ELMS – United Autosports Win in Portugal to Lift 2026 LMP2 Title
The 2026 European Le Mans Series season concluded dramatically in Portimão, with United Autosports claiming the LMP2 title. Their No. 22 Oreca won the race, marking their second victory of the year and securing the championship for drivers Griffin Peebles, Grégoire Saucy, and Ben Hanley. Starting from pole position, Peebles led the race, finishing 12 seconds ahead of IDEC Sport and Inter Europol Competition. Esteban Masson, the 2025 champion, took fourth place, earning Forestier Racing by Panis a second invitation to the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In the LMP2 Pro/Am class, TDS Racing seemed likely to win with Scott Huffaker in the lead during the final hour. However, in a twist, Huffaker received a drive-through penalty for track limits on the last lap. This penalty dropped the No. 14 car to third place behind CLX Motorsport. The Algarve Pro Racing Oreca’s victory allowed Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli, and Malthe Jakobsen to secure the LMP2 Pro/Am title. The No. 83 AF Corse, which led the championship going into the final race, faced technical issues that forced them into the pits, finishing 11th in class.
The LMP3 title was won for the second consecutive year by the No. 17 CLX Motorsport Ligier, which claimed victory from pole position. Paul Lanchere earned his second straight title, while Alexander Jacoby added the LMP3 title to his earlier ALMS LMP3 championship. Louis Iglesias, who missed early races of the season, finished as Vice Champion. The No. 17 Ligier finished a lap ahead of the class field, which was led by the No. 5 Rinaldi Racing Ligier in second and DKR Engineering Ligier in third. The No. 85 R-ace GP Duqueine, the only challengers for the title, fell a lap behind due to a pit stop mishap.
The LMGT3 title unfolded with intense competition. The No. 75 Proton Competition Porsche led by Tom Sargent needed the TF Sport Corvette to finish no higher than second to win the championship. Charlie Eastwood, driving the No. 33 Corvette, fought to maintain his second place against challenges from High Class Racing’s Porsche and Kessel Racing’s Ferrari. As the final lap approached, Jaubert received a penalty, easing the pressure on Eastwood, who finished 21 seconds behind the Porsche to secure his second consecutive LMGT3 title, along with teammates Blake McDonald and Alec Udell. The No. 62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG, which started from pole, suffered a mid-race penalty and finished 8th, losing their chance at the title.
