Le Mans Cup
 | |
| Category | Endurance racing |
|---|---|
| Country | International |
| Inaugural season | 2016 |
| Prototype Classes | LMP3 |
| GT Classes | GT3 |
| Drivers' champion | LMP3: Anthony Wells Colin NobleGT3:  Nicolas Leutwiler |
| Teams' champion | LMP3: Nielsen Racing GT3:  Iron Lynx |
| Official website | lemanscup.com |
 Current season | |
The Le Mans Cup, previously the GT3 Le Mans Cup and currently known as the Michelin Le Mans Cup under sponsorship, is an international sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO).
The GT3 Le Mans Cup was created in 2016 after the GTC category was dropped from the European Le Mans Series. Aiming to increase the number of GT3 entries, the ACO created a new six-event competition (five two-hour events and a one-hour race at Le Mans), designed primarily for amateur drivers and leading to more competitive races.[1][2][3] The teams' champion automatically receives an invitation to take part in the following 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGTE Am category.[4]
From the 2017 season, the series adopted a new format with LMP3 and GT3-class cars competing in their respective categories, with the ACO aiming to create a secondary division of LMP3-racing and promoting the best teams from the Le Mans Cup to the European Le Mans Series.[5]
A new LMP3 specification with higher power engines was introduced for the 2020 season; this was found to consume more fuel than predicted, forcing pit stop and stint time rule changes.
For 2022 the race length was shortened from two hours to 1h 50m, to enable removal of this second mandatory pit stop.
All events consist of two-hour races except the round at Le Mans, where there was a one-hour race in 2017 and have been two 55-minute races every year since 2018.
Champions
LMP3 Drivers
| Season | Drivers | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Points | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |  Jean Glorieux Alexander Toril
|
 DKR Engineering
|
5 | 4 | 5 | 114 | 6 of 7 | 24 |
| 2018 |  Jens Petersen Léonard Hoogenboom
|
DKR Engineering
|
0 | 3 | 4 | 103 | 6 of 7 | 11,5 |
| 2019 | Laurents Hörr François Kirmann
|
DKR Engineering
|
4 | 2 | 5 | 100 | 7 of 7 | 8,5 |
| 2020 | Laurents Hörr
|
DKR Engineering
|
1 | 3 | 6 | 120 | 7 of 7 | 15 |
| 2021 | Anthony Wells Colin Noble
|
Nielsen Racing
|
0 | 2 | 3 | 75 | 7 of 7 | 4 |
LMP3 Teams
| Season | Team | Car | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Points | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | DKR Engineering
|
Norma M30 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 114 | 6 of 7 | 24 |
| 2018 | DKR Engineering
|
Norma M30 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 103 | 6 of 7 | 11,5 |
| 2019 | DKR Engineering
|
Norma M30 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 100 | 7 of 7 | 8,5 |
| 2020 | DKR Engineering
|
Duqueine M30 - D08 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 120 | 7 of 7 | 31 |
| 2021 | Nielsen Racing
|
Ligier JS P320 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 75 | 7 of 7 | 4 |
GT3 Drivers
| Season | Drivers | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Points | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Aleksey Basov Viktor Shaytar
|
SMP Racing
|
3 | 4 | 5 | 121 | 5 of 6 | 14 |
| 2017 | Fabio Babini Emanuele Busnelli
|
Ebimotors
|
0 | 2 | 5 | 104.5 | 7 of 7 | 2 |
| 2018 | Giacomo Piccini Sergio Pianezzola
|
Kessel Racing
|
4 | 5 | 5 | 138 | 7 of 7 | 55 |
| 2019 | Giacomo Piccini Sergio Pianezzola
|
Kessel Racing
|
1 | 4 | 6 | 130 | 7 of 7 | 21 |
| 2020 | Rino Mastronardi
|
Iron Lynx
|
5 | 4 | 7 | 132 | 6 of 7 | 15 |
| 2021 | Nicolas Leutwiler
|
Pzoberer Zürichsee by TFT
|
1 | 2 | 6 | 107 | 7 of 7 | 10 |
GT3 Teams
| Season | Team | Cars | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Points | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | TF Sport
|
Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 107 | 6 of 6 | 11 |
| 2017 | Ebimotors
|
Lamborghini Huracán GT3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 104.5 | 7 of 7 | 2 |
| 2018 | Kessel Racing
|
Ferrari 488 GT3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 138 | 7 of 7 | 55 |
| 2019 | Kessel Racing
|
Ferrari 488 GT3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 130 | 7 of 7 | 21 |
| 2020 | Iron Lynx
|
Ferrari 488 GT3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 132 | 6 of 7 | 40 |
| 2021 | Iron Lynx
|
Ferrari 488 GT3 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 148 | 6 of 7 | 41 |
See also
References
- ^ Release, News (4 May 2016). "Villorba Corse to enter 2016 Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup".
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ "History - Michelin Le Mans Cup".
- ^ Ltd., Crash Media Group. "ACO launches Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup - Sportscars News".
- ^ "Prize fund revealed for new GT3 Le Mans Cup".
- ^ "LMP3 Cars Added to Michelin Le Mans Cup for 2017 - Sportscar365".