2018 Road to Le Mans

The 3rd Road to Le Mans was an automobile endurance event composed of two 55-minute races contested by 50 teams of two drivers each racing Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) and Group GT3 (GT3) cars. It was held on 14 and 16 June 2018 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France, as a support event for the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans and the third round of six in the 2018 Le Mans Cup. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) organised the third Road to Le Mans race along with the Le Mans Cup promoter Le Mans Endurance Management.

A Ligier JS P3-Nissan car shared by Mikkel Jensen and Kay van Berlo of EuroInternational won the first race after starting from pole position and leading every lap. The United Autosports duo of John Falb and Sean Rayhall finished in second and DKR Engineering's Leonard Hoogenboom and Jens Petersen took third. The GT3 category was won by the AF Corse pair of Marco Cioci and Piergiuseppe Perazzini sharing a Ferrari 488 GT3 from the Kessel Racing duo of Sergio Pianezzola and Giacomo Piccini. The second race was won by the Lanan Racing team of Michael Benham and Duncan Tappy sharing a Norma M30-Nissan after overtaking Rayhall in the final three laps. Falb and Rayhall duplicated their first race result by finishing in second and the DB Autosport duo of Nicolas Schatz and Jacques Wolff completed the overall podium in third. Maurizio Mediani and Christoph Ulrich of Spirit of Race won the GT3 class in a Ferrari from Kessel Racing's Andrea Piccini and Claudio Schiavoni.

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) organised the 2018 Road to Le Mans for Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) and Group GT3 (GT3) cars along with the Michelin Le Mans Cup promoter Le Mans Endurance Management. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, near Le Mans, France on 14 and 16 June 2018. This was the third running of the race, the third round of six in the 2018 Le Mans Cup and served as a support event for the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans.^[1][2][3]

Leonard Hoogenboom and Jens Petersen led the LMP3 Drivers' Championship with 50 championship points after winning the first two races of the season at Paul Ricard and Monza. The duo were 17 championship points ahead of the second-placed James Littlejohn and Anthony Wells and 27 in front of the third-placed John Farano and Job van Uitert.^[4] Sergio Pianezzola and Giacomo Piccini led the GT3 Drivers' Championship with 51 championship points following victories at Paul Ricard and Monza, 21 ahead of Maurizio Mediani and Christoph Ulrich in second.^[5] The No. 3 DKR Engineering team led the LMP3 Teams' Championship with 51 championship points, leading the No. 2 Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen squad by 17 championship points.^[6] With 51 championship points, the No. 8 Kessel Racing team led the GT3 Teams' Championship by 21 championship points over the No. 51 Spirit of Race squad.^[7]

After the 2017 Road to Le Mans, modifications were made to the Porsche Curves section of the Circuit de la Sarthe to increase safety. A large run-off area at the exit of the corner was constructed. The ACO also built a new starting line gantry 145 m (476 ft) further up the main straight to increase the capacity for cars at the beginning of the races. The changes shortened the lap distance by 3 m (9.8 ft).^[8]

A selection committee invited all current Le Mans Cup entrants and selected one-off entries to the race. Teams competing in Le Mans-based endurance racing series such as the Asian Le Mans Series (AsLMS), the Asian Le Mans Sprint Cup, the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and the IMSA SportsCar Championship got priority in receiving invitations. Each car was piloted by two drivers and each team had to sign a Bronze-rated driver and either a second Bronze-rated or a Silver or Gold-rated racer. A driver was permitted no more than at least 20 minutes to drive on the track and the race regulations dictated a change of driver during the mandatory pit stops.^[1][2] According to the race's regulations, all teams had to make a mandatory pit stop lasting no less than two minutes between the 22nd and 32nd minutes of both races.^[9] All competitors (regardless of whether they were full-time Le Mans Cup status) in both classes were eligible to score championship points provided they finished anywhere from first and below. The two pole position winners for each of the two races in each class received one championship point.^[9]

The entry list was published by the ACO on 26 April 2018.^[1] The 50-car entry list included 42 LMP3 and 8 GT3 cars,^[10] the maximum capacity for the race.^[9] In addition to the 30 guaranteed Le Mans Cup entries, there were 11 ELMS entries, two from the AsLMS while the rest of the field was filled with one-off entries only competing at Le Mans.^[10] There were 100 drivers entered by 27 racing teams from 26 different nations.^[11] There were three manufacturers represented in the LMP3 and they were Ginetta, Ligier and Norma.^[12] Many of the LMP3 entries came from the Le Mans Cup and most fielded Ligier JS P3-Nissans. The 12 non-Ligier cars were 11 Norma M30 vehicles and a single Ginetta-Juno P3-15. There were two manufacturers (Ferrari and Porsche) who were represented in the GT3 category.^[13] A total of six Ferrari 488 GT3 and one Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R each were the three cars entered in the class.^[12][13]

Two one-hour practice sessions were held on the evening of 13 June and the morning of 14 June.^[9] Duncan Tappy set the fastest overall lap time in the No. 25 Lanan Racing Norma car with a time of 3:54.062. He was 0.433 seconds ahead of Sean Rayhall's No. 33 United Autosports Ligier entry, the highest-placed Ligier vehicle. The No. 9 Cool Racing Norma car of Scott Andrews was third.^[14][15] All three drivers lapped within half a second of each other.^[16] The GT3 category was led by the No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari of Marco Cioci with a lap of 4:00.215 he set in the final ten minutes. Cioci was almost a second faster than the second-placed No. 51 Spirit of Race Ferrari driven by Mediani.^[14][15]

The second practice session took place in dry but cloudy weather conditions.^[17] Laurents Hörr was the fastest driver overall with a lap time of 3:50.599 he set in the No. 30 CD Sport Norma car. The No. 11 EuroInternational Ligier entry of Mikkel Jensen was second-fastest, 0.924 seconds slower than Hörr. Jensen demoted Andrews's No. 9 Cool entry to third overall. The quickest GT3 car was the No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari of Piergiuseppe Perazzini with a lap time of 3:58.166. Perazzini was 0.130 seconds quicker than the second-placed No. 54 Spirit Ferrari of Frédéric Vervisch. Practice was stopped seven minutes early to allow marshals to recover a car stopped on the circuit.^[17][18]

There were two 20-minute qualifying sessions held on the afternoon of 14 June to set the starting order for both races. The first session saw any one driver be allowed by their teams to participate to determine the starting grid for the first race and each team's Bronze-rated driver partook in the second session to set the starting order for the second race.^[1][9] Jensen ran cleanly and lapped fastest overall in a time of 3:51.315 in the No. 11 EuroInternational Ligier car to secure pole position for the first race in the LMP3 category. Andrews qualified the No. 9 Cool car in second, 0.110 seconds slower. Littlejohn put the No. 2 Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen Ligier entry in third, followed by Matt Bell's No. 22 United Autosports entry in fourth.^[19][20] The No. 1 DKR Norma vehicle of James Winslow completed the top five.^[19][21] Qualifying was stopped with 8 minutes and 20 seconds remaining because Niclas Jönsson's wheel detached from the No. 15 M.Racing - YMR Ligier car.^[19][22] Cioci's No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari took the GT3 pole position with a lap time of 3:55.867, more than a second faster than Vervisch's No. 54 Spirit Ferrari.^[22] The session was ended early with a minute and four seconds to go when Ivor Dunbar's No. 75 Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen car went off the circuit and into the Porsche Curves gravel trap.^[20][22]

Slow zones stopped drivers from setting competitive lap times for most of the second qualifying session.^[19][20] The No. 39 Graff Norma entry of Eric Trouillet set the fastest lap time to claim pole position in the LMP3 class with a lap time of 3:54.192. Anthony Pons was second in the No. 30 CD Norma car to secure a front row lockout for Norma vehicles, 0.696 seconds behind.^[19][20] The third-place qualifier was the No. 11 EuroInternational Ligier entry of Kay van Berlo.^[23] He was followed by the No. 3 DKR car driven by Petersen in fourth position.^[20] The No. 75 Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen car lost its front-right wheel but managed to return to the pit lane.^[20] The No. 44 SPV Racing Ligier entry ran off the track at Dunlop corner and went into the gravel trap, ending the session prematurely.^[23] In GT3, the No. 8 Kessel Ferrari of Pianezzola set a lap time of 4:01.382 to achieve pole position in the category, more than a second faster than any other driver.^[20][23] Perazzini's No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari was second in class.^[23]

Teams who set the pole position lap time in each class in the two qualifying sessions are denoted in bold and by a †.

The first 55-minute race commenced at 17:30 local time on 14 June.^[1][2] It was held in dry but cloudy weather conditions ranging from 18.65 to 19.5 °C (65.57 to 67.10 °F) and a track temperature between 20 and 21.5 °C (68.0 and 70.7 °F).^[27][28] 49 cars were due to take the start,^[24] but Bell's No. 22 United Autosports Ligier entry stopped on the formation lap but rejoined the race four laps down.^[29][30] When the lights went out to begin the race, Jensen maintained the No. 11 EuroInternational entry's pole position advantage from Andrews's No. 9 Cool Norma car.^[31] Littlejohn spun at the first Mulsanne chicane and picked up a right-rear puncture because of a collision with Burdon's No. 59 RLR MSport Ligier vehicle.^[29] Littlejohn returned to the pit lane and fell one lap behind.^[27][29] Furtherback, Perazzini maintained the GT3 class lead from Louis Soenen's No. 54 Spirit Ferrari,^[31] who overtook Ulrich's No 51 Spirit Ferrari on the first lap.^[29] Pianezzola began closing up to the category leaders and moved the No. 8 Kessel Ferrari to second in class by lap three before gaining on the class-leading Perrazini.^[27] At the front, Jensen and Andrews were battling for the overall lead,^[31] as Pianezzola took the GT3 class lead from Perazzini on lap five.^[27]

Following the series of compulsory pit stops, the No. 11 EuroInternational car of Van Berlo maintained the overall lead, with his advantage extended to be 21 seconds ahead of Dan Polley's No. 1 DKR entry that had moved into second. Rayhall's No. 33 United Autosports car moved into third place by overtaking three cars on lap eight and he then passed Polley for second two laps later.^[29][31] Piccini relieved from Pianezzola in the GT3-class leading No. 8 Kessel Ferrari and held the lead until the car was imposed a 30-second stop-and-go-penalty for speeding during a Slow Zone procedure prior to the pit stop phase.^[27][31] This promoted Cioci's No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari to the GT3 lead as the penalty dropped Piccini to second.^[29] At the front, Van Berlo maintained the lead the No. 11 EuroInternational car had held since the first lap to secure the overall win.^[30] The No. 33 United Autosports car of John Falb and Rayhall finished 19.505 seconds behind in second after Rayhall was lapping faster than Van Berlo but was unable to close up sufficiently to Van Berlo.^[30][32] The No. 3 DKR duo of Hoogenboom and Petersen completed the podium in third. The No. 71 AF Corse team won the GT3 class by 46.7 seconds over the No. 8 Kessel Ferrari, which was 0.7 seconds ahead of the sister No. 77 Kessel Ferrari in third.^[31]

Winners in each class are denoted in bold and ‡

The second 55-minute race commenced at 11:30 local time on 16 June.^[1][2] It was held in dry but light cloudy weather conditions ranging from 18.6 to 19.85 °C (65.48 to 67.73 °F) and a track temperature between 18.25 and 25 °C (64.85 and 77.00 °F).^[33][34] Trouillet maintained the lead heading into the Dunlop chicane.^[35] At turn two, Trouillet lost control of the car when the rear of the No. 39 Graff vehicle was hit from behind. The No. 11 EuroInternational car was caught up in the accident, moving Hörr's No. 30 CD Sport entry into the race lead. The GT3 pole sitter Pianezzola in the No. 8 Kessel Ferrari ran wide off the circuit onto the dirt at the braking zone for the Michelin chicane.^[34][36] The lack of grip experienced by Pianezzola caused him to slide sideways and crash into Cioci's No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari. Cioci in turn crashed into Graff's No. 65 Norma car. All three cars retired from the race. The safety car was deployed for 15 minutes to allow for the recovery of the damaged cars.^[34][35][36]

When racing resumed, the No. 30 CD Racing car pulled away from the No. 25 Lanar Racing Norma vehicle of Michael Benham, who had moved from sixth to second on the first lap. Benham was duelling Jean-Baptiste Lahaye's No. 19 Ultimate Norma car until Lahaye overtook Benham at Mulsanne corner for second position.^[34][35] Petersen's No. 3 DKR car and Colin Noble's No. 79 Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen Ligier vehicle collided at the entry to the Michelin chicane, sending Noble into the gravel trap.^[34][36] A Slow Zone was enforced to allow for Noble's car to be moved behind the safety barriers.^[35] The mandatory pit stops began soon after and the race lead went to Adrien Chila's No. 40 Graff Norma entry.^[34][37] The CD Sport car lost time in the pit lane due to an engine problem.^[37][38] Rayhall had moved into second overall in United Autosport's No. 33 car and took the race lead with a passing manoeuvre on Chila heading towards the second Mulsanne chicane.^[36]

Mediani's No. 51 Spirit Ferrari took over the GT3 class lead from the sister No. 54 Ferrari through his co-driver Ulrich's stint.^[35][36] At the front, Tappy in the No. 25 Lanan Norma car was gaining on the race-leading Rayhall at a rate of half a second per lap.^[36] Tappy slipstreamed Rayhall after exiting the second Mulsanne chicane,^[37][38] and overtook him on the outside entering the right-hand Mulsanne corner for the race lead.^[36][37] Tappy pulled away from Rayhall while scything his way through slower cars until Rayhall closed up in the final two laps.^[36] Lanan Racing held the lead for the rest of the race to secure victory by 0.699 seconds ahead of the No. 33 United Autosports team, which repeated their second-place result from the first race. The No. 21 DB Autopsort Norma car of Nicolas Schatz and Jacques Wolff completed the overall podium in third position.^[37] The No. 51 Spirit Ferrari won the GT3 category by a minute over the No. 77 Kessel Ferrari. The sister No. 50 Kessel Ferrari rounded out the class podium in third.^[34]

Winners in each class are denoted in bold and ‡

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for the Drivers' and Teams' Championship standings.

• Official website