24 August 2026 – The fourth round of the European Le Mans Series took place this weekend at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. After a slow start, the Vendée-based team’s #85 Duqueine D09 made a strong impression by securing its first pole position of the season. Although performance was more modest during the race, the Schwarze/Provost/Michal crew still managed to secure second place on the podium.

Free practice

On Friday, the #85 car, driven by Hugo Schwarze, Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Fabien Michal, finished 5^th in Free Practice 1. In the afternoon, Fabien Michal finished in the same position in the bronze practice session.

On Saturday morning, the team reached a milestone in Free Practice 2: the #85 car took first place, setting the fastest time of the session at 2:16.540.

Qualifying

Later in the day, it was time for qualifying. After two consecutive second-place finishes in the previous rounds (Paul Ricard and Imola), Pierre-Alexandre Provost finally broke through. The Luxembourg driver secured his first ELMS pole position (and the team’s first), with a time of 2:12.186.

Race

On Sunday, Fabien Michal got off to an excellent start and held the lead throughout the race. The 4 Hours of Spa were marred by numerous incidents on the track, resulting in several safety car deployments. Around thirty minutes after the start, however, the #85 car dropped back to second place.

Shortly before the halfway point, Fabien Michal stepped up the pace and retook the lead. Twenty minutes later, he pitted to hand over the wheel to Pierre-Alexandre Provost. The driver then moved back up to 3^rd place.

Hugo Schwarze took over for the final hour of the race. With a quarter of an hour to go before the chequered flag, the #85 car dropped back to 4^th place. But there was no way the German was going to let the podium slip away: he pulled off a daring overtake and crossed the finish line in third place.

Later, the disqualification of a rival ultimately allowed the #85 to move up to second place in the final standings.

The gap in the championship is narrowing

“This week hasn’t been easy as we’ve been fumbling around with the car’s set-up. The race was tough and we weren’t performing at our usual level, but the team still put in a brilliant performance. We did and optimised everything we could, and that’s always very important in this type of race. We’re 15 points behind the championship leader, so we’ll keep fighting!” Fabien Lavergne, Team Manager.

Currently second in the title race, this new podium finish brings the #85 car closer to the leader. Everything is still to play for ahead of Silverstone and Portimão!

See you in two weeks’ time for the fifth round of the championship in Great Britain.

To rewatch the 4 Hours of Spa, click here.

Photo credit: Jules Beaumont

April 13, 2026 – This past weekend, R-ace GP kicked off its European endurance season in Barcelona and made its debut in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). Despite its rookie status, the Vendée-based team immediately showed its potential by claiming pole position and finishing second in the 4 Hours of Barcelona. A look back at a highly successful start.

After several weeks of preparation, R-ace GP returned to the track for the opening round of the 2026 ELMS and Michelin Le Mans Cup seasons.

For its first-ever ELMS campaign, the team is fielding the Duqueine D09 #85, driven by Germany’s Hugo Schwarze (reigning Michelin Le Mans Cup champion with R-ace GP), Luxembourg’s Pierre-Alexandre Provost, and French Bronze driver Fabien Michal (2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup vice-champion with R-ace GP).

Prologue

Ahead of the official race weekend, teams and drivers took part in the traditional pre-season official tests, held over two days with two sessions per day.

The #85 finished P6 and P1 on the first day, then P4 and P1 on the second—very encouraging results for a rookie team.

Free Practice

On Friday, the #85 made a strong start by finishing second in FP1. In the afternoon, Fabien Michal finished P6 in the Bronze drivers’ collective test session. On Saturday morning, results were more moderate, with the crew finishing P7.

Qualifying

On Saturday afternoon, Hugo Schwarze, reigning Michelin Le Mans Cup Champion, delivered an outstanding performance and clinched pole position. The young German set the fastest lap in the LMP3 category with a lap in 1:36.524.

“The team worked extremely hard during testing, and I’m happy to reward that effort with this pole position—especially with a half-second margin over the rest of the field.” Hugo Schwarze.

Race

The start of the race was given at midday on Sunday. Several incidents occurred, but despite the chaotic conditions, Fabien Michal managed to pick his way through and retain the lead in the LMP3 category. After a 30-minute red flag period, the race resumed.

At mid-race, after a flawless stint, Fabien Michal pitted for the driver change. At the same time, two competitors collided on track, triggering a yellow flag followed by a Virtual Safety Car (VSC). Pierre-Alexandre Provost rejoined in second position.

“I spent my entire stint behind the leader—it was very frustrating. We had great pace, but it’s very difficult to overtake in dirty air. We know it’s often an issue at this circuit.” Pierre-Alexandre Provost.

Hugo Schwarze took over the #85 in the final hour. The German managed to close the gap to the leader by around fifteen seconds, but despite his efforts, the #85 crossed the finish line in second place.

“We’re obviously a bit disappointed with second place, as we had the pace to win the race. We were unlucky with the VSC, which was deployed just as we exited the pits and cost us a lot of time. But overall, the weekend remains very positive. Our drivers were highly competitive and we’ve secured valuable championship points. It’s a very strong ELMS debut for the team.” Fabien Lavergne, Team Manager.

The team will return in a few weeks’ time for the second round of the ELMS at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet.

To rewatch the 4 Hours of Barcelona, click here.

Photo credit: Jules Beaumont