It is time to cover a new championship here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog. This is the Le Mans Cup, a steppingstone series to the European Le Mans Series and other forms of top sports car racing around the world, specifically designed for Pro Am and amateur drivers, utilizing LMP3 cars in the prototype class, and GT3 cars in the GT class. This is the first of half a dozen races scheduled for the championship in 2021. Hoping to bring all six of them to you. The first event takes place here, at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, a track familiar to Formula 1 fans as the vast majority of Formula 1 testing and also, the Spanish Grand Prix, happen here.
There is a far larger contingent of LMP3 entries than GT3 entries. The GT3 class is comprised of half a dozen automobiles, and of those, Ferrari dominates the ranks with four entries, along with one entry each from both Porsche and Mercedes Benz. Last year, this race was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. But, it is now back on the cards. The season will have two hour races. We have Dr. Jonathan Palmer and Graeme Goodwin in the commentary box today. Lots new about this season as we get ready to roll.
We have bad news, and one car won't start this motor race. The Sarah Bovy driven car along with Doriane Pin won't start today. That's the #9 Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GT3. They still have one car entered in the race today. Right now, it is the morning warmup. We are getting ready to get the race underway. These times don't count, but it's an opportunity to get the cobwebs blown out. Everyone will be in the zone for the next two hours. Mandatory, two 130 second pit stops. The first driver change has to be done before one hour is on the board. The second stop is a fueling splash and dash with 20 minutes left in the motor race. There is a new, bigger Nissan V8 motor, 5.6 liters displacement of course.
We have a number of cars and drivers to talk about as we look at the circuit. 4.6 kilometers, a tad less than three miles. Turn ten has been opened up compared to how it has been before. There's more space on the turn ten exit. The length of the course has changed slightly, and lap times have changed as well. CD Sport from Spain are in their home race, with Michael Jensen and Adam Eteki. Team Virage is also based in Valencia. For this race, the LMP3 and GT3 cars occupy the same area as the European Le Mans Series cars that we will see in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, racing here.
Josh Skelton for Cool Racing, he is a rookie in this championship and in ELMS. Could not hear what he said. He is coming to sports cars right out of Formula 4 single seater racing. He was in British Formula 3 last year. The LMP3 cars are high performing machines and we have also seen these exact cars in IMSA Prototype Challenge for example, and in their own LMP3 class in the WeatherTech Championship. The engines have fired, to get the cobwebs out, once again. Race Director Edorado Freitas has counted down the opening of the pit exit for LMP3 cars only.
26 LMP3 cars in this race. The cars thunder towards us as the drivers have to be happy to be back. We wish we could be here in person. Grab a cup of coffee and a muffin or donut, and enjoy this race with us. Cars #7 and #20 under investigation for pit exit procedures already. We have the #7 Nielsen Racing Ligier of Colin Noble and Anthony Wells, and the #20 car of Mark Crader and Alex Mortimer. Iron Lynx in GT3 has pole. This is the all Italian duo of Paolo Ruberti and Rino Mastronardi, two Italian's. Ruberti says "I don't know what the issue is."
So, the cars head out behind the safety car on the formation lap, the recon lap. Addess is one of the newer LMP3 chassis' in this series. We'll have a hybrid electric car coming into the series later in the season, so stay tuned for that. The top five teams have all opted to start their young drivers, the young whippersnappers vs. the gentleman drivers. The young drivers are not Silver rated. A good number of them are Bronze rated. Names like Torsten Kratz and Finn Gehrsitz for example. This is a launch into the unknown with the younger drivers along with the semi professional drivers out there. This is going to be a wild race.
Get ready to roll. It's time to race, now. Red lights out, and away we go! This is a land rush and Torsten Kratz goes to second while we have a spinner in the middle of the pack. The LMP3 cars are flying. Brois Smith and Mikey Benham, a couple veterans go through s Torsten Kratz is the bloke who got away well. Antoine Doquin leads the motor race sharing with Josh Skelton in the #37 DKR Engineering car. Second right now is the #5 entry, the Phoenix Racing car. United Autosports and Nielsen Racing are scrapping.
In GT3 we can see Swiss driver Nicolas Leutwiler from Switzerland, leading. Oh boy. Kriton Lendoudis of Greece has spun. But he has gotten back into the race. Alexander Matschull and Jon Brownson battling already. Some of these drivers, we have seen in Asian Le Mans competition already. Michael Jensen is running well and there are a couple other drivers to look at. Rob Hodes and the #12 Black Falcon car of the German duo of Maik Rosenberg and Donar Nils Munding. The #98 Motorsport98 car is also one to look at.
Now, in GT3, it's a Mercedes and Ferrari battle between Kenneth Heyer and Kenji Abe. Kriton Lendoudis is driving a very wide car at the moment while Donar Nils Munding is chasing Matthias Luthen. Michael Jensen has moved around Kriton Lendoudis. Gerry Kraut, Mark Crader, Patrice Lafargue, and others are in a scrap right now. We watch xith, seventh, and eight. Jacques Wolff, Maurice Smith, and more. In GT3, the batle is indeed between Nicki Leutwiler and Rino Mastronardi. Wim Spinoy is down the order, in the sole Mercedes AMG GT3 for 10Q Racing Team.
Tony Wells also has his hands full with another car as Daniel Schneider has crashed the #32 United Autosports Ligier which has crunched the rear end of the automobile. Gosh. That car is busted up. Poor old Daniel Schneider had to be a passenger there. Now, he has probably driven the car to the pit lane, but how? That's incredible, because as we just mentioned, the tail on that car is busted up in a big way. Donar Munding, he makes his move on Tony wells, and the #32 car will need a new decklid and a new floor.
The legality cheese wedge does not have locating points. The rear wing is separate on these LMP3 cars. Eighteen minutes into the motor race so far. The marshals are investigating the incident. The rar wing is badly bent forward as well. The paint job is pretty, but the car is definitely damaged. Meanwhile back to the racing, and we can see Black Falcon hounding Racing Spirit of Le Mans. Donar Munding chasing Jacques Wolf of France, sharing with countryman Theo Chalal. Oh no. Another car has wrecked. That's the #3 DKR Engineering car of John Brownson, spun into the gravel trap and stuck. We have a Full Course Yellow on the circuit.
Putting your quicker driver into an LMP3 car is a true gamble in this championship. The safety car has picked up the leading #37 Cool Racing car. The #16 car is in the lane as well, for Team Virage. The safety truck is recovering the #3 car while Antoine Doquin is driving. Car #22 for United Autosport is in the lane. American Gerald Kraut sharing with Aussie Scott Andrews who we've seen in IMSA. Pit stop time now for the #55 entry, the Rinaldi Racing Duqueine of Steve Parrow and Dominik Schwager, two German drivers.
The #71 Team Virage car of Rob Hodes is back on track. Hodes, Parrow, Kraut, Lendoudis, all these chaps who started the race are still in their cars. Hodes sharing with Canadian Garrett Grist. This is a mega roll of the dice as the repairs are underway in the pit lane. Maybe oil got under the tires and the rear end swapped. The Ligier, Duqueine, and Addess LMP3 machines are all good looking cars, as we get ready to race again. Addess has been building LMP3 cars since 2016. Green flag and we are underway once more a half hour into the race. Rinaldi Racing were bang on the money with their pit stop time at two minutes, ten seconds. Morris Smith is one of the drivers running well, and we are now looking at Donar Munding, only 3.7 seconds away from the leaders.
He is monstering Mike Benham at the moment, a quarter of the race done and dusted. Michael Benham vs. Donar Munding. That's the scrasp we are currently looking at. Torsten Kratz ahead of Michael Jensen. Erwin Creed and Eric de Doncker are going for it. Speaking of going for it. Rino Mastronardi is pressing Nicky Leutwiler, and I don't have to tell you, hard! Mastronardi finally moves around Leutwiler. Mastronardi did very well as a lone champion in MLMC last year. Rinaldi Racing have had a driver change, but they've not changed the indication. 1:42.979 for Rinaldi which is a quick time. It's got to be Dominik Schwager at the wheel of it.
Steve Parrow has to be put in the car, but remember, you cannot do a driver change on the second pit stop. Mikey Benham and Donar Munding, these two blokes are all over each other. Donar Munding makes his move through the awkward last chicane here in Barcelona. Black Falcon have moved to fourth spot. The #66 Rinaldi Racing car is next in line. Alexander Matschull of Germany sharing with Nicolas Varrone of Argentina. Eric De Doncker has Maurice Smith and Donar Munding all over him. The DKR Engineering car is still being repaired. Maurice Smith and Mikey Benham are pressing each other. It's Cool Racing vs. Black Falcon.
Benham makes the move on Maurice Smith. But, definitely, Donar Munding got the dummy sold to him on that deal. Antoine Doquin leads Finn Gehrsitz. Dominik Schwager has been aboard the #55 Rinaldi Racing LMP3 car but DKR Engineering, they are still working on their car. Dominik Schwager makes his move on a couple of cars including Rob Hodes and the Icelandic entry, Team Thor. Audun Gundmondsson sharing with Englishman Tom Ashton. Rino Mastronardi is still chasing Nicky Leutwiler as Michael Jensen spins the #33 car and the #21 car smashes the barriers! The car steered right with no warning whatsoever.
Erwin Creed is very upset with himself. He spins, goes straight into the wall, and, crunch! This is the Muhlner Motorsports car, the Duqueine M30-D08, totally destroyed. A brand new automobile as well. Debris is strewn all over the road as we look again at that massive impact. Josh Skelton is readying to take over the race leading car. A penny for the thoughts of this rookie driver. The safety car has been dispatched again. Jacques Wolf and John Schauerman both pit. Schauerman, the American, for United Autosport. We look again at Erwin Creed's accident, and there was debris all over the shop, coming out from under the car.
#21 is busted. Thankfully Erwin Creed is OK. He got out of the car under his own steam. The GT3 cars have a 55 minute drive time for two pit stops, and 50 minutes in LMP3. Everyone has burned one long stop at this point. Many teams will be praying for a safety car. We are in the pit window for LMP3 now. The top ten have not stopped at all, actually the top eleven. Here come the LMP3 cars. One after the other. It is like Grand Central Station down here in the lane as Josh Skelton is into the Cool Racing #37 car. #98, Eric de Doncker changes to Dino Lunardi.
The #5 Phoenix Racing car is in the lane as well, the Hamza Owega/Finn Gehrsitz car. Leading the race now, the #16 Team Virage car. Sacha Lehmann handed the car to Julien Gerbi. Rob Hodes started the sister car and now, Garrett Grist is into that car. The restart has happened and we are under green. Adam Eteki is pressing hard in the CD Sport entry, the Spanish car, the home team. The GT pit stops will start happening as we see many cars investigated for exiting the lane under a red light. Oh dear, oh dear.
The safety car ducked in, and the leading cars were right in the spot on pit straight. The GT3 cars are diving into the lane beyond the 55 minute mark in the race. Iron Lynx vs. the Porsche for Pzoberer Zurichsee. Team Virage leads Rinaldi Racing right now. Julien Gerbi over Dominik Schwager. So, who will come out of the lane first. Dominik Schwager has gone ahead of Julien Gerbi. Poor old Gerbi was a sitting duck in turn one. Adam Eteki uncorks the fastest lap of the race at 1:42.420. Now, Jacques Wolf has finished his driving stint and handed the car to Theo Chalal. The #66 car has a borken light as we have reached halfway in the race. One hour done. One to go.
Wayne Boyd now resets fastest lap. Hamza Owega is being monstered by Josh Skelton. It's hard to read these races. Skelton is pressig very hard against Hamza Owega. Phoenix Racing vs. Cool Racing. The Addess has made it's pit stop. Simon Escalier of France is one of the drivers for the French team R-Breizh Competition, car #56. #16 is in the lane for a second pit stop. That's the Lehmann/Gerbi car. Oh no! Josh Skelton is off the road from the race lead, stuck in the gravel. He went for a move, ran out of road, and spun the car, burying it in the gravel.
One smash of the accelerator and Skelton buries the car further into the gravel. Safety car dispatched. Poor old Josh Skelton is a sitting duck. When it rains it pours for the #56, the Addess team, with multiple penalties. Cedric Chapron of France is the co-driver for Simon Escalier, so an all French lineup in that automobile. The #37 car is missing a taillight but not the bullet, the cheese wedge. John Brownson is in the lane and could change over in the #3 United Autosport car, to Dario Cangialosi. So, Josh Skelton is back on track as we remain under the safety car.
The leader is now pitting. That's the #55 Rinaldi entry. So, they will be in the pound seats, perhaps. But, if they have stopped in the lane in error, they might get a penalty, but we'll have to wait and see. Dominik Schwager has not done his whole stint, and he had to wait at the red light. Oops. Steve Parrow is in the car. But they need now to make two more pit stops. The second pit stop must be 130 seconds, and not done before the hour and 40 minutes mark. Refuel the car, clean the windscreen, adjust your tires, change the drink bottle. You can't do a driver change. The safety car remains on the speedway.
Cool Racing team boss Nicolas Lapierre is very excited and happy about his team and the young drivers he is coaching. Cool Racing has the #37 but also the #69 car with Maurice Smith and Matt Bell. Steve Parrow will have to race another 17 minutes before handing it off, again, to Dominik Schwager. We have some interesting teams and drivers at the top of the shop in LMP3. RLR M Sport has Tommy Foster who has taken the car over from Mike Benham. Motorsport98 has a problem trying to catch up and so is the #55. Eric De Doncker and Dino Lundardi in the car, running 17th. Will Lundardi have to pit? We shall see.
43 minutes to go in this stop/go race we've seen today. Theo Chalal leads over Garrett Grist in LMP3. This is for the overall. Colin Noble, Adam Eteki, Matt Bell, and more, a lot of good drivers are pressing their way to the front. Adam Eteki will need to pit again. Michael Jensen, also, may have come up short on his drive time as well. Maybe the data is slightly skewed. We'll have to check the Alkamel timing system. #56 will have to do a drive through. Garrett Grist is being chased by Matt Bell while Hamza Owega is next up. Rui Aguas, the Portuguese driver, has taken over from Kriton Lendoudis, the Greek ace in the AF Corse LMP3 car. Meanwhile, Virage and Garrett Grist have gone to the lead and for sure, the team has gone bonkers with delight.
A Canadian driver for a Polish team. Sacha Lehmann is the team car, and he is holding up his team mate, Garrett Grist. Rui Aguas in the delayed car for AF Corse is still in the way. In GT3, the gap is 1.9 seconds between Julien Andlauer and Paolo Ruberti, with Matteo Cressoni in third. Kenneth Heyer will also want to reel in the top three in GT3. Matt Bell, Hamza Owega, and more, are battling in the back half of the top ten. Garrett Grist's lead has ballooned to five seconds. Grist, Bell, Owega, Tommy Foster, Tom Dillman, and more, are in this fight.
The battle rages between Ferrari's in GT3. Paolo Ruberti vs. Matteo Cressoni. Kenneth Heyer is losing ground. Oh dear! Carnage at the chicane as the DKR Duqueine spins and had a clatter with a lapped car. Matt Bell still can't move past the #16 entry. Sacha Lehmann made two moves hen you can make just one. Now, the #3 United Autosport car has spun. There are two other cars that will be penalized for disobeying the red light. IDEC Sport and TS Corse. #17 is Patrice Lafargue and Dimitri Enjalbert, two Frenchmen for IDEC Sport, and the TS Corse machine. Now, it's a wheel to wheel scrap between Scha Lehman and Matt Bell, with Tommy Foster and Colin Noble as well.
This is unsafe, as forceful driving is being required by Matt Bell. Matt Bell has lost time and Garrett Grist might just get a win here. Half an hour to go. The Pzoberer Porsche is leading GT3. Porsche vs. Ferrari vs. Mercedes. Julien Andlauer has taken over from Nicki Leutwiler. Matt Bell is being monstered by Tommy Foster. Bell, Foster, Noble, Andrews, Dillman. Why is Sacha Lehmann flashing his lights? He can't do that unless he really need to race someone. They are down the order. Blue flags being shown.
Theo Chalal hasn't got the speed for Garrett Grist, but the race is not over yet. 25 minutes to go. The gap is 12 seconds as Chalal has Matt Bell right on his gearbox. Tommy Foster, Colin Noble, Scott Andrews, Tom Dillman, and Adam Eteki are all in the fight in LMP3. Sacha Lehmann will be penalized with a drive through. Sacha Lehmann and Donar Munding will both be penalized. Lehman is not conceding his position and he is blocking which earns him a drive through penalty, a drive through the pit lane. Meanwhile, Matt Bell is having to force the issue on Theo Chalal. We have that same pack of drivers, that same battle pack, we have seen these last number of moments.
Garrett Grist leads by 20 seconds as Tommy Foster has moved by Theo Chalal. Colin Noble also passes Chalal. Poor old Theo Chalal has had the cork cracked out of the bottle. Adam Eteki too, is moving past. Theo Chalal needs a washing machine. He needs to clean up his opportunity to get back in the fight. Chalal was unlapped by Tom Ashton, sharing with Audun Gundmondsson. Another pit stop, but meanwhile, Theo Chalal has his hands full with Hamza Owega. Josh Skelton is also coming back into the race as the Gray Market Racing Duqueine is in the lane with Alex Mortimer driving.
Fuel only for these final pit stops of course. Hamza Owega is under pressure from Josh Skelton and poor old Hamza Owega is skittering all over the shop, look. Fifteen minutes to go. Rob Hodes and Garrett Grist now have a 22 second lead over Matt Bell who has to keep Tommy Foster at bay. In the lane, Motorsport 98, and they will have yet another penalty for overtaking the race leader and the safety car in one fell swoop. Sheesh. Paolo Ruberti being monstered by Matteo Cressoni. Julien Andlauer and Porsche still lead in GT3. A big scrum for seventh with Hamza Owega, Theo Chalal, and more. Chalal and Owega are making their final pit stops.
Some bodywork is missing for car #5 and the team is taping it over with racing tape. Colin Noble also makes his last pit stop. The top five cars need to pit yet and Scott Andrews still needs fuel. Garrett Grist leads. The #12 car was assessed a penalty and did not take the penalty in the allotted time. The #33 Spanish CD Sport car is off the road in their home race. Poor old Michael Jensen is off the road after Adam Eteki swapped. Matt Bell in the lane for fuel as Michael Jensen lost it before the turn. The Grainmarket Racing team pitted but they short pitted. That's the #20 Mark Crader/Alex Mortimer machine, car #20. No safety car. Full Course Yellow, but for some reason, Garrett Grist has not pitted. If Tommy Foster pits now, the race will change!
Grist pits but it may be too late. Virage have scored a goal here. Michael Jensen will be back into the race but need to pit. He is done and he will have to hand the car over for the final few minutes. They have to hope that maybe this motor race ends under yellow. If it goes back to green, which it will, this is going to shake things up. Tommy Foster and Wayne Boyd as well as Scott Andrews have taken their long pit stops and Garrett Grist will get swallowed up! Tommy Foster is back in the race. Garrett Grist into the lane. This is for a checkover and a clean of the windscreen for Virage Racing.
This is a tight squeeze. 15 seconds as the Full Course Yellow is removed, with the race leader in the mandatory long stop just before the race ends. Tommy Foster, Wayne Boyd, and Scott Andrews have all done so. This is going to be big. #15, Tommy Foster has passed Garrett Grist! Good gracious! #71 has just blown a race win! The #15 in traffic has three minutes but one lap. Garrett Grist will be fuming! Mike Benham and Tommy Foster are still pushing. Don't force an overtake when it's not on. Julien Andlauer leads Paolo Ruberti in GT3. Two laps to go.
Garrett Grist is still pushing Tommy Foster. He is new to the LMP3 cars. Grist needs to deal with traffic. Scott Andrews is pouring on the steam in third too. One corner to go. This is the end of the race and Tommy Foster wins it for RLR M-Sport! Wow! Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable! Tommy Foster and Mikey Benham are your winners! Team Virage will be kicking themselves!
Overall/LMP3: #15 Foster/Benham Ligier JS P3 Nissan
GT3: #2 Andlauer/Leutwiler Porsche 911 GT3R
60 laps completed in the race. Nicky Leutwiler puts in a stonking drive in GT3. We will see more cars in GT3 later in the season. What a race this has been. The next event, for Michelin Le Mans Cup, will be in France, southern France at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, in the first weekend in June, on June 5th. We'll see you then, and, we'll see you tomorrow, for the European Le Mans Series race. So long for now, from Barcelona.
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