24h Le Mans
The second round of the 2025 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) takes place this Sunday 4 May at the Circuit Paul Ricard, as part of the 4 Heures du Castellet. An impressive 44 cars are expected on the grid, with a large French contingent on home soil in terms of both drivers and teams.
No fewer than 33 French drivers and 7 French teams will be competing on the Côte d'Azur. Among them, several winners of the opening round in Barcelona will be aiming for another success on French soil: François Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxiviere, Mathys Jaubert, Célia Martin, Paul Lanchère and Adrien Closmenil.
Already victorious in the LMP2 category in Spain, the IDEC Sport team arrives confident with two cars entered. The Mathys Jaubert/Jamie Chadwick/Daniel Juncadella trio in the #18 Oreca 07-Gibson will be aiming for a second consecutive win, while the #28, with Paul Lafargue and Paul Loup Chatin alongside Job Van Uitert, will also be aiming for victory in this home race.
Frenchmen Charles Milesi and Esteban Masson (VDS Panis Racing) will be looking to improve on their second place in Barcelona. The Duqueine Team, meanwhile, will be hoping to turn Reshad de Gerus' pole position in Spain into a solid result.
Other French drivers competing in LMP2 include Théo Pourchaire (Algarve Pro Racing), Tom Dillmann and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (Inter Europol Competition), Tristan Vautier (CLX - Pure Rxcing) and Maceo Capietto (Iron Lynx-Proton).
A surprise overall winner in Barcelona, the Pro/Am team in the #83 AF Corse Oreca - François Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxiviere and now Nicklas Nielsen - will be looking to repeat the feat at Le Castellet.
TDS Racing, the only French team in the category, is also riding high after a podium finish in Spain for the Clément Novalak / Mathias Beche / Rodrigo Sales trio. Also to watch is Thomas Laurent, entered in the Oreca #3 DKR Engineering with Laurents Horr and Georgios Kolovos.
In LMP3, the Spanish victory of Paul Lanchère, Adrien Closmenil and Theodor Jensen (CLX Motorsport) gives them the status of favourites at the start of the 4 Hours of Le Castellet.
Reigning champions RLR MSport are also serious contenders, with Gillian Henrion among their ranks. Three 100% French teams - Racing Spirit of Léman, Ultimate and M Racing - will be keeping a close eye on the action. The public will also be able to count on Fabien Michal (Eurointernational) to carry the hopes of the French.
Winner in Barcelona, Célia Martin (Iron Dames) will be looking to repeat the feat in the company of Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting in the #85 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
The French clan is well represented in the LMGT3 category, notably with Racing Spirit of Léman (#59 Aston Martin) and its three French drivers: Clément Mateu, Erwan Bastard and Valentin Hasse Clot. Lilou Wadoux will be sharing the wheel of a Ferrari 296 with Riccardo Agostini and Custodio Toledo.
Charles-Henri Samani will also be on track with AF Corse, while the much-anticipated James Calado, winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2023, will drive the #57 Kessel Racing Ferrari.
The 4 Hours of Le Castellet is shaping up to be a major event in the ELMS 2025 season, both for the fans and for the French drivers in search of home success. This second round could prove decisive in the race for the title and will provide a great spectacle on the Var circuit, just a few weeks before endurance racing's showpiece event: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, on June 14 and 15.
See the entry list for the 4 Heures du Castellet 2025.
