Le Mans Cup: R-ace GP rounds off its season with victory at Portimão

12 Oct 2026

le mans cup portimao win enzo 3 peugeot danial frost

12 October 2026 – The final round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup took place this weekend at Portimão. After a mixed start to the season for the team, the #85 car, already crowned champions, rounded off its season in style by clinching victory. The race proved more challenging for its sister car, the #86. Here’s a look back at this final weekend of competition.

Free practice

On Thursday morning, the #85 (Enzo Peugeot and Danial Frost) finished second in FP1, whilst the #86 (Zack Scoular and Léna Bühler) came 16th. In the afternoon, the #85 repeated its performance and finished second, whilst the #86 finished 15th.

Qualifying

On Friday at midday, Enzo Peugeot secured fourth place on the starting grid for the #85, whilst Zack Scoular qualified 16th in the #86.

Race

On Saturday morning, Danial Frost got off to a flying start at the wheel of the #85. Starting fourth, the Singaporean driver overtook three rivals in the first corner to take the lead. Meanwhile, Léna Bühler staged a fine comeback in the #86, gaining eight places in the opening laps.

An hour later, both cars made their mandatory pit stops. The #85 was still in the lead, whilst the #86 was in 7th place. Enzo Peugeot took the wheel of the #85 and Zack Scoular that of the #86.

Whilst Peugeot battled to hold onto first place, Scoular was involved in a collision with a GT car. The #86 was forced to pull into the pits for repairs, which cost the crew a good result.

Enzo Peugeot crossed the finish line in first place, adding a third victory and a fifth podium finish to the #85’s record. The #86, meanwhile, finished 17th.

“It hasn’t been an easy week. We struggled to find the right set-up and balance for the car, and qualifying was tricky. But we tried something before the race, and it paid off. Danial’s magnificent start deserves a special mention. It’s very difficult to overtake on this circuit, so we knew it was crucial to take the lead right from the start. This victory is a fitting end to a brilliant season for the #85 car,” explained Fabien Lavergne, Sporting Director.

le mans cup portimao win enzo peugeot danial frost 2

A fitting end to a successful campaign in the Michelin Le Mans Cup

With this victory at Portimão, the #85 car brings R-ace GP’s third season in the Michelin Le Mans Cup to a brilliant close. For the second year running, the Vendée-based team has clinched both the Team and Drivers’ titles, with five podium finishes in six races (including three victories). This consistency confirms their competitiveness in the LMP3 class and rewards the hard work put in throughout the season.

Despite this positive outcome, the results of the #86 car remain a source of frustration for the team, which now hopes to reach new heights.

“Our regret this season is not having achieved the same level of results with the #86. It wasn’t necessarily a question of performance, but also of execution errors and on-track issues. We will work to rectify this in future and ensure all our cars are at the front of the field next year.” Fabien Lavergne.

To rewatch the race, click here.

Photo credit: Jules Beaumont

ELMS: Another podium finish for R-ace GP at Spa-Francorchamps

24 Aug 2026

r-ace gp elms spa podium hugo schwarze pierre-alexandre provost fabien michal 2

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.

r-ace gp elms spa podium hugo schwarze pierre-alexandre provost fabien michal 3

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

FREC: R-ace GP Dominates at Monza and the Hungaroring

06 Jul 2026

6 July 2026 – R-ace GP came back stronger than ever over the FREC’s last two rounds, at Monza and then the Hungaroring. In five races, the Vendée-based team added eight more podiums to its tally, including four wins. Here’s a look back at two outstanding rounds.

Round 4: Monza

The weekend gets underway with free practice. Emanuele Olivieri finishes 14th, ahead of Rashid Al Dhaheri (17th) and Yuki Sano (22nd).

In Qualifying 1, Olivieri backs that up by setting the 2nd fastest time, with Al Dhaheri 5th and Sano 14th.

In Race 1, Olivieri crosses the line 2nd overall and takes the Rookie win, while Al Dhaheri finishes 12th. Sano, meanwhile, is forced to retire.

Race 2 goes the way of Al Dhaheri, who claims victory after a superb recovery drive from P8 to P1. Sano finishes 22nd, and Olivieri retires.

Emanuele Olivieri sets the outright fastest time in Qualifying 2, with a lap of 1:45.102, ahead of Sano (14th) and Al Dhaheri (26th).

The Italian goes on to complete the double, winning both overall and in the Rookie classification. Yuki Sano also delivers a fantastic drive, climbing from P14 to P3 to score his first podium in a European championship. Rashid Al Dhaheri finishes 9th.

Round 5: Hungaroring

The team then heads to the Hungaroring for round five of the season. R-ace GP sets the pace from the start of free practice, with Olivieri topping the first session ahead of Sano (4th) and Al Dhaheri (5th). The second session is trickier, with Al Dhaheri 9th, Sano 12th and Olivieri 21st.

In qualifying for Race 1, Yuki Sano claims his first-ever FREC pole position with a lap of 1:37.760, ahead of Al Dhaheri (3rd) and Olivieri (4th). The Japanese driver makes it count, converting pole into victory, with Al Dhaheri 2nd and Olivieri 4th — the latter also taking the Rookie win.

FREC R-race GP Hungaroring Rashid Al Dhaheri Yuki Sano

For Race 2, it’s Rashid Al Dhaheri’s turn to take pole, with a lap in 1:37.639, ahead of Sano (3rd) and Olivieri (4th). The Emirati driver turns pole into a race win, with Olivieri adding another podium in 3rd. Sano finishes 19th.

R-ace GP and Rashid Al Dhaheri lead the championship

Rashid Al Dhaheri retakes the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with 151 points, while Emanuele Olivieri climbs to 4th with 116 points. In the Teams’ Championship, R-ace GP holds onto top spot with 322 points.

See you from 17-19 July at Circuit Paul Ricard for round six of the season!

FREC R-race GP Hungaroring Rashid Al Dhaheri Emanuele Olivieri

FREC R-race GP Hungaroring Rashid Al Dhaheri

FREC R-race GP Hungaroring Rashid Al Dhaheri EMANUELE OLIVIERI Yuki Sano

To watch the races, click here.

R-ace GP on All Fronts Between Zandvoort (FREC) and Vallelunga (Italian F4)

25 May 2026

round 2 frec zandvoort r-ace gp yuki sano

25 May 2026 – It was a busy weekend for the Vendée-based team, competing simultaneously at Zandvoort for the second round of the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) and at Vallelunga for the second round of the Italian F4 Championship. Here’s a look back at both events.

FREC: A Weekend of Progress Rewarded with a Podium at Zandvoort

Friday: Free Practice

The weekend got off to a cautious start for the team. Rashid Al Dhaheri (#71) finished P15, ahead of teammate Emanuele Olivieri (#73), while Yuki Sano (#12) ended the opening session in P22.

In the afternoon, Al Dhaheri improved his pace and moved closer to the top ten. Olivieri and Sano finished P18 and P23 respectively.

round 2 frec zandvoort r-ace gp rashid al dhaheri

Saturday: Qualifying and Race 1

The team’s overnight improvements paid off immediately in qualifying, with all three cars securing places inside the top ten. Emanuele Olivieri qualified fifth, Rashid Al Dhaheri eighth and Yuki Sano tenth.

In the afternoon race, Emanuele Olivieri claimed his first FREC podium. The Italian finished third overall and took victory in the Rookie class. Rashid Al Dhaheri narrowly missed out on the podium with fifth place, while Yuki Sano crossed the line in P18.

round 2 frec zandvoort r-ace gp emanuele olivieri

Sunday: Qualifying and Race 2

On Sunday morning, the team continued to build on its performance in Qualifying 2. Rashid Al Dhaheri and Emanuele Olivieri qualified fourth and fifth respectively. It was a more difficult session for Yuki Sano, who posted the 20th fastest time.

Race 2 ended with a fourth-place finish for Rashid Al Dhaheri. Emanuele Olivieri crossed the line in sixth place, while Yuki Sano finished 16th

Weekend Summary

After a challenging start, the team successfully identified its weaknesses and improved throughout the weekend. Although Zandvoort’s demanding and technical layout prevented the team from converting its pace into a pole position or victory, valuable championship points were secured.

The next round takes place at Monza on 20–21 June.

To watch the races, click here.

Italian F4: Strong Recovery Drives at Vallelunga

Qualifying

In Group 1, Kenzo Craigie (#34) qualified ninth while Tomika Gender (#33) finished 19th. In Group 2, Andy Consani (#30) delivered a strong performance to set the third-fastest time, while Emily Cotty (#42) ended the session in 18th

Race 1

On the opening lap, Kenzo Craigie, running 12th at the time, spun after contact with another driver. The Brit was forced to pit for a puncture. A few laps later, Andy Consani lost his front wing and also had to make an unscheduled pit stop.

Emily Cotty crossed the finish line in P19, followed by Kenzo Craigie, Andy Consani and Tomika Gender.

Race 2

Starting sixth on the grid, Andy Consani made an excellent getaway and quickly moved into second place. He held the position all the way to the chequered flag, but a post-race penalty dropped him to P21. Tomika Gender finished P14, while Emily Cotty took P16.

F4 italy Vallelunga round 2 R-ace gp kenzo craigie tomika gender

Race 3

Starting from 12th on the grid, Kenzo Craigie produced an impressive recovery drive to finish fifth. He also claimed victory in the Rookie category and set the fastest lap of the race.

Final Race

Another strong performance followed from Craigie. Starting 15th, he charged through the field to finish eighth overall. He also secured second place in the Rookie classification. Tomika Gender and Emily Cotty finished P26 and P30 respectively.

F4 italy Vallelunga round 2 R-ace gp kenzo craigie

Weekend Summary

As in the opening round at Misano, the team showed strong pace in both qualifying and race conditions. However, race incidents and circumstances prevented that performance from being fully reflected in the final results.

The next round takes place at Monza on 20–21 June.

To watch the races again, click HERE.