2026 Le Mans Cup
The 2026 Le Mans Cup, known as the 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup for sponsorship reasons, will be the eleventh season of the Le Mans Cup. The six-event series will begin at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 11 April and conclude at Algarve International Circuit on 10 October. For the first time, the flagship Road to Le Mans event will feature a single, three-hour endurance race rather than a pair of sprint races.[1]
The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes in the LMP3 category and grand tourer sports cars in the GT3 class.
Calendar
The provisional calendar for the 2026 season was announced on 28 August 2025. All venues from the previous season returned, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans–supporting Road to Le Mans changing format from a pair of sprint races to a single, three-hour endurance race.[1][2]
| Rnd | Circuit | Location | Race Length | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | Montmeló, Spain | 2 hours | 11 April | |
| 2 | Circuit Paul Ricard | Le Castellet, France | 2 hours | 2 May | |
| 3 | Circuit de la Sarthe | Le Mans, France | 3 hours | 12 June | |
| 4 | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Stavelot, Belgium | 2 hours | 22 August | |
| 5 | Silverstone Circuit | Silverstone, United Kingdom | 1 hour, 50 minutes | 12 September | |
| 6 | Algarve International Circuit | Portimão, Portugal | 2 hours | 10 October | |
| Source:[3] | |||||
Entries
LMP3
All cars in the LMP3 class use the Toyota V35A-FTS 3.5 L twin-turbo V6 engine and Michelin tyres.[4] Entries in the LMP3 Pro-Am class, set aside for teams with a Bronze-rated driver in their line-up, are denoted with icons.
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- Natan Bihel was scheduled to compete for M Racing, but was replaced prior to the start of the season.[11]
GT3
Notes
- ^ Bukhantsov is Russian, but he competes under an Emirati licence as Russian national emblems were banned by the FIA following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
References
- ^ a b Goodwin, Graham (28 August 2025). "3 Hour Road To Le Mans Race Confirmed in 2026 Le Mans Cup Calendar". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ Defet, Florian (28 August 2025). "Road To Le Mans : Une course unique de trois heures". Endurance24 (in French). Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ "Three Hour Road To Le Mans Race is the Highlight of the 2026 Calendar". Le Mans Cup. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 28 August 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ "ACO announces next-gen LMP3 from 2025". 24 Hours of Le Mans. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 11 July 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Wane, Ewan (28 January 2026). "Record 45 Car Grid For 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ @23eventsracing; (18 March 2026). "The #50 Ligier JS P325 will be driven by @colinqueen111 and @giovanni_maschio 🏁". Retrieved 18 March 2026 – via Instagram.
- ^ de Celis, Jose Carlos (14 October 2025). "Campos Racing también estará en las carreras de resistencia". Motorsport.com (in Spanish). Motorsport Network. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ a b c Le Mans Cup [@lemanscup]; (12 March 2026). "New bold colours and a fresh lineup for @mracing_official! 👊". Retrieved 12 March 2026 – via Instagram.
- ^ R-ace GP [@r.ace.gp]; (4 March 2026). "She's back with R-ace GP! 🔥 We're happy to announce that @lena_buhler will be joining us for the 2026 @lemanscup season!". Retrieved 5 March 2026 – via Instagram.
- ^ R-ace GP [@r.ace.gp]; (5 March 2026). "🚨 Driver announcement 🚨 @enzo__peugeot joins our 2026 @lemanscup squad as the fourth and final driver of our line-up, ready to make his LMP3 debut next month in Barcelona 💥". Retrieved 5 March 2026 – via Instagram.
- ^ a b c "2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup - Season Entry List" (PDF). Google APIs. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ Mercier, Laurent (2 September 2025). "Code Racing Development in 2026 preparation mode". Endurance-Info (in French). Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "Kessel Racing : cap sur 2026 avec 12 Ferrari en piste". Endurance-Info (in French). 25 February 2026. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
- ^ a b c Blackthorn AMR [@blackthorn_amr]; (10 March 2026). "🏆 Écurie Écosse Blackthorn AMR is ready to return to the Michelin Le Mans Cup in 2026, with the #91 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo in its striking gold and black colours 🌟". Retrieved 10 March 2026 – via Instagram.