Michelin Le Mans Cup 2025: who are the six R-ace GP drivers?

25 Mar 2025

25 March 2025 – Only a few days to go until the Michelin Le Mans Cup kicks off! For its second season in endurance racing, R-ace GP is setting its sights high with three Duqueine D09 LMP3 cars. Runner-up in its rookie season in 2024, the French team is more determined than ever to win the title in 2025. And to do so, it will be supported by some talented drivers.

Duqueine D09 #85 crew

Hadrien David (silver): French F4 Champion in 2019, FRECA Runner-Up in 2021, Michelin Le Mans Cup Runner-Up in 2024 (LMP3).

Hugo Schwarze (silver): RMC Wintercup Champion in 2022, Ginetta Junior Runner-Up in 2023.

Duqueine D09 #86 crew

Joel Granfors (silver): Aquila Synergy Cup and Formula Nordic Champion in 2020, BG3 Vice-Champion in 2022.

Edgar Pierre (silver)

Duqueine D09 #88 crew

Romano Ricci (bronze)

Fabien Lavergne (silver): ELMS Champion (LMGTE) and Michelin Le Mans Cup Runner-Up (GT3) in 2019, FFSA GT4 Runner-Up in 2020, Asian Le Mans Series Runner-Up (LMP3 category) in 2023.

To follow our results throughout the season, visit our Facebook and Instagram pages!

The 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup calendar

Round 1: 5 April in Barcelona (Spain)

Round 2: May 3 at Le Castellet (France)

Round 3: Le Mans (France) on June 12 with two races

Round 4: Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), 23 August

Round 5: September 13 at Silverstone (Great Britain)

Round 6: Portimao (Portugal) on October 18

For more information on the Michelin Le Mans Cup, click here.

‘’The reactivity of the team and drivers in FRMEC was exemplary,’’ stresses Thibaut de Mérindol, R-ace GP’s boss

07 Mar 2025

Crowned champion in 2024, R-ace GP returned to defend its title in Formula Regional Middle East. After a difficult start that slowed its performance, the team, more determined than ever, bounced back to finish second in the championship and third in the drivers’ standings.

‘’The first round in Abu Dhabi was a huge disappointment,’’ admits Thibaut de Mérindol, Team Principal of R-ace GP. The reason: the new tyre specifications, which gave the team a hard time and put the brakes on the hoped-for performances.

But by the third round in Dubai, R-ace GP had made an impressive recovery in the rankings. ‘’The reactivity of the team and drivers was exemplary,’’ says the team boss. ‘’It’s not easy to maintain a good state of mind when you get off to a bad start, especially in a short championship with one race following another. However, they were able to find solutions and recreate the momentum.’’

Drivers making progress

‘’Ugo [Ugochukwu] played a decisive role in the team,’’ he insists. ‘’He was the one who took on the role of leader and helped us turn the corner. We relied a lot on him.’’ The young American, who will continue his season in Formula 3, finished third in the drivers’ championship.

‘’Enzo [Deligny] has improved this season, but he still has a lot of work to do to reach the expected level and take on the role of leader. He can count on all the teams’s energy to support him and help him progress,’’ says Thibaut de Mérindol.

Jin Nakamura, meanwhile, has shown promising potential. ‘’He still needs to adapt culturally and technically to European motorsport, which is nothing like what he experienced in Japan. Here, he’s discovering a whole new way of working. His driving is still a little instinctive, but he has a real desire to learn and improve.’’

‘’Akshay [Bohra] struggled to bounce back after our difficult first weekend. But we saw his true worth, particularly during our tests last year. We know what he’s capable of once he regains his confidence’’, he concludes.

Lessons for the rest of the season

Despite a rocky start, R-ace GP has shown itself to be adaptable and resilient. While the title may have eluded them this year, the team will be taking away some solid lessons that will enable them to approach the rest of the season with ambition.

The European season kicks off in less than two months’ time, at the start of May. In the meantime, stay tuned on our social media – Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn – to find out more about our line-up in Formula Regional by Alpine (FRECA).

FRMEC season in numbers:

12 podium finishes.
4 wins.
4 second places.
4 third places.
259 points scored by the team starting from Round 3 (including 159 by Ugo Ugochukwu), making it the team with the most points scored over the last three rounds.
14 points difference with the leader of the team ranking.

‘‘2025 marks the revival of our F4 team,’‘ says R-ace GP’s Team Principal Thibaut de Mérindol

07 Mar 2025

Emanuele Olivieri F4 Middle East R-ace GP

Press release, 7 March 2025 – The 2025 season is off to a flying start for R-ace GP and its F4 team. Having just returned from the Middle East with the double title of Team and Driver Champion, as well as the title of Driver Runner-Up, it’s time to reflect on the season. And with 22 podium finishes, including 11 victories, R-ace GP Team Principal Thibaut de Mérindol could not have hoped for a better result for his team.

‘‘The level of performance and the results achieved have been more than satisfying,’‘ explains Thibaut de Mérindol, Team Principal of R-ace GP. ‘‘The in-depth work we began in 2024, and the efforts made over the past year to get this team up and running again, especially with the involvement of Cyril Comte [R-ace GP’s Technical Director], have paid off.’‘ The team’s technical and operational progress has been rewarded this year with three titles.

Drivers who live up to expectations

‘‘Emanuele [Olivieri] and Alex [Powell] are excellent drivers who have done what was expected of them, which is to take on the role of co-leaders of the team,’‘ he adds. ‘‘We saw their potential last season, and we were convinced that such a pairing of drivers would make a major contribution to raising our team to the highest level. That’s why I’d like to thank them and their management for the confidence they have shown in us by joining our team.’‘

‘‘On several occasions, Oleksandr [Savinkov] has shown real potential. But there’s still work to be done to master and maintain his level of performance,’‘ continued the R-ace GP director. ‘‘As for Emily [Cotty], she has made good linear and continuous progress. Given her lack of experience, the starting point is really satisfying, especially for a rookie,’‘ he concludes.

The European season kicks off in less than two months’ time, at the start of May. Until then, stay tuned on our social networks – Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn – to find out more about our F4 Italy and Euro 4 line-ups.

The F4 Middle East 2025 season in numbers:

23 podium finishes.
11 wins.
3 second places.
8 third places.
9 pole positions out of 10 qualifying sessions.
602 points in the team standings.
212 points scored by Alex Powell from Round 3, making him the top scorer in the second half of the season.

Oleksandr Savinkov F4 Middle East R-ace GP

Team F4 Middle East R-ace GP Emanuele Olivieri

Championship winner R-ace GP F4 Middle East 2025

R-ace GP finishes Runner-Up in FRMEC

01 Mar 2025

27 and 28 February 2025, Lusail – After a complicated start to the season, R-ace GP finished second in the 2025 Formula Regional Middle East championship. On the final weekend of competition in Qatar, the team scored one pole position, one win, two second places and one third place. Ugo Ugochukwu, who is about to make his Formula 3 debut, also finished third in the drivers’ championship.

On Friday 28 February, Ugo Ugochukwu (#7) set the fastest time in the second qualifying session with a lap of 1:49.212.

Race 1

Qualified second, Ugo Ugochukwu made an impressive start and instantly took the lead of the race. But motorsport can be pitiless: while leading the race, the American saw his tyres deteriorate badly and was overtaken on the final lap. He eventually finished second. After a penalty imposed on a competitor, Jin Nakamura (#2) took third place on the podium, followed by Enzo Deligny (#1) in fourth. Akshay Bohra (#3) finished 13th.

Race 2

Starting from sixth on the grid, Enzo Deligny crossed the line in second place. After a penalty was imposed on the initial winner, he was finally declared winner of the race. Ugo Ugochukwu finished 7th, Akshay Bohra 14th and Jin Nakamura 21st.

Race 3

For this final race of the championship, Ugo Ugochukwu took another second place, his sixth podium of the season. He also ended the championship in third place in the drivers’ standings, a fine performance ahead of his move to Formula 3. Jin Nakamura finished 10th, ahead of Enzo Deligny, 16th, and Akshay Bohra,17th.

Watch all the races on the championship’s YouTube channel.

The Runner-Up title for R-ace GP

Despite a difficult start to the season, R-ace GP’s surge from the third round in Dubai enabled the team to finish runner-up, just 14 points behind the leaders.

The European season kicks off in a few months’ time with the Formule Régionale by Alpine Championship (FRECA). In the meantime, join us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to follow our latest news and stay tuned for our FRECA line-up.