CHAMPIONS: IRON LYNX TAKES EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES LMGT3 TITLE IN DRAMATIC FINALE

Iron Lynx became the first team to win a LMGT3 title after taking the crown in the European Le Mans Series around the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal with Hiroshi Hamaguchi, Axcil Jeffries and Andrea Caldarelli in a nine-way title showdown.
 
Meanwhile, the team finished its first LMP2 season with Macéo Capietto, Jonas Ried and Matteo Cairoli, and Gregorio Bertocco and Matteo Pianezzola showcased their continued progression at the front of the Ligier European Series as that championship also came to its conclusion.

European Le Mans Series

The short Qualifying session in LMGT3 was reduced by two lengthy red flag periods, including for barrier repairs. Regardless, Hiroshi was able to finish the session in fifth and firmly in contention heading into the four-hour race. In the much-delayed LMP2 session, Matteo placed the car in eighth.
 
The race itself featured a number of interruptions. The #63 was in the mix from the off, however, before a penalty dropped it down the order. A well-timed Safety Car, along with some very strong driving from Hiroshi, brought the Huracán back into the mix and up into second before he handed the car over to Axcil at the halfway mark.

The pace continued to be strong during Axcil’s stint and he closed up the gap slightly to the #85 Iron Dames entry but significantly opened it up to the #55 Spirit of Race entry through his stint and as some of the strategies unravelled. For the final hour of the race, Andrea was behind the wheel to take the car to the chequered flag.
 
Andrea kept with the leader throughout the final stint until the final moments where he was able to come through to take the lead. With tricky races for the joint leaders coming into the event, the win meant that the team took the championship in the most dramatic of circumstances – the first title clinched in the new-for-2024 LMGT3 category.
 
For the #9 Iron Lynx – Proton LMP2, the race was frenetic throughout, battling all the way through the race in and around the lower reaches of the top 10 across the stints for Jonas, Macéo and Matteo. After a mix of late pitstops and more battles until the flag, the crew rounded out the season with ninth.

Ligier European Series

The season finale took place with two races on Friday around the Portuguese circuit. Qualifying went well for the team, with a pole and a second place for the two races.
 
Unfortunately, the first race did not go to plan with a spin on the opening lap followed by a penalty limiting the pair to fourth, despite showing the pace to contend for the race win.
 
The second race similarly did not go as hoped, as the team dropped back in the early stages and the timing of a lengthy Safety Car limiting the team to fifth after recovering from seventh following the pitstop window.

I can’t believe we did it! If you remember that we had been leading the championship from the beginning, then with two very bad races to unlucky contact with LMP2s, we thought we were finished. When we came here, we tried our best from the beginning. But, as the race was progressing, we started to believe more and more that we could do it. And at the end, it was just between us and the Iron Dames, and we were able to make it happen. This is an incredible achievement for everyone in the Iron Lynx family to celebrate and is a great reward for all of the hard work which has been put in by all of us this year after many ups and downs.

Andrea Piccini, Iron Lynx Team Principal & CEO