Autosports ORECA 07 crossed the finish line in first place and secured the runner-up spot, synonymous with an invitation to the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours. In the LMP2 Pro-Am class, Cool Racing took the win, but it was G-Drive Racing who took the title in the #25 car.
Effective race strategy and performance were the perfect ingredients to give the #22 ORECA 07 shared by Tom Gamble, Phil Hanson and Jonathan Aberdein their first win of the season. United Autosports is at the same time the first team to win the 4 Hours of Portimao twice (after a first success in 2018).
By passing the checkered flag with 21.7 seconds ahead of the #41 ORECA 07 of Team WRT, already assured of the title with the trio Yifei Ye, Ribert Kubica and Louis Deletraz, the British team secures a second place in the Championship and therefore an invitation to the next 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ferdinand Habsburg, Sophia Floersch and Richard Bradley completed the podium. The Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07 was in good form throughout the weekend and ended the year on a high note.
The top five was completed by the #65 Panis Racing car, third in the championship, and the #26 G-Drive Racing car, which was very fast but delayed by a penalty.
Starting from pole position, the second in a row for Charles Milesi, and after leading the first part of the race interrupted by a red flag due to a crash between the Duqueine and an LMP3, Cool Racing finished sixth if the #36 ORECA 07 driven by Nicolas Lapierre, Charles Milesi and Alexandre Coigny won the LMP2 Pro-Am class, the title went to the trio of John Falb and Rui Andrade, accompanied in Portugal by Gustavo Menezes in the #25 G-Drive Racing Aurus 01 (second in class and eighth overall ahead of the #28 IDEC Sport Racing car).
“The 2021 edition of the European Le Mans Series has produced some great battles with some competitive events. WRT has been impressive in its first season; well done to Vincent Vosse, his drivers and his team. However, the other teams showed that the race is open: the victories of G-Drive, Panis Racing and United Autosports prove it. The Pro-Am Trophy was also interesting to follow. The field combined quality and quantity, a particularly high level of sportsmanship, as well as some room for strategy. The composition of the grid made up of experienced drivers, young people who show their talent, and bronze drivers who show an excellent level is also the beauty of this championship. 2022 is already in the minds of many and promises to be another exciting season with the arrival of new teams, but until then the FIA WEC and IMSA finals promise to be interesting to follow.” Anthony Megevand, Head of Customer Competition
In 2022, the ELMS will feature six races on world-class circuits. The season will kick off at Le Castellet on April 17, followed by Imola, Hungaroring, Barcelona, Spa-Francorchamps and Portimao.