European Le Mans Series

LMP2 title fight set for Portimão finale

United Autosports led the standings by 13 points before the 4 Hours of Portimão, with Forestier Racing by Panis among the teams still in contention.

Ben Carter

Behind the scenes

Racing Racing: cars and motorcycles Behind the scenes

The European Le Mans Series’ 2026 season was due to conclude at the 4 Hours of Portimão on Saturday 10 October, with all four championship titles still to be decided.

According to the European Le Mans Series’ 7 October preview, United Autosports’ No. 22 Oreca held a 13-point advantage in LMP2 after earning its fourth podium of the season at Silverstone. Forestier Racing by Panis, with 72 points, remained in the title contest.

United Autosports carried a 13-point lead

The No. 22 United Autosports crew comprised Ben Hanley, Griffin Peebles and Grégoire Saucy. The team had won at Le Castellet and recorded podiums in Barcelona, Imola and Silverstone, alongside a fourth place at Spa-Francorchamps.

The series preview said United Autosports needed to finish third or higher in Portimão to put the title beyond any doubt. Hanley said the team would focus on its own performance and approach the weekend aiming to win.

Forestier Racing by Panis remained in contention

Reigning driver champions Esteban Masson and Oliver Gray were set to race with French teammate Louis Rousset for Forestier Racing by Panis. The squad had two wins, in Barcelona and Imola, and sat on 72 points before the final round.

The team had finished ninth in class at Silverstone. The preview also noted a technical retirement at Paul Ricard. Masson said the Portimão objective was to deliver a faultless weekend and collect as many points as possible.

Le Mans invitations also at stake

United Autosports had already secured one of the two automatic invitations to Le Mans, according to the series. Forestier Racing by Panis needed a fifth-place finish or better to secure the other invitation.

Algarve Pro Racing was 18 points behind Forestier, IDEC Sport 20 points behind and Inter Europol Competition 21 points behind, leaving those teams in the contest for the runner-up position in the championship.

Newsroom

The European Le Mans Series published its Portimão preview on 7 October 2026. The race was scheduled for Saturday 10 October as the season’s sixth round.

Byline

Ben Carter

Behind the scenes

Editorial transparency · How this story was created

This article was prepared by the automated Ranko newsroom using tournament data recorded on Ranko Universe at the time of generation. Subsequent updates or corrections may not yet appear here.

This report summarises the results and standings available when it was prepared.

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