Starting with what is the European Le Mans Series (ELMS):
It’s a European series of endurance races reserved for cars such as "Le Mans Prototypes" and "Le Mans Grand Touring". The ELMS presents three different categories: LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, LMP3 and LMGT3.
* There are 4 categories
* All 4 categories run at the same time on track
* The cars that are performing in those classes are all different in terms of weight, size, engine
Lmp2- Race Number Background Color: BLUE (what Logan is driving !!)
* The category below the top LMH class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) "Le Mans Prototype 2" (LMP2) is a key part of the “Endurance" family
* Each driver line up must have at least 1 silver or bronze driver, two platinum drivers can not be entered in the same line up
* it allows teams and drivers to progress to the highest level gradually.
* 1st and 2nd LMP2 competitors will be invited to the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Lmp2 pro/am- Race Number Background Color: CYAN
* In 2021, the LMP2 grid included a separate trophy and title for competitors whose cars included a bronze driver in their line-up. This was known as LMP2 Pro/Am.
* In a change for the 2023 season, the LMP2 Pro/Am category will be run as a separate class
* a lineup of 2 or 3 drivers must include at least 1 bronze driver
* The cars will be the same as run in the LMP2 category.
* 1st LMP2 Pro/Am competitor will be invited to 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans.
LMP3- Race Number Background Color: PURPLE
* LMP3 was designed as a training ground for endurance racing, an arena in which drivers, team members, engineers, and mechanics can hone their skills and prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
* lineup must include 1 silver and 1 bronze or 2 bronze
* from what I understand, it is a feeder series similar to f2/f3
Lmgt3- Race Number Background Color: ORANGE
* Le Mans Grand Touring Car, is a set of regulations maintained by the ACO and the FIA for Grand Tourer race cars designed for use in the ACO/FIA motor racing series. *LMGT3 cars are based on production road car models that are built and sold at the time of homologation.
* Cars eligible for the LMGT3 class must be built by a partner manufacturer recognized by the ACO/FIA
* a lineup of 2 or 3 drivers must have 1 silver and 1 bronze or 2 bronze and no more than 1 gold or platinum driver
* LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, and LMGT3 competitors run with Goodyear tyres. LMP3 competitors run with Michelin tyres.
* LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, and LMP3 competitors have one dry and one wet tyre specifications. There are two dry and one wet tyre specifications for the LMGT3 category.
* Unlike Formula 1, any equipment for warming the tyres or keeping them to temperature is forbidden.
WEEKEND SETUP
* Free Practice: two Free Practice sessions of 90 minutes.
* Bronze Test: one session of 30 minutes exclusively for FIA-ranked Bronze drivers.
* Qualifying: one qualifying session of 15 minutes per category, which defines the grid order.
* In LMP2 Pro/Am and LMGT3, only Bronze drivers can qualify for the car, whereas in LMP2 and LMP3, it's up to the competitor.
* Race – which lasts 4 hours.
RACES
* Each driver must drive at least 40 minutes during the race. (One stint)
* The winner is the car that covered the greatest distance in their category.
* If the race needs to be neutralized or stopped for safety reasons, multiple procedures can be decided by the Race Director:
FULL COURSE YELLOW
* Intended for short neutralisations, mainly for interventions lasting equal to or less than one lap.
* Cars must slow down to 80kph.
* The pit lane entry is closed when there is a Full Course Yellow (FCY)
* No overtaking
VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR
* Intended to secure interventions and used for an approximate duration of two laps before deployment of the Safety Car (SC).
* Cars must slow down to 80kph.
* Access to the pit lane will remain open for the duration of the VSC.
* No overtaking
SAFETY CAR
* Intended for long neutralizations.
* All cars must follow the Safety Car and adapt their speed.
* The pit lane entry is closed for three laps when a Safety Car (SC) is announced.
* Overtaking is permitted under defined circumstances.
RED FLAG
* All the cars must head back to the pitlane or stop on track according to the conditions.
* Each category has its own podium for the three first competitors.
* Cars and drivers have their own classification in each category.
* One point is awarded for the pole position in each category.
* Points are awarded to the following scale:
1. 25 point
2. 18 points
3. 15 points
4. 12 points
5. 10 points
6. 8 points
7. 6 points
8. 4 points
9. 2 points
10. 1 point
Okay, like I said before- the teams in these series get invited to WEC Le Mans.
* LMP2: 1st and 2nd placed competitors in the overall classifications will receive LMP2 invitations.
* LMP2 Pro/Am: 1st placed competitor in the overall classifications will receive a LMP2 invitation.
* LMP3: 1st placed competitor in the overall classifications will receive a LMP2 invitation.
* LMGT3: 1st placed competitor in the overall classifications will receive a LMGT3 invitation
* 44 cars are to race during the 2025 season of the European Le Mans Series
* Line-ups are composed of two to three drivers per car.
* 14 LMP2s, 7 entries in the LMP2 Pro/Am class, 10 LMP3s and 13 LMGT3s.
* to take part in the European Le Mans Series, you must be a categorized driver (based on the FIA Drivers’ categorization.)
* the categorization can be adjusted following the pace of the driver during the current season and his/ her results in the series he/she is taking part in.
* The drivers can be rated in 4 classes: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
PLATINUM DRIVERS (just some basics)
* has held a Super Licence (for Formula One)
* has won the Le Mans 24 Hours in a professional category (LMP1 / LMGTE Pro)
* has been a Factory Driver, paid by a car manufacturer, with results to match
* has finished in the top 3 in the general classification of an F3 international series or major international single-seater championship
GOLD DRIVERS
* has finished in the top 3 in the general classification of a secondary international single-seater series
* has won the general classification of a regional or national single-seater series
* has competed in the FIA F2, GP2, GP3, FIA F3 or Super Formula series since 2012 and has finished on the podium on three or more occasions in one calendar season.
* is a driver whose average lap time has been consistently as fast or faster over the majority of the season than the average lap time of Gold drivers competing in the same event of the season
SILVER DRIVER
* driver aged under 30 and not satisfying the criteria of categories Platinum and Gold
* driver who has finished in 1st place in the general classification of regional or major national championships or international series, or has won a major endurance race
* driver who has won a non-professional drivers' series or a regional, national or international single-make lower category series organized by a Manufacturer
* has competed competitively in high-level international karting competitions
BRONZE DRIVER
* Any driver who was over 30 years old when his/her first license was issued, and who has little or no single-seater experience.
* Any driver over 30, previously categorized as Silver, but with no significant results (titles, pole positions or race wins) and whose performance has been shown to be that of a Bronze driver in a monitored series.
* Any driver under 30 years old with a license issued for the first time during the same year as their first categorization and who has not competed in high-level international karting competitions.
now that we have that info dump, let’s find out where Logan fits in
Logan is going to be racing the number 18 (Ls2 SAR18)
He is racing with IDEC Sport Racing LMP2
His teammates (all three will be racing under #18)
Jamie Chadwick - 3x W Series Champion, Formula E test driver, Formula 1 Williams development driver, Indy NXT race winner
Mathys Jaubert - I don’t a lot but he is 19, finished in the top 3 of Porsche championships
Please feel free to correct me or add things in reblogs/replies :) I am very new so I will be learning with everyone 🙌
Gold star ⭐ to everyone who made it to the end of this crazy weekend
F1 was live on instagram a few minutes ago, with Lawrence Barnetto interviewing a couple of the drivers! Here are some of my favourite moments while I try and stay awake for the race :))
Lawrence interviewing oscar piastri with his autographed shirt
Lewis going "you rated me pretty low on the predictions" and making Lawrence freak out for a few seconds
Daniel Ricciardo! Nothing happened beyond him talking about his expectations for the car and the race, I just wanted to include him
And, of course, Spider-man waving to the drivers
Bonus: Lando being handed a mic and then turning back to whatever George was saying instead of actually doing the interview (did not get a screenshot, unfortunately) and the cameraman focusing on 1644 every time they could.
daniel's like that one friend who says some fucked up shit out of nowhere and ruins the vibe bc the whole gang's depressed again now 😔
I know that no one was surprised with Max's win today but as a community I think that we have to agknowledge that it was his 100th podium finish (youngest to achive this), 20th circuit to get a pole at, and he drove his 10,000th lap this weekend.
I'm back! What a chaotic race. Anyways doing it a little differently this week, here's how my predictions held up with the race:
Oscar Piastri placing P5 or above: Piastri started wonderfully in P6 before moving up to a podium spot! Unfortunately McLaren asked him to swap positions with Norris, who did have fresher tires. They also missed the opportunity to pit when Leclerc (who was in front) did, which probably cost him a few places. He did finish P4 though, making my prediction correct.
Daniel Ricciardo in points: Not much to say here. The commentary didn't focus on him much, but he moved up from P18 to P12 which is impressive. Regrettably not enough to get him into the points though.
Ferrari on the podium: Not just one, but both! It's a Ferrari 1-2 in Melbourne, with Carlos getting DOTD and claiming the win behind a last lap virtual safety car to get his THIRD ever F1 win. Sainz's teammate Leclerc had a few issues, but managed to overtake Norris for second place. Ferrari, of course, sang the National Anthem for Sainz on the podium. Wonderful day for Ferrari fans, who have suffered through last year for this.
My tyre is gone front left (Leclerc)
Thank you Ricky, thank you Ferrari (Cue Sainz singing on the radio after the race)
No Red Bull 1-2: With Max Verstappen retiring on lap 3 due to an engine issue and Perez's 3 grid penalty, Red Bull anywhere near the podium was practically impossible. Perez finished P5 though, so one place up from where he started.
I just lost the car there really weird (Verstappen before he DNFd)
Of course the temperature kept increasing...felt like driving with a hand-break (Verstappen in an interview after his DNF)
Nico Hulkenberg in the points: Only 1% of people voted for this in my original poll, which is hilarious as it was one of the few predictions to come true. Of course, wonderful defending against Albon amongst other things let him hold onto P9, getting a few points for HAAS (as Magnussen joins him in the points, finishing P10)
Max Verstappen wins with a less than 5 second lead: ...okay so. Yeah we don't talk about this.
Alex Albon in the points: William's call to give Sergeant's chassis to Albon did not, in fact, pay off. He finishes P11, just out of points, after being unable to overtake the HAAS. He did attempt to report Hulkenberg moving under breaking, but not penalties were applied.
That's so dangerous, moving under breaking (Albon about Hulkenberg)
I'll of course be making a summary on this race, but it'll take a while. Anyways, I'll see you all after I've had lunch :)
GP and Helmut were betting on whether or not Max would get pole?? And GP bet AGAINST him and lost £50 ???? 😭😭😭