2012 European Le Mans Series

The 2012 European Le Mans Series was the ninth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's European Le Mans Series (previously known as simply Le Mans Series). Championship titles were awarded in five categories, with the Le Mans Series shifting its categories following its separation from the FIA World Endurance Championship. LMP1 cars were dropped due to most teams entering the FIA World Endurance Championship while a new GTC category was created to allow single make grand tourer cars and FIA GT3s to compete in endurance races. However, there were no GTC cars that competed during the season.

2012 European Le Mans Series
Previous: 2011 Next: 2013
Thiriet by TDS Racing No. 46 Oreca 03, Winner of the 2012 European Le Mans Series

Due to the numerous issues the season was reduced to just three rounds, starting in Le Castellet, France on 1 April and ended at Braselton, Georgia, United States, on 20 October.

Schedule

Following the ELMS decision to no longer share races with the FIA World Endurance Championship (formerly the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup), the series required new races to replace the Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone races which now were part of the WEC. Circuit Paul Ricard was the only event carried over from 2011 and remained the season opener.[1] Circuit Zolder was supposed to serve as the second round of the series, but on 1 April the race was cancelled due to a lack of entrants. ELMS teams were instead invited to enter the 6 Hours of Spa WEC round.[2] Following a small number of entries at Donington, the season's two later rounds at the Brno Circuit and Autódromo Internacional do Algarve were cancelled. In place of these two rounds, an agreement was reached with the American Le Mans Series to allow ELMS competitors to participate in the Petit Le Mans for double points, with the ELMS providing transport assistance to full-season teams.[3]

Rnd Race Circuit Date
– Official Test Session Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France 9–10 March
1 6 Hours of Castellet Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France 1 April
2 6 Hours of Donington Donington Park, Castle Donington, United Kingdom 15 July
3 Petit Le Mans Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia 20 October

Regulation changes

The Le Mans Series made changes to its class structure for the 2012 season, eliminating one previous class while adding another. The LMP1 Le Mans Prototype category were no longer featured in LMS races due to the large amount of LMP1 factory teams which switched from the Le Mans Series to the World Endurance Championship. This move promotes the LMP2 category to the top of the class structure. To replace LMP1, a new class has been created at the bottom of the class structure, named GTC. This class allowed only three cars from various one make series to compete: The Ferrari 458 Challenge, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, and the Lotus Evora GT4. Teams in GTC were not allowed more than one professional driver in their line-up.[4] Finally, the Formula Le Mans category was renamed LMP Challenge, aligning with the title utilized by the American Le Mans Series.[5]

Entry list
Entry List[6]
Entrant/Team Car Engine Tyre No Drivers Rounds
LMP2
Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 D 1 Alex Brundle All
Tom Kimber-Smith
Lucas Ordóñez 1–2
Alex Buncombe 3
Pecom Racing Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 D 10 Luís Pérez Companc 1–2
Pierre Kaffer 1–2
Gianmaria Bruni 1
Soheil Ayari[7] 2
Race Performance Oreca 03 Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 D 11 Jonathan Hirschi 1
Michel Frey 1
Ralph Meichtry[8] 1
Status GP Lola B12/80 Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 D 17 Alexander Sims[9] 1–2
Yelmer Buurman[9] 1
Dean Stirling[9] 1
Julien Jousse[7] 2
Maxime Jousse[7] 2
Murphy Prototypes MG-Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 D 18 Jody Firth All
Warren Hughes
Luca Moro[8] 1
Brendon Hartley[7] 2–3
Sébastien Loeb Racing Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 D 19 Nicolas Marroc 1–2
Nicolas Minassian 1–2
Stéphane Sarrazin[8] 1–2
OAK Racing Morgan LMP2 Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 D 24 Jacques Nicolet 1–2
Guillaume Moreau[8] 1
Dominik Kraihamer[8] 1
Matthieu Lahaye[7] 2
Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 35 Bertrand Baguette[7] 2–3
Dimitri Enjalbert[7] 2
Olivier Pla[7] 2–3
Jacques Nicolet 3
Jota Zytek Z11SN Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 D 38 Sam Hancock 1–2
Simon Dolan 1–2
Extrême Limite ARIC Norma M200P Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 D 44 Fabien Rosier 1
Philippe Thirion[8] 1
Boutsen Ginion Racing Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 D 45 Bastien Brière 1
Jack Clarke[8] 1
Sébastien Buemi 1
Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 D 46 Mathias Beche All
Pierre Thiriet
Christophe Tinseau 3
LMPC
Boutsen Ginion Racing[8] Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 M 40 Thomas Dagoneau[8] 1–2
Massimo Vignali[8] 1
Jean-Marc Merlin[8] 1
Jean-Charles Battut[7] 2
John Hartshorne[7] 2
CURTIS Racing Technologies Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 M 42 Phil Keen 1
John Hartshorne 1
Alex Kapadia[10] 1
LM GTE Pro
Kessel Racing[8] Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 D 61 Michał Broniszewski[8] 1
Philipp Peter[8] 1
JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 D 66 James Walker 1
Jonny Cocker[8] 1–2
Allan Simonsen 2
JMB Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 M 83 Jaime Melo 1
Marco Frezza 1
LM GTE Am
AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 M 60 Piergiuseppe Perazzini All
Marco Cioci
Matt Griffin[8]
IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3-RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 M 67 Anthony Pons All
Nicolas Armindo
Raymond Narac
Gulf Racing Aston Martin Vantage GTE Aston Martin 4.5L V8 D 69 Stuart Hall[8] 1
Roald Goethe[8] 1
Prospeed Competition Porsche 997 GT3-RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 M 75 Marc Goossens[8] 1
Maxime Soulet[8] 1
JMB Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 M 99 Alain Ferté 1
Philippe Illiano 1

Season results
Rnd. Circuit LMP2 Winning Team LMPC Winning Team GTE Pro Winning Team GTE Am Winning Team Results
LMP2 Winning Drivers LMPC Winning Drivers GTE Pro Winning Drivers GTE Am Winning Drivers
1 Paul Ricard No. 46 Thiriet by TDS Racing No. 42 CURTIS Racing Technologies No. 66 JMW Motorsport No. 75 Prospeed Competition Results
Mathias Beche
Pierre Thiriet		 John Hartshorne
Alex Kapadia
Phil Keen		 James Walker
Jonny Cocker		 Marc Goossens
Maxime Soulet
2 Donington No. 35 OAK Racing No. 40 Boutsen Ginion Racing No. 66 JMW Motorsport No. 67 IMSA Performance Matmut Results
Olivier Pla
Dimitri Enjalbert
Bertrand Baguette		 Thomas Dagoneau
Jean-Charles Battut
John Hartshorne		 Jonny Cocker
Allan Simonsen		 Nicolas Armindo
Raymond Narac
Anthony Pons
3 Road Atlanta No. 46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Did Not Participate Did Not Participate No. 67 IMSA Performance Matmut Results
Mathias Beche
Pierre Thiriet
Christophe Tinseau		 Nicolas Armindo
Raymond Narac
Anthony Pons

Championship Standings

Points are awarded to cars that finish in tenth place or higher, with unclassified entries failing to complete 70% of the race distance or entries failing to reach the finish not earning championship points. One bonus point is awarded for winning pole position (denoted by bold). Double points will be awarded at Petit Le Mans.[3]

Points System
Position Pole Position
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 1

Teams Championships

The top two finishers in the LMP2, GTE Pro, and GTE Am championships earn automatic entry to the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.

LMP2 Standings
Pos Team Chassis Engine CAS DON ATL Total
1 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 26 18 50 94
2 OAK Racing Morgan LMP2 Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8
Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8		 8 26 37 71
3 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 12 6 30 48
4 Sébastien Loeb Racing Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 18 12 30
5 Pecom Racing Oreca 03 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 6 10 16
6 Status GP Lola B12/80 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 15 0 15
7 Murphy Prototypes MG-Oreca 03 Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8 0 15 0 15
8 Race Performance Oreca 03 Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8 10 10
9 Extrême Limite ARIC Norma M200P Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8 4 4
10 JOTA Zytek Z11SN Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 2 0 2
– Boutsen Ginion Racing Oreca 03 Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8 0 0

LMPC Standings
Pos Team Chassis Engine CAS DON ATL Total
1 Boutsen Ginion Racing Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 1 26 27
2 Curtis Racing Technologies Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 25 25

LM GTE Pro Standings
Pos Team Chassis Engine CAS DON ATL Total
1 JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari 4.5 L V8 25 26 51
2 JMB Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari 4.5 L V8 19 19

LM GTE Am Standings
IMSA Performance took honors in the GTE Am class
Pos Team Chassis Engine CAS DON ATL Total
1 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3-RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 18 25 51 94
2 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari 4.5 L V8 15 19 0 34
3 Prospeed Competition Porsche 997 GT3-RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 26 26

Drivers Championships

LMP2 Standings
Pos Driver Team CAS DON ATL Total
1= Pierre Thiriet Thiriet by TDS Racing 26 18 50 94
1= Mathias Beche Thiriet by TDS Racing 26 18 50 94
2= Bertrand Baguette OAK Racing 25 37 62
2= Olivier Pla OAK Racing 25 37 62
3 Jacques Nicolet OAK Racing 8 9 37 54
4 Christophe Tinseau Thiriet by TDS Racing 50 50
5= Alex Brundle Greaves Motorsport 12 6 30 48
5= Tom Kimber-Smith Greaves Motorsport 12 6 30 48
6= Nicolas Marroc Sébastien Loeb Racing 18 12 30
6= Stéphane Sarrazin Sébastien Loeb Racing 18 12 30
6= Nicolas Minassian Sébastien Loeb Racing 18 12 30
7 Dimitri Enjalbert OAK Racing 25 25
8 Lucas Ordoñez Greaves Motorsport 12 6 18
9= Luís Pérez Companc Pecom Racing 6 10 16
9= Pierre Kaffer Pecom Racing 6 10 16
10= Alexander Sims Status GP 15 0 15
10= Dean Sterling Status GP 15 15
10= Yelmer Buurman Status GP 15 15
10= Jody Firth Murphy Prototypes 0 15 0 15
10= Warren Hughes Murphy Prototypes 0 15 0 15
10= Brendon Hartley Murphy Prototypes 15 0 15
11= Michel Frey Race Performance 10 10
11= Jonathan Hirschi Race Performance 10 10
11= Ralph Meichtry Race Performance 10 10
11= Soheil Ayari Pecom Racing 10 10
12 Matthieu Lahaye OAK Racing 9 9
13= Guillaume Moreau OAK Racing 8 8
13= Dominik Kraihamer OAK Racing 8 8
14 Gianmaria Bruni Pecom Racing 6 6
15= Fabien Rosier Extrême Limite ARIC 4 4
15= Philippe Thirion Extrême Limite ARIC 4 4
16= Sam Hancock JOTA 2 0 2
16= Simon Dolan JOTA 2 0 2

LMPC Standings
Pos Driver Team CAS DON ATL Total
1 John Hartshorne Curtis Racing Technologies
Boutsen Ginion Racing		 25 26 51
2 Thomas Dagoneau Boutsen Ginion Racing 1 26 27
3 Jean-Charles Battut Boutsen Ginion Racing 26 26
4= Alex Kapadia Curtis Racing Technologies 25 25
4= Phil Keen Curtis Racing Technologies 25 25
5= Jean-Marc Merlin Boutsen Ginion Racing 1 1
5= Massimo Vignali Boutsen Ginion Racing 1 1

LM GTE Pro Standings
Pos Driver Team CAS DON ATL Total
1 Jonny Cocker JMW Motorsport 25 26 51
2 James Walker JMW Motorsport 25 1 26
3 Allan Simonsen JMW Motorsport 25 25
4= Jaime Melo JMB Racing 19 19
4= Marco Frezza JMB Racing 19 19

LM GTE Am Standings
Pos Driver Team CAS DON ATL Total
1= Anthony Pons IMSA Performance Matmut 18 25 51 94
1= Nicolas Armindo IMSA Performance Matmut 18 25 51 94
1= Raymond Narac IMSA Performance Matmut 18 25 51 94
2= Piergiuseppe Perazzini AF Corse 15 19 0 34
2= Marco Cioci AF Corse 15 19 0 34
2= Matt Griffin AF Corse 15 19 0 34
3= Marc Goossens Prospeed Competition 26 26
3= Maxime Soulet Prospeed Competition 26 26


Manufacturers Cups

LMP2 Standings
Pos Constructor CAS DON ATL Total
1 Oreca-Nissan 44 33 50 127
2 Morgan-Nissan 25 37 62
3 Zytek-Nissan 14 6 30 50
4 Morgan-Judd 8 9 17
5 Lola-Judd 15 0 15
6 Oreca-Judd 10 10
7 Norma-Judd 4 4

LM GTE Standings
Pos Constructor CAS DON ATL Total
1 Porsche 27 18 51 96
2 Ferrari 44 41 0 85
– Aston Martin 0 0

References
  1. "Tracks for Drivers..." Le Mans Series. 2011-11-22. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
  2. "Zolder annulé ! Des réflexions en cours pour le futur de la série". Endurance-Info.com. 2012-04-01. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  3. Dagys, John (2012-07-20). "ELMS: Series Cancels Brno, Algarve, Teams Invited to Petit Le Mans". SpeedTV.com. Speed Channel. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-07-20.
  4. Dagys, John (2011-11-10). "LE MANS: LMS Confirms GTC Class For 2012". speedtv.com. Speed Channel. Archived from the original on 2012-01-10. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
  5. Dagys, John (2011-09-08). "LE MANS: ACO, ORECA Launch LMPC Trophy". speedtv.com. Speed Channel. Archived from the original on 2012-06-13. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
  6. "ELMS 2012 Entry List" (PDF). europeanlemansseries.com. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  7. "Donington: The Participants". European Le Mans Series. Peter Auto. 11 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-12-31. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  8. "Le Castellet: The Participants". europeanlemansseries.com. 23 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-12-16. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  9. "Alexander Sims joins Status GP for European Le Mans Series". Autosport.com. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  10. Mercier, Laurent (2012-03-28). "6H Castellet : Alex Kapadia rejoint Curtis Racing Technologies" [6H Castellet: Alex Kapadia joined Curtis Racing Technologies]. endurance-info.com (in French). Endurance-Info. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
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