23 August 2025 – It’s back to business for R-ace GP. The team returned to action at Spa-Francorchamps for the fourth round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup. And what a comeback! After winning the qualifying session hands down (1-2-3 for the team’s three Duqueine D09s), the #85 car never relinquished the lead and went on to take the victory. This triumph puts R-ace GP at the top of the championship standings.

Boosted by the excellent results of the previous round at Le Mans, the team arrived in Belgium more determined than ever to continue this positive momentum.

Free practice

The weekend got off to a good start with free practice on Friday 22 August. The #85 car (Hadrien David and Hugo Schwarze) finished 2nd and then 4th. Its sister car, the #86 (Edgar Pierre and Antoine Doquin), finished 7th and 9th. In the PRO/AM category, the #88 car (Fabien Lavergne and Romano Ricci) showed good progress, moving up from 15th place in session 1 to 5th in session 2.

Qualifying

On Saturday morning, a drizzle fell on the circuit during the qualifying sessions. Despite the difficult conditions, Hadrien David and Edgar Pierre had a fabulous session. David flew away and took pole position with a lap of 2:29.248, while Pierre settled into second place. In the PRO/AM class, Romano Ricci also had a very good session, qualifying third in the category.

Race

The race started shortly before 4 p.m. There were no incidents to report for the three crews. At the wheel of the #85, Hugo Schwarze quickly pulled away from Antoine Doquin, his teammate in the #86. The two Duqueines remained at the front throughout the first part of the race.  

In the PRO/AM category, Romano Ricci moved up one place at the start and found himself in second position. However, as time passed, tyre degradation affected performance. The gentleman driver lost several places in the standings.

After an hour on the track, the drivers entered the pits to hand over the reins. Hadrien David climbed aboard the #85 and remained in the lead. Edgar Pierre, at the wheel of the #86, was fourth. In PRO/AM, Fabien Lavergne managed to climb back up to second place and was fighting for the podium. Unfortunately, a contact with a competitor forced him to retire just five minutes from the finish. 

Unperturbed, the #85 car continued the race without incident and crossed the chequered flag with a lead of almost 18 seconds. The #86 car finished seventh in the race.

R-ace GP takes the lead in the championship

After two podium finishes in the overall standings and one in PRO/AM, R-ace GP finally clinched victory this season in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. A well-deserved result, the fruit of the team’s hard work to become more competitive after a difficult start to the season.

With 64 points to its name, car #85 now leads the championship.

The next round will take place at Silverstone on 13 September.

Click here to watch the race.

To follow our performances over the season, follow our Facebook and Instagram pages!

June 16, 2025 – R-ace GP shone on the emblematic 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit during the third round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup. After weeks of hard work, the French team was rewarded with three well-deserved podium finishes at the end of a weekend packed with excitement and drama.

The third round of the championship kicks off with a new addition to the team line-up. Edgar Pierre, driver of the #86 Duqueine D09, is joined by a familiar face to R-ace GP: Jin Nakamura. The Japanese driver, who is currently entered for the season in FRECA, starts a new chapter in his career this weekend by making his debut in LMP3.

Free practice 

Right from the start of free practice on Thursday, the #85, driven by Hadrien David and Hugo Schwarze, set an excellent pace, posting the fastest time in FP1 with a lap in 3:50.288. The #86 (Edgar Pierre and Jin Nakamura) finished 23rd, while the #88 of Romano Ricci and Fabien Lavergne was 15th in Pro/Am. In FP2, the #85 placed 5th, confirming its competitiveness, while the #86 and #88 finished 15th and 14th respectively in their classes.

Qualifying disrupted and a major blow for the #85

Thursday lunchtime saw a chaotic qualifying session, interrupted on numerous occasions by red flags. None of the R-ace GP entries managed to set a clear lap. The session ended badly for the #85, which went off the track violently and suffered extensive damage.

Race 1: Deserved first podium with the #85

After intensive efforts to repair the #85, the latter managed to take the start of Race 1 from pole position later in the day. Hugo Schwarze got off to a clean start, but dropped back to third place after making a mistake at the Daytona chicane. Edgar Pierre gained several positions in the #86, but was hit by a rival and spun. The #88 driven by Romano Ricci also started to make good headway, but a spin disrupted its progress.

Hadrien David then took over in the #85 and climbed to the head of the pack. He fought hard to keep his position, but was overtaken. However, a penalty imposed on a competitor enabled him to regain 2nd place on the podium, the team’s first since the start of the season. The #86 finished 15th and the #88 8th in its class, thanks to strong stints from Jin Nakamura and Fabien Lavergne.

Race 2: Double podium to round off the weekend 

The second race got off to a chaotic start, on Saturday morning, but the R-ace GP drivers reacted quickly. The #85 gained three places from the start, and the #88 made a superb start in Pro/Am. After the restart, the #85 and #86 made rapid progress. Unfortunately, the #86 spun, had a puncture, restarted, then suffered a second puncture which forced it to retire.

Meanwhile, the #85 continued its spectacular comeback. After the driver change, it was up to 6th place (+14 positions), then 3rd. Hugo Schwarze attacked hard in the final laps, kept in touch with the leader and crossed the finish line in 2nd place, signing a second consecutive podium for R-ace GP. The #88 finished the race in 3rd place in the Pro/Am category, rounding off a superb weekend for the team.

R-ace GP on the up

After a difficult first half of the season, these results mark a real turning point for R-ace GP. The team climbed to 3rd place in the overall standings and 5th in the Pro/Am standings. These podium finishes on the legendary Le Mans circuit illustrate the hard work and determination of the team members and drivers, as well as the solid collaboration with manufacturer Duqueine Automotive. 

R-ace GP’s LMP3 pole crew will now take a well-deserved summer break before being back on track. See you on August 23 at Spa-Francorchamps for Round 4.

Click here to watch race 1 and race 2.

To follow our performances over the season, visit our Facebook and Instagram pages!

May 3, 2025 – R-ace GP’s three LMP3s met up at the Paul Ricard circuit for the second round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup. Despite an improved performance since Barcelona, the #85, #86 and #88 Duqueine DO9s remain within touching distance of the podium. The team must continue to work hard to improve its speed and competitiveness. 

Free practice and qualifying

On Friday morning, free practice 1 revealed some bright prospects, particularly for the #85 (Hadrien David and Hugo Schwarze), which climbed to 2nd on the timesheets. Later in free practice 2, the performances were a little more subdued, but all three cars managed to finish in the top 10 of their respective categories.

The following day, qualifying conditions were not favourable, with uncertain weather and a red flag displayed during the session. In the PRO class, the #85 driven by Hadrien David took 5th place, while the #86 with Joel Granfors finished 7th. In the PRO/AM category, Romano Ricci qualified the #88 in 6th place. 

The race

The race, which took place at the end of the day, had an air of déjà vu. Similar to the results obtained in qualifying, the #85 finished 5th, followed by the #86 in 7th place. In the PRO/AM category, the #88 finished 5th as well.

This weekend has not yet delivered the results the team had hoped for, although they did manage to get the best out of their current level of performance. The potential of the Duqueine D09 is there, but the team will have to redouble its efforts to make the most of it and improve its competitiveness.

The championship will carry on from 12 to 14 June with Road to Le Mans, the special round on the Le Mans 24 Hours circuit. 

To watch the race, click here.

To follow our performances over the season, visit our Facebook and Instagram pages!

April 5, Barcelona – The R-ace GP squad, which entered three Duqueine D09s, got off to a rocky start this weekend at the first Michelin Le Mans Cup meeting of the season. Despite good progress and encouraging qualifying, a podium finish slipped through the team’s fingers. The #86 and #85 finished 5th and 8th overall, while the #88 finished 6th in the PRO/AM category.

Free practice and qualifying

On Friday April 4, the #85, #86 and #88 showed a clear progression after the results from official testing earlier in the week. The #85 and #86 finished in the top 6 overall, and the #88 in the top 3 of the PRO/AM category.

This progress was confirmed in qualifying the following day, with Hadrien David (#85) securing 3rd place and Joel Granfors (#86) 5th. On the PRO/AM side, Romano Ricci (#88) achieved the best qualifying result of his career with 6th place. The three LMP3s were therefore serious contenders for the podium, both overall and in the PRO/AM category.

The race

At the start, Hugo Schwarze in the #85 took the lead. But his manoeuvre resulted in a contact with a competitor which led to a drive-through penalty, relegating him to the top 15. In the #86, Joel Granfors maintained his position in the top 5. Romano Ricci in the #88 climbed up to third place in the PRO/AM category.

After more than an hour of racing and the mandatory pit stop, the race was interrupted by a red flag. On the restart, Fabien Lavergne (#88) was 4th in the PRO/AM category. In the overall standings, Edgar Pierre (#86) continued to defend his 4th place, while Hadrien David (#85) was 8th.

The #86 finally crossed the finish line in 5th place, ahead of the #85, still 8th. In the PRO/AM category, the #88 finished 5th but a penalty dropped it back to 6th place.

A fightback expected at Paul Ricard

More work needs to be done before the new Duqueine D09 reaches its full potential. That’s the conclusion of the R-ace GP team after this first weekend. ‘We’re now focused on the upcoming tests at Paul Ricard, where we’ll have to assess and develop our performance as a team,’ commented R-ace GP boss Thibaut de Mérindol.

The second round of the season will take place at Le Castellet on May 3.

To watch the race, click here.