ELMS Road to Le-mans

The 11th edition of the Road to Le Mans race, held on Friday, 12 June 2026, delivered a historic, high-stakes spectacle as the Michelin Le Mans Cup debuted its highly anticipated new format. Abandoning the traditional double 1-hour sprint format of previous decades, organizers shifted the grid to a single, grueling 3-hour mini-endurance showdown. A massive field of 56 cars—comprising 39 LMP3 and 17 GT3 machineries—took the start under the eyes of French social media sports icon Depielo, who waved the tricolor starter flag.

From early morning drama to a last-lap heist, the race at the iconic Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans lived up to every ounce of its prestige.

LMP3: Campos Brutal Fish Triumphs Amidst Chaos

The headlining LMP3 class saw a masterclass in resilience from the Brutal Fish by Campos racing outfit. Drivers Arthur Rogeon and August Raber secured overall victory, breaking a streak of near-misses earlier in the season at Barcelona and Le Castellet.

The race was chaotic from the opening sequence. Chilly morning track temperatures of 17°C made generating tyre warm-up incredibly difficult. A frantic, multi-car scramble down towards the Dunlop Curve on the very first lap forced Race Control to deploy an immediate Full Course Yellow (FCY) to clear debris.

Despite a rocky opening hour and dealing with relentless traffic, the Rogeon/Raber duo kept their heads down. While their rivals faltered under the pressure of managing traffic management on the Mulsanne straight, the Campos-run prototype took control in the second half of the race, maintaining a flawless pace to take the checkered flag first.

GT3: A Last-Lap Thriller

While the LMP3 class victory was about steady execution, the GT3 category was pure, unadulterated theater, decided literally in the final mapping of the circuit.

Throughout the three hours, the GT3 grid engaged in a multi-car tactical chess match. Bumper-to-bumper action came to a boiling point as the leading cars entered their final trip down the local public road sections. A breathtaking, high-risk overtake on the very last lap of the 13.6-kilometer circuit completely reshuffled the podium, sealing a dramatic class victory in the dying seconds of the event.

A Proven Proving Ground

The success of the new 3-hour format proved to be the ultimate appetizer for the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans that followed over the weekend—where the senior teams battled out an 11-second thriller won by the #7 Toyota Hypercar.

By pushing both the physical limits of the LMP3/GT3 machinery and the strategy windows of the drivers, the 2026 Road to Le Mans cemented itself not just as a support event, but as a standalone crown jewel of the endurance racing calendar.