THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF IRON LYNX’S EUROPEAN LE MANS LMGT3 CAMPAIGN

Following their dramatic European Le Mans Series LMGT3 championship win at Portimão, the Iron Lynx ELMS Championship-winning team of Andrea Caldarelli and Axcil Jeffries explain the twists and turns that defined their season, as they came from behind after two unfortunate races to take the crown with ELMS rookie Hiroshi Hamaguchi.

The 2024 4 Hours of Barcelona

The season began at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in April, and having qualified on the front row of the LMGT3 field alongside the pole-sitting Iron Dames car, Andrea, Axcil and Hiroshi brought home third, opening their 2024 ELMS account with a strong podium finish.

“It was the first time we had all worked together. We were very optimistic going into the season and Barcelona went quite well, but I think that race, we really owed the podium to Andrea. He fought quite hard on double-stinted tyres.”

Axcil Jeffries

“We didn’t know at the beginning if we wanted to double stint or not. It was a last-minute call as it was the first round, and we didn’t know where we were compared to the others. It was good fun and a good fight, and it was also nice because it was the first time that we worked together.”

Andrea Caldarelli

READ MORE: Great podium finish for Iron Lynx in ELMS LMGT3 debut at Barcelona

The 2024 4 Hours of Le Castellet

Next up was a four-hour race around the Circuit Paul Ricard in May, and another hard-fought podium – this time a second-place finish – after launching from third on the grid. The Iron Lynx trio’s ultimate pace hinted at a race-winning performance, but a Safety Car period that fell in another team’s favour denied them a chance at victory.

“Paul Ricard was probably our most competitive weekend, I think all three of us were quite quick, the car was quick, we all worked well, made no mistakes, and had a good strategy – a different strategy from the others. It was only one car that got the better of us, but it was just the luck of the draw. They were completely out the race so they could take a big risk.”

Axcil Jeffries

“The other car did a different strategy with the tyres, and we were a little bit surprised by that. It was unexpected, and they got lucky with the timing of the Safety Car. Still, it was a good race for us.”

Andrea Caldarelli

READ MORE: Hard-fought podium for Iron Lynx in ELMS race at Paul Ricard

The 2024 4 Hours of Imola

Another bold tyre strategy at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari followed, enabling the team to complete a hat-trick of podium finishes from the first three events. Once again launching from third on the LMGT3 grid, Andrea, Axcil and Hiroshi battled the heat as well as their competitors to bring home yet more silverware and take control at the head of the standings.

“Imola was a wild ride. Yeah, it was hot, that’s for sure. And we suffered.”

Andrea Caldarelli

“Hiroshi was always strong. He always put the car towards the front. But for this one, we tried to be creative. We went for a triple-stint on the tyres…”

Axcil Jeffries

“I felt so sorry for you when the call came and they were like, ‘oh yeah, stay on the tyres’. I was like, oh. But we were lucky as well because there was a Safety Car, so we could take you off them.”

Andrea Caldarelli

“We finished third, and at that point, we were three for three on podiums, and we had taken the championship lead. It was pretty good. That was when it kind of went downhill a little bit.”

Axcil Jeffries

RACE REPORT: Iron Lynx takes podium and ELMS championship lead at Imola

The 2024 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

The team’s sole non-finish came at Spa-Francorchamps, only after demonstrating ominous pace throughout the weekend. In qualifying, Hiroshi secured LMGT3 pole position by over a second and that form continued in the opening stint. At the end of the first hour, his 40-second advantage evaporated with a Safety Car, and in the chaos of the restart, contact with an LMP2 called an early end to the race.

“Hiroshi was great. He was on pole by a huge margin. It was a shame. But unfortunately, there was contact with the prototype.”

RACE RECAP: Iron Lynx shows promise amid challenging weekend at Spa

The 2024 4 Hours of Mugello

The team’s luckless run continued at Mugello as another collision limited their result. Having qualified fifth, Hiroshi surged forward in the first stint and up to third in class. An unwelcome case of déjà vu would strike though, as restart-induced contact with an LMP2 pitched him into the gravel. From several laps down, Andrea and Axcil did what they could, but ultimately came away with ninth. Heading into the final event of the season, the championship had been blown wide open.

“We were hit by a prototype at Arrabiata Uno, which is a quick right corner at Mugello. Again, he didn’t do anything wrong, but in this championship, it’s especially hard in the first couple of stints. There are so many things that can happen, and again, we were involved in something that wasn’t necessary. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of points there.”

Andrea Caldarelli

READ MORE: Pole and victory for Iron Lynx’s LMP2 trio in Mugello ELMS round

The 2024 4 Hours of Portimão

And then came the October decider in Portugal. With nine teams in the running, it was anyone’s guess, but the #63 Lamborghini Huracán LMGT3 Evo 2 needed a strong result to stand a chance of the title.

Starting from fifth on the grid, Andrea, Axcil and Hiroshi overcame an early penalty and, with the help of a well-timed Safety Car, fought through the field to cross the line first. In a dramatic finale that saw other championship contenders falter, the crew came through to take its first win and, with it, the first LMGT3 title.

“It’s a great way to finish the year. It hasn’t been the easiest season of my career, but I really enjoyed the last race. It’s the cherry on the cake, really, to finish such a difficult year as champions and bring it home for Iron Lynx and Lamborghini. It’s really special to be here, especially with Hiroshi. I’ve known him for more than 10 years. This has been our first full season together and I’m really happy that we got this title as a team.”

Andrea Caldarelli

“Everyone’s had some bad luck along the way, but we had a great run in the first few races. The finale was a race full of emotions; everything that could have happened, happened. In the end, it was an amazing team effort with a brilliant strategy, great work by the whole team, and obviously Andrea and Hiroshi. So, this one is for everyone.”

Axcil Jeffries

“This championship goes to every single person in this team. We just proved that Iron Lynx is the one of the best GT teams in the whole world and I can’t thank Andrea and Axcil enough in supporting me for the whole season. It can’t get any better than this!”

Hiroshi Hamaguchi

READ MORE: Iron Lynx takes European Le Mans Series LMGT3 title in dramatic finale