If the 2026 European Le Mans Series needed a penultimate round that screamed “endurance racing”, the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone delivered it in spades. Rain, strategy gambles, tyre pressure fights and a late‑race charge turned a damp British afternoon into a race that will be talked about all the way to Portimão.
APR’s long‑awaited breakthrough
For the first time since Spa 2023, and the first time in 2026, the No.25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca stood atop the overall podium. Matthias Kaiser, Jake Hughes and Ben Barnicoat converted a tricky, rain‑hit afternoon into a victory that felt as much about nerve as it was about pace.
Kaiser’s opening stint set the tone. “I tried to warm as much as I could the tyres for the race start and it really worked,” he said. “Seemed to have a bit more grip at the start and could make up some positions.” The car was strong, but Kaiser admitted he “burned a little bit through the front tyres”, losing a touch of pace before handing over to Hughes just as the sky opened.
That timing proved critical. While others pitted early or stayed out too long, APR’s call to switch as the rain began gave them a platform. Hughes then faced the classic Silverstone downpour: a mix of slicks and wets up and down the pit lane, visibility that came and went with the spray, and a track that refused to commit to one condition.
“Everyone went out on slicks, me included. The rain comes, you think it’s going to pass, you’re not sure if it’s slicks or wet,” Hughes said. “It was definitely about survival in the middle part of the race for me.”
He managed traffic, navigated the spray and handed a clean car to Barnicoat, who drove the final stint with one goal: win. “I just wanted to win, to be honest,” Barnicoat said. “I’m in a pro car, I’m going to make the most of it and go for the overall win.”
Barnicoat picked off the LMP2 Pro/Am cars ahead, including a tight battle with Marino Sato, and pulled clear to win by 18 seconds. “The car was just flying,” he said. “I love the rain, and I was able to get to the lead and win the race.”
For APR, it was a breakthrough that had been building. For Barnicoat, a last‑minute call‑up that turned into a dream result. “Huge thank you to Stuart for the call‑up last minute to join these two guys,” he said. “What a pleasure it was.”
TDS Racing’s Pro/Am masterclass
In LMP2 Pro/Am, TDS Racing delivered a performance that blended speed, resilience and a touch of drama. From pole, Steven Thomas, Sami Meguetounif and Scott Huffaker in the No.14 Oreca converted their advantage into a class win and second place overall – their first ELMS victory of the season.
Thomas admitted the opening stint was far from straightforward. “Because of the rain, the track was slick at the start, and it honestly for the Bronzes, it was a difficult first drive. So I was actually grateful to turn it over with no damage on the car.”
Meguetounif then produced a standout pass in the wet, but the team hit a scare: a power cycle issue that left them seconds behind. “We had a power cycle and we were, I don’t know, 12, 13 seconds down,” Thomas recalled. “And then I was like, wait, Scott’s 10 seconds down, 8 seconds down, 6 seconds down. And he just drove the car to the front and we won the race.”
Huffaker’s final stint was calm in the chaos. “Luckily for me, there was no Safety Car and it was rain the whole way. So it was actually easier than what these guys had to do,” he said. “It means a lot to win with this team. They’ve done great all year. Things just haven’t really come to us, unfortunately. It feels like we could have been fighting for the win every race, but we’re finally here.”
For Meguetounif, the win capped a strong weekend. “Since I joined endurance, I enjoy a lot the weekends. I enjoy a lot the team and working with these two. And to get a win is just the cherry on the cake.”
R‑ace GP’s ELMS breakthrough
In LMP3, R‑ace GP – reigning Michelin Le Mans Cup champions – finally broke their ELMS duck. The No.85 Ligier of Fabian Schiller, Pierre Sancinéna and Hugo Chevalier took the team’s first ELMS victory, holding off a determined CLX Motorsport charge.
Schiller’s opening stint in damp conditions set up the race. “At the beginning of the race, the weather was clean and after one hour, the track was wet and we chose to change the tyres for intermediates. I think it’s a good idea for the strategy,” he said.
Sancinéna then faced a tough fight with the No.17 CLX. “Very special to win in Silverstone. Honestly, it’s my most favourite track on the calendar,” he said. “We took some risk on the tyres and the pressure. I tried to push a lot to overtake the CLX, but it was really difficult because at the beginning of my stint I didn’t have a lot of grip.”
That left Chevalier with a lead to manage and tyres to protect. “When the engineer told me the gap was 26 seconds, my only thought was really to bring the car home safe,” he said. “Nicolas was very fast behind me, so I still had to put in a lot of pace, but just keep it clean.”
As the track began to dry slightly, Chevalier could push harder. “At the end it started to dry up slightly, which helped us a bit with our tyres. That’s when I could really push the tyres to their limit. Happy to bring it home with a big gap.”
Team Qatar’s LMGT3 statement
In LMGT3, Team Qatar by Iron Lynx delivered a statement win. The No.62 Mercedes‑AMG of Abdulla Al‑Khelaifi, Julian Hanses and Ralf Aron took their first victory of 2026 and moved to the top of the championship standings.
Al‑Khelaifi, the first Qatari driver to stand atop an ELMS podium, set the tone from pole. “It was a tough weekend in the beginning, but we have a strong team behind us. We worked out all the issues we had and we got really strong pace,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of these guys.”
Hanses then faced a classic Silverstone mix: wet patches, Safety Cars and prototype traffic. “It was raining in some parts of the circuit, so it was tricky to find the compromise to go for slicks or wets. I think everyone was facing the same issue, so luckily we didn’t lose too much to it.”
Aron’s final stint was about risk management in a tight class. “At a certain point of the race, I didn’t have the speed because I didn’t risk as much as I needed. And as soon as I knew that someone from the rear was catching up, I knew okay, there’s more risks to take,” he said.
His battle with Charlie Eastwood and Matthieu Jaminet delivered door‑to‑door action. “The fight was 100% everything was fair. It was hard but fair racing,” Aron said. “This win is for the whole team, all mechanics, everyone involved.”
Portimão awaits
Four classes, four different winners, and a championship fight that now heads to Portugal with everything still to play for. Silverstone reminded everyone why ELMS remains the perfect training ground for Le Mans: strategy, weather and nerve deciding races as much as raw speed.
Next stop: Portimão. Where champions will be crowned.
By Sam Tickell, Matt Hancock
