Welcome to Racerviews sunday coverage of the ELMS 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
With 47 cars, four classes and 33,000 fans creating a fantastic atmosphere, the legendary Belgian circuit provided the perfect setting for another thrilling endurance race.
33,000 Fans Add to the Spa Spectacle, a new record for the event.
The racing was only part of the story at Spa-Francorchamps, with 33,000 fans turning out across the weekend to create an impressive atmosphere around the legendary Belgian circuit.
From the packed grandstands to the campsites and fan areas surrounding the track, the enthusiasm of the crowd was evident throughout the event. The roar of the ELMS field echoing through the Ardennes was matched by the energy from spectators who had come to see endurance racing at one of its most iconic venues.
For the drivers and teams, that support added another dimension to an already memorable weekend.
A Dramatic Opening Lap
Chadwick made a clean getaway from pole, but the No. 22 United Autosports Oreca of Griffin Peebles launched an immediate challenge from third on the grid.
Behind them, the No. 34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca of Bijoy Garg made contact with Peebles under braking.
Peebles managed to keep the United Autosports car pointing in the right direction, but Garg was forced to pit for repairs and later received a 10-second penalty for causing the collision.
The drama continued almost immediately.
The No. 13 Inter Europol Competition LMP3 car went off into the barrier at Turn 5, bringing out the first Safety Car before the opening lap had even been completed.
United Autosports Takes the Early Lead
At the restart, Peebles made the most of his opportunity.
The United Autosports driver moved into the lead through the opening corner, with Chadwick keeping the No. 18 IDEC Sport Oreca close behind through Eau Rouge and towards Les Combes.
Further back, Giorgio Roda led LMP2 Pro/Am from pole in the No. 30 Duqueine Team Oreca.
In LMP3, R-ace GP initially converted its front-row qualifying performance into the class lead, while Racing Spirit of Léman led LMGT3 through Tony McIntosh in the No. 59 Aston Martin.
Safety Cars Change Everything
The race quickly became a stop-start affair.
The No. 47 CLX Motorsport Oreca was spun at the final corner after contact with the No. 14 TDS Racing car, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car and creating an opportunity for the first round of pit stops.
After the restart, the No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari was hit by the No. 54 High Class Racing Porsche and ended up in the gravel at Turn 7.
The race went green again, but only for one lap.
A collision between the No. 57 Kessel Racing Ferrari and No. 8 Team Virage Ligier at Turn 12 produced another Safety Car.
Almost immediately afterwards, the No. 59 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin went off at Turn 9 and hit the barriers, extending the neutralisation.
The sixth and final Safety Car period came at the halfway point after the No. 50 Ferrari was forced into a spin by an LMP2 car and hit the wall heavily.
Fortunately, the driver was able to climb from the car unaided, while marshals worked to clear the debris.
Inter Europol Finds the Lead
By the halfway point, the complexion of the race had changed completely.
The No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca had moved into the lead with Nick Yelloly, followed by Vladislav Lomko in the No. 10 Vector Sport car and Grégoire Saucy in the No. 22 United Autosports entry.
In LMP2 Pro/Am, the No. 83 AF Corse Oreca had taken control, with Matthieu Vaxiviere ahead of Malthe Jakobsen’s Algarve Pro Racing car.
The biggest advantage of the race belonged to LMP3.
The No. 5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier had built an enormous 86-second advantage over its nearest rivals.
Meanwhile, LMGT3 remained tightly contested, with the No. 23 United Autosports McLaren, No. 86 GR Racing Ferrari and No. 63 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG all involved in the fight for the class lead.
The Final Stint
The decisive phase of the LMP2 race came during the final pit-stop cycle.
Inter Europol Competition produced a particularly strong stop, getting Tom Dillmann back onto the circuit ahead of Vector Sport.The advantage was significant.
Vector Sport’s Pietro Fittipaldi closed the gap to less than two seconds, but Dillmann held his nerve and kept the No. 43 Oreca ahead to the chequered flag.Inter Europol Competition crossed the line first after 93 laps, initially just 3.3 seconds ahead of Vector Sport.
However, the result was not yet final.
Inter Europol Competition celebrated a memorable return to the top step of the European Le Mans Series podium at Spa-Francorchamps, with Tom Dillmann, Nick Yelloly and Jakub Śmiechowski steering the No. 43 Oreca-Gibson to victory after a dramatic four-hour contest.
The fourth round of the 2026 ELMS season delivered a race worthy of Spa-Francorchamps. Six Safety Car periods disrupted the opening half of the contest, several incidents reshaped the order and the final classification was not settled until after the chequered flag.
Inter Europol Competition eventually took victory by 3.379 seconds over the No. 29 Forestier Racing by Panis Oreca, with the No. 18 IDEC Sport completing the podium after a post-race penalty changed the provisional result.
For Inter Europol Competition, it was the team’s first ELMS victory since Le Castellet in 2024.
Vector Sport Loses Second Place
Post-race scrutiny produced one of the biggest stories of the afternoon.Pietro Fittipaldi was found to have completed 1 minute 15.791 seconds less than the required minimum driving time. The No. 10 Vector Sport Oreca was therefore handed a 1 minute 50.791 second penalty, dropping the car to 17th overall and ninth in LMP2.
That promoted Forestier Racing by Panis into second and IDEC Sport into third. (Sportscar365)
Final LMP2 Podium
- No. 43 Inter Europol Competition — Jakub Śmiechowski / Tom Dillmann / Nick Yelloly
- No. 29 Forestier Racing by Panis — Louis Rousset / Oliver Gray / Esteban Masson
- No. 18 IDEC Sport — Jamie Chadwick / Valerio Rinicella / Laurents Hörr
The result gave IDEC Sport its first podium of the season and also marked a significant ELMS milestone for Jamie Chadwick.
AF Corse Wins LMP2 Pro/Am
The No. 83 AF Corse Oreca emerged victorious from a fiercely contested Pro/Am battle.
François Perrodo, Antonio Fuoco and Matthieu Vaxiviere secured the class victory after a dramatic final phase.
Vaxiviere was battling Louis Delétraz in the No. 99 AO by TF Oreca when the two cars made contact at Les Combes.
Delétraz spun, while Vaxiviere took to the escape road and managed to retain the lead.
The No. 83 crossed the line 3.3 seconds ahead of the No. 20 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca, with the No. 99 AO by TF car a further five seconds back.
- No. 83 AF Corse — François Perrodo / Antonio Fuoco / Matthieu Vaxiviere
- No. 20 Algarve Pro Racing — Malthe Jakobsen / Michael Jensen / Enzo Trulli
- No. 99 AO by TF — PJ Hyett / Louis Delétraz / Dane Cameron
CLX Motorsport Inherits LMP3 Victory
The LMP3 result produced another major post-race twist.
Rinaldi Racing’s No. 5 Ligier had crossed the line first by a huge 54-second margin, with Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen completing the final stint.
But post-race scrutineering found that the car’s fuel tank had a capacity of 101.5 litres, exceeding the 100-litre maximum permitted under the regulations.
The No. 5 was therefore disqualified.
That promoted the No. 17 CLX Motorsport Ligier to victory, giving Paul Lanchère, Alexander Jacoby and Louis Iglesias the class win.
R-ace GP was promoted to second, with Eurointernational taking third. (ELMS)
LMP3 Podium
- No. 17 CLX Motorsport — Paul Lanchère / Alexander Jacoby / Louis Iglesias
- No. 85 R-ace GP — Fabien Michal / Pierre-Alexandre Provost / Hugh Schwarze
- No. 11 Eurointernational — Max Bell / David Dedecker / Max Van Der Snel
It was a particularly valuable result for the reigning LMP3 champions, who had initially crossed the line behind Rinaldi Racing.
GR Racing Ends a Long Wait
The LMGT3 victory went to the No. 86 GR Racing Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo.
Mike Wainwright, Mex Jansen and Lorcan Hanafin secured the team’s first ELMS victory since 2015.
The final stages produced a close battle, with Hanafin holding off the No. 77 Proton Competition Porsche and No. 62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG.
Only 2.7 seconds separated the first two cars at the finish, while the entire LMGT3 podium was covered by just ten seconds. (ELMS)
LMGT3 Podium
- No. 86 GR Racing — Mike Wainwright / Mex Jansen / Lorcan Hanafin
- No. 77 Proton Competition — Martin Berry / Huub van Eijndhoven / Alessio Picariello
- No. 62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx — Ali Al-Khelaifi / Joel Hanses / Maxime Martin
The victory was particularly significant for GR Racing, ending an 11-year wait for an ELMS class win.
Championship Battle Moves On
The Spa result marks the completion of the fourth round of the 2026 ELMS season and the beginning of the championship’s run towards its closing stages.
The next round will be the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone on September 13, before the season finale at Portimão on October 10.
Till next time, we hope you have enjoyed our insights and coverage from the ELMS 4hrs of Spa Francorchamps.
Thank you for joining us here at Racerviews.
The RacerViews info
By Tom Lloyd.
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