What a difference two months can make in sportscars racing! Circumstance, excellent strategy and brilliant driving today in Portugal won Team ORECA Matmut its first race with the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.

The 1000Km of Algarve saw Nicolas Lapierre, Olivier Panis and Stéphane Sarrazin emerge victorious to take their and Team ORECA Matmut's first victory of the 2010 season as they have driven an absolutely faultless race. Given French team's pace this season, it's hard to believe that their victory was only their first win of the season.

In a no full course caution race, the Frenchmen delivered a solid drive, holding fast at the front till the end in front of so many fans who enjoyed a herringbone start, the traditional Le Mans start, for the very first time in the Series.

There hardly is any driver in the paddock that isn't welcoming the return to Portugal, and everyone is excited about the prospect of racing once again on the 4.652-kilometre Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.

Everything came together for Nicolas Lapierre when the flag dropped for the 20-minute qualifying. His last, and quickest lap, with a time of 1:30.681, was enough to secure the French driver his second pole in the 2010 series.

Because the race starts later in the afternoon, the morning schedule of the qualifying session was unusual, but Nicolas Lapierre was fully awake as he was able to repeat last year's pole for team ORECA Matmut.

“The Algarve circuit is fantastic because it is different from most new tracks. It has a good mixture of high speed and slow corners with a few blind turns and it winds up and down all the way. The track is interesting and very demanding.

You accelerate hard from the start line which goes slightly downhill. You brake hard and change down quickly from sixth to third gear for the first right-handed corner. This corner is tricky first because it is bumpy, but also because you have to carry the speed through the very short straight. The second corner is high speed which is taken flat out then hard on the brakes for the first hairpin, taken in first gear.[...]

By winning at home in LM P2 a year ago, the Portuguese team began its triumphant march to the 2009 Le Mans Series title in the category. Miguel Amaral and Olivier Pla talk about their 2010 season and their ambitions after their victory in the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms

After running the fourth Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in the Le Mans 24 Hours alongside the three works cars, the Team ORECA-Matmut will enter the French prototype in the next three rounds of the Le Mans Series: Portimao, Budapest, and Silverstone. Stéphane Sarrazin will be at the wheel of no.4 for the three events. As in the Le Castellet 8 Hours, when he came to lend the team a hand, the Peugeot Sport works driver will share the car with Nicolas Lapierre and Olivier Panis in the Portuguese round.

After the « break » which traditionally separates the 24 Hours of Le Mans from the second half of the Le Mans Series season, our competitors are ready for Portugal and the 1000 Kms of Algarve.

On 16 and 17 July, they will all be present for this race held partly at night as the start will be given at 5 pm on Saturday for an arrival around 11 pm

Last year at the first edition of this Iberian race, Pescarolo Sport was under the spotlights of a lovely nocturnal podium! This year will Signature Plus, Oreca-Matmut or Rebellion Racing win this category? And in the other categories, who will shine in front of the Portuguese public? The answer in less than two weeks!

The Le Mans Series organisation followed this wonderful edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with emotion and pride. The whole team wishes to congratulate Audi for the magnificent triple victory which will go down in History. Also Peugeot, for the incredible, but alas, not rewarded, performances.

The race was played at many levels and Le Mans Series admires the teams participating all year long in the European labelled Le Mans. Once again their tenacity and professionalism was proved. A special thought to those who climbed on the world's most famous podium: ...

The Le Mans Series organisation supports and encourages all the teams entered in the series and actively preparing for the start of the 24 Hours next Saturday.

From Peugeot Sport to BMW Motorsport, Audi Sport to Rebellion Racing, Oak Racing to the AF Corse team…Nearly all the teams who started the Endurance Racing season in our meetings will line up on the most famous starting grid in the world!

Sunday's Belgian race produced one of the most nail-biting races in several seasons to date, mostly because of changing weather conditions, but also because of the tough fight between Audi and Peugeot factory teams.

The pressure on Team Peugeot Total was massive going into the Spa weekend, and the team delivered in a style that suggests they still are highly competitive with a 1-2 victory.

The Team Peugeot Total trio of Pedro Lamy, Sébastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud scored an outright win in the second round of the 2010 Le Mans Series, taking the team's 908 HDi FAP from pole to checkered flag victory, for the great pleasure of 38,000 race-fans. 

After all the anticipation of the opening round of the Le Mans Series in Le Castellet one month ago, this weekend's second round is as eagerly awaited with many factory teams on the entry list.

Unlike the first two practice sessions, the qualifying session for the 1000Km of Spa was dry, and Team Peugeot Total's Sébastien Bourdais made the most of the conditions to take a well-deserved pole position.

The #3 908 HDi FAP put in a stunning performance at Spa being the quickest car in the second practice session yesterday and qualifying on pole position today from a field of 50 cars for tomorrow's second round of the Le Mans Series.

Sportscars racing is a new challenge for ex-Formula One drivers Jean Alesi and Giancarlo Fisichella as the Italian driver explained: “It is not easy to share the cars with two other drivers. We only ran ten laps each in both practice sessions so it is not easy to find the limits of the car.”

Last year the driver from Rome was on pole for the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix, but this year, “it is not really important to be on pole – it is more important to finish the race,” Giancarlo said. “The race will be tough because the weather is always unpredictable here at Spa. Of course, it would be better for everyone that the track stays dry, but this morning I was the quickest on a wet track so rain would not be a problem.”

In the case you cannot join us at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend to attend what is meant to be one of the most exciting races of the Le Mans Series season, you will have the opportunity to follow us through different medias:

Firstly with our website live timing; to follow, live, the times during each session and to download all the results, including obviously the race.

Radio Le Mans offer their enthusiastic comments always live on their website: www.radiolemans.com. Anglophones, to your earphones!

There are also TV programmes, live or pre-recorded. Find our broadcasters on the dedicated page of our website, and please note down the live broadcast timetable on Eurosport and the RTBF, next Sunday:

From Friday onwards, for the second round of the 2010 Le Mans Series season, just in LMP1 there will be four Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs, three Audi R15s and three Lola chassis (the Signature Plus Lola Aston Martin and the two Coupé Rebellion Lola B10/60s from the team of the same name)! Exciting duels are awaited in every category and the level of competition will be higher than ever on the extremely technical Spa Francorchamps circuit, much appreciated by the drivers.

Drivers are all here: Jean Alesi, Sebastien Bourdais, Dindo Capello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Allan McNish, Nicolas Minassian, Olivier Panis, Stéphane Sarrazin and so many other that we cannot mention all of them!

To be noted: the absence of the Mansell family and their Beechdean Mansell Ginetta-Zytek 09S; because of technical incidents, the team prefers not to participate in this race.

Download the 1000 Km of Spa Francorchamps entry list and let yourself be guided by Belgian Vanina Ickx who describes in our official press release the details of this circuit that she knows by heart.

In the heart of Brussels, on the famous Grand Place, Le Mans Series displayed, in front of interested city passers by and tourists, 5 of the 52 cars entered for the forthcoming 1000Km of Spa on 7, 8 & 9 May.

Audi, Peugeot, Signature, Prospeed Marc VDS's team, represented by their drivers such as Allan McNish, Vanina Ickx, Bas Lenders came to support the eagerly awaited meeting.

With the active help of Brussels' Burgmester (Mayor), the Organisers were able to welcome many journalists inside the prestigious Maîtres Chocolatiers Belges house, in the presence of Belgian motor racing legend Jacky Ickx.

Read Vanina Ickx's interview.

What did we learn from the 8 Hours of Le Castellet? 2010 has all the hallmarks thus far of a brilliant season, with Audi battling it out with reigning champion Aston Martin Racing, and ORECA-Matmut moving forward to challenge both of them with the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.

The first victory from Audi with the R15 Plus, a very successful debut of the ARX-01 in Europe, a practice session for Larbre Compétition in GT1 and a brilliant race from Porsche finishing in a GT2 victory.

The intensive off-season development work has obviously paid off for the bulk of the teams, as very few teams retired. The race has been very exciting till the end on the 5.791 km legendary track.

Near 14,000 spectators came to visit the Le Mans Series meeting, since Friday to finally support the Audi R15 Plus making its very firsts competition debuts.

Aston Martin Racing ranks second with its Aston Martin Lola 009; while Jean-Christophe Boullion revives victory thanks to the Rebellion Racing team's Lola B01/60 Coupe Rebellion. In LMP2, until the last minute, victory was uncertain after a race essentially leaded by the OAK Racing team. In GT2, the local hero and former F1 driver Jean Alesi, in association with Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander, is on the podium as his first race in Le Mans Series!

After the middle of the race, teams begin to have a clearest idea of how this could finish for their car. They take stock with you. 

Nicolas Lapierre, supported by his team mates Stéphane Sarrazin and Olivier Panis, made the best time in LMP1 this afternoon during the qualifying sessions. The team Oreca-Matmut's Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP will start the race on the first raw, ahead of the 41 cars entered, tomorrow at 11 am. But the game is only beginning, as the Audi R15 Plus is only a few tenths of seconds behind the French team, and certainly didn't show all its capacities…

Peugeot works driver, Stéphane Sarrazin, will drive the Team ORECA-Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in the Castellet 8 Hours.

Join Stéphane to discover the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit that he knows so well:

“At the end of the start-finish line, you brake for the first tightened chicane “La Verrerie”, taken in second gear. This is a difficult corner, because there is a little bump and you have to find out the right time to accelerate. A quick squirt of power before you jump on the brakes for the right-handed “Hotel” corner. The “Camp” right-hander hairpin, taken in first gear, is upon you very quickly. You must stay on the left side to accelerate very early before the “Sainte Beaume” right-hander, which is the most difficult corner of the track. You can lose a lot of time if your car is not well-balanced. Then you are flat out in the left-hand corner at the beginning of the “Mistral” straight, where you reach the top speed..."

Peugeot works driver, Stéphane Sarrazin, will drive the Team ORECA-Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in the Castellet 8 Hours.

The technical team and the other drivers will be able to benefit from his experience for their first round of the 2010 Le Mans Series Championship.

See the best Le Mans Series videos on your Iphone or on Itunes!

Wherever you are… don't lose track and watch the best moments of the season, our official clips!

The 12th hour of Sebring has struck…it's time to take stock of achievements. Among the 35 teams entered in this race, three are also participating in some Le Mans Series rounds…and these three teams are the winning ones! Indeed, the two Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs and the official Aston Martin monopolised the podium.

The famous Prospeed Competition team annouces its arrival in Le Mans Series for the 2010 season! The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR will be driven by Richard Westbrook and Marco Holzer during the five races scheduled this year. More than ever, you will have to keep an eye on the GT2 category!

The whole Prospeed Competition press release is available on our website.

First round of the season. An 8 Hour race. A legendary track. A circuit re-opened to the public. A full program. Everything is combined for an exceptional meeting!  Of course, everybody will look at the Endurance queens, Prototypes and GTs.

Almost 50 cars will be on the track to win the first race of the season and to outstand in front of the French spectators keen to discover the 2010 cars. The first Audi/Peugeot duel of the year, high level battles in each category, exceptional drivers with former Formula 1 stars such as Jean Alesi, Giancarlo Fisichella, Olivier Panis and Nigel Mansell! 

Therefore, on April 10th and 11th, track will never be free! Public won't get bored as the entertainment will be great!  No less than 3 support races will take place: The Ford Formula, The F3 Euro Series and the Classic Endurance Racing!

Look at the Le Mans Series official video clip, and some highlights of the Official Test session which took place on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit last Sunday and Monday.

All drivers invite you to join us on this same circuit, on next April 10 &11, at the occasion of the 8 Heures du Castellet. Don't disappoint them!

Discover all the time sheets, after those two Official Test Days. Sunday and Monday sessions time sheets that you can download to provide the best analysis of what is the big launching of the 2010 Endurance season.

More than ever, Ladies have a place of honour in Le Mans Series, on this dedicated day!

On the occasion of the Ladies day, it's more appropriate than never to announce that Le Mans Series will welcome a 100%-lady drivers line up!

This is the big news of this second and last test day: Matech Competition will enter one of its Ford GTs in the 1000Km of Spa (May 7/8/9) with three handsome Swiss girls -Cindy Alemann, Natacha Gachnang and Raël Frey. As for Belgian Vanina Ickx, she announces that she will be one of the Signature Plus Lola Aston Martin's drivers for both the 1000 Km of Spa and the 24 Hours of Le Mans!

Download the time-sheets of the night testing.

And don't forget: we are back on the track tomorrow at 9am!

Download all the results and pictures of the first Official Test day. Drivers, cars, general atmosphere: with our photo library, live the Test sessions live!

But the day is not over yet: 14 cars are now running for the night testing till midnight. The cars will be back on track tomorrow at 9 am.

The off-season is finally over! After a six-month break, LMPs and GTs are back on track to unveil their new aero or livery or even a brand-new car! The official test sessions are always a kind of leap in the dark for the teams and a voyage of discovery for the spectators, who are now welcome back on the legendary Le Castellet circuit to enjoy car-racing.

The Oreca Matmut team took the opportunity of unveiling the great novelty of the 2010 season during the Le Mans Series Official Test days: the Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP has been entrusted to them by the French manufacturer for the whole season as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans!

The car will run tomorrow and on Monday, driven by Olivier Panis, Nicolas Lapierre and Loïc Duval, alongside the 40 prototypes and GTs which are on the entry list for this special test session. The 2009 “24 Hours of Le Mans” winning car is back on track! 

Don't forget that this weekend there will be more than 40 endurance racing cars (Prototypes and GTs) on the track. And in good company as their drivers are Endurance and Formula 1 stars!

The launch of the 2010 Le Mans Series season will officially begin on Sunday with the Test Days where you will see, among others, Jean Alesi, Giancarlo Fisichella, Nigel Mansell and Olivier Panis in action!

Yet another novelty for this seventh Le Mans Series season. Indeed, in addition to the LMP1, LMP2, LMGT1 and LMGT2 cars entered for the season or “race by race" Formula Le Mans will also take the start of the 1000 Km races.

Giancarlo Fisichella, the Ferrari F1 reserve driver will be at the steering wheel of the Ferrari F430 GT2 during the Le Mans Series season.

Giancarlo Fisichella won three Grand Prix (Brazil 2003, Australia 2005 and Malaysia 2006). He is 37 years old and has a fantastic career history: 18 times on the podium in Formula 1 (194 GP) & raced in 7 different teams (Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari) between 1996 and 2009.

Giancarlo will make his debut in Endurance racing in a few weeks and accepted to answer our questions.

Discover the cars and drivers entered as from today in the Official Test session, to take place at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit on next March 7 & 8.

Jean Alesi, F1 racing driver for 11 years with 201 races will take part in the 2010 Le Mans Series season. As you may know, the French racing driver will be at the steering wheel, of the Ferrari F430 GT in the Team AF Corse. For this seventh Le Mans Series season; he will race with Toni Vilander & Giancarlo Fisichella, a reserve driver for the Scuderia Ferrari.

Jean Alesi was kind enough to answer our questions.

REBELLION Racing conducted yesterday, February 8, a shakedown of its two Lola-Rebellion LMP1 race cars. The Swiss team will go on to conduct a round of private testing next week in Portugal and Spain. REBELLION Racing will introduce its 2010 drivers and new cars to the press and public on 7 and 8 March at the Paul Ricard HTTT during the official Le Mans Series Test Days.

The first race of the Le Mans Series 2010 season will be held on the Castellet circuit, in the south of France, on 9, 10 and 11 April. This circuit, at the same time ultra modern and firmly rooted in the history of motor sports which has just reopened its doors to the public, has welcomed the Official Tests of the Series since 2004 and will do so again in 2010 on 7 & 8 March.

For an exceptional race, an exceptional format! The opening of the season will not be done with the usual 1000 Km schema (or 6 hours), but will last 8 hours with a late morning start and finishing at sunset around 7pm.

Note that this round will award the same number of points as a 6 hour race, only races 50% longer than the usual 1000Km distance count double.

Le Mans Series lifts the curtain on the impressive list of competitors entered in the 2010 season! 44! No less than 44 Prototypes & GTs are entered for the five races of the seventh Le Mans Series season. We will present abigger and better list than in 2009, with renowned teams, new cars in Endurance racing and exceptional drivers!

Just a few days before the publication of the All Season entry list, OAK Racing Team Mazda France shows its determination to extend its involvement in the LMP2 category.

Read the press release and discover the goals announced by OAK Racing's President - Jacques Nicolet - and Mazda France's President - Thierry Guillemot- regarding the already very awaited 2010 season. 

Karim Ojjeh will race in 2010 on Zytek 07S with the Team Bruichladdich.

The livery of the Beechdean Mansell Motorsport Ginetta Zytek GZ09S that Nigel Mansell will race this year in the 2010 Le Mans Series with sons Leo and Greg will be on show at the Autosport International Show this weekend at the NEC in Birmingham (14-17 January 2010).  The 2010 colour scheme features the Union Flag draped over the rear of the car and is a direct link with the famous Mansell helmet colour scheme.  Also seen for the first time is the new Beechdean Mansell Motorsport logo that will adorn the team's trucks, clothing and merchandise and again features the red, white and blue logo.

2010 begins well for the Mansell family, now associated to Beechdean Motorsport to form Beechdean Mansell Motorsport.

Since two seasons, the association of Speedy Racing and Team Sebah has continued rising in power!

In 2008, the team had engaged the first Lola B08/80 B08/80 in LMP2 then set the tone in 2009 by engaging two prototypes - a Lola Coupé B08/60 B08/60 Aston Martin in LMP1 and a Lola Coupé B08/80 B08/80 Judd in LMP2.

The first race of the Le Mans Series 2010 season will be held on the Castellet circuit, in the south of France, on 9, 10 and 11 April. This circuit, at the same time ultra modern and firmly rooted in the history of motor sports which has just reopened its doors to the public, has welcomed the Official Tests of the Series since 2004 and will do so again in 2010 on 7 & 8 March.

For an exceptional race, an exceptional format! The opening of the season will not be done with the usual 1000 Km schema (or 6 hours), but will last 8 hours with a late morning start and finishing at sunset around 7pm.

Note that this round will award the same number of points as a 6 hour race, only races 50% longer than the usual 1000Km distance count double.

2010: the fourth Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in ORECA colours!

In the final year of the current LM P1 regulations, the ORECA-Matmut team will run the 2010 version of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Le Mans Series races. 

Five races for this seventh season, including one new circuit and some novelties.

First of all, the opening race of the season will be held on the Castellet circuit and will last 8 hours. Two nocturnal races: in Algarve and in Hungary. The 1000 Km of Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone, firmly rooted in the Le Mans Series tradition, conserve their format and date.

  7-8 March                        Official Tests – Circuit Paul Ricard

  9-10-11 April                    8H of the Castellet – Circuit Paul  Ricard

  7-8-9 May                         1000 Km ofSpa-Francorchamps

  15-16-17 July                   1000 Km of Algarve (Night race)

  21-22 August                   1000 Km of the Hungaroring (Night race)

  10-11-12 September      Autosport 1000  Km of Silverstone

OAK Racing has just taken over the Pescarolo Sport 'manufacturer' division and will be managing the development and manufacturing of the chassis, bodywork and spare parts, as well as the marketing of the LMP1 & LMP2 prototypes.

Inspired by Marcel Proust's questionnaire, of which Bernard Pivot's television adaptation is better known by the younger generation, this questionnaire, adapted to the world of motor sport and particularly Endurance racing, should, we hope, allow the public to get to know this sport's main actors.

Team managers, drivers, circuit managers, important motor sport names…all those who accept to play the game will be welcome.

Today, Pierre Delettre, Spa-Francorchamps 1000 Km co-organiser (among others), kindly answers our questions.

Inspired by Marcel Proust's questionnaire, of which Bernard Pivot's television adaptation is better known by the younger generation, this questionnaire, adapted to the world of motor sport and particularly Endurance racing, should, we hope, allow the public to get to know this sport's main actors.

Team managers, drivers, circuit managers, important motor sport names…all those who accept to play the game will be welcome.

Today, Gérard Neveu, Paul Ricard HTTT circuit's Director, kindly answers our questions.

Motor sport racing advances thanks to regulations which are alive and change as years go by, adapting to new technologies and enforcing others. Just like the backbone of an organism which grows and changes with the years, with the times.

This year, as usual, new chapters have been written, others modified. To help you understand the upcoming season, listed hereafter are the principle changes.

On Saturday, Jan Charouz, who won the 2009 Le Mans Series Drivers title with his team Aston Martin Racing and his team mates Stefan Mücke and Tomas Enge, was given the "FIA Talent of the Year Award" by the FIA President Jean Todt. The Le Mans Series team wants to congratulate the Czech racing driver for this fully deserved prize.