Good to be back at Silverstone with ELMS and the LMC newcomers

Friday, September 12, 2025

Six years in the making and the return of the European Le Mans Series to Silverstone today proved itself to be another instant success for the attending crowd as the forty-four cars spread across the three available class of car hit the track again today under some changeable conditions.

The debut of the Michelin Le Mans Cup Series was, however, first out on track the French Code Racing Development team again represented the Aston Martin Racing marque with their #11 with Philipp Sager being joined this time around by Valentin Hasse-Clot as the absence of regular co-driver Rory Van Der Steur was explained to us (a private matter unfortunately).

Despite that early upset in their equilibrium, the #11 car proved to be fastest in this morning’s Free Practice 1 session despite losing the first twenty minutes or so of the session due to technical gremlins, the session did eventually ended earlier than expected due to a red flag and barrier damage on track.

The cars of the European Le Mans Series were out next with another solo runner again from the Aston Martin Racing stable – this time from the Racing Spirit of Leman team and their #59 car Vantage LMGT3 of Clement Mateu, Erwan Bastard and Valentin Hasse-Clot.

Despite the ever-present threat of rain, the wet stuff did at least keep away from the circuit until the very least minutes of the ELMS FP1 session, before hammering down for another fifteen or twenty minutes or so before clearing out again for a lovely (although blustery) afternoon. The #59 car would finish that session sixth fastest in class.

The two bronze driver only tests next and Sager had to go out on wets first to start that session but quickly went onto slicks before the halfway stage. A few more FCY’s for cars stranded here and there left a one or two lap dash to the flag where all bar four cars set their fastest laps of the session as the track continued to dry.

To conclude another glorious return to the circuit was the second and final Free Practice session of the Le Mans Cup Series where Sager (again) went out solo as he and his team privately hoped for rain in tomorrow’s race to help the Austrian driver along.

Tomorrows timetable sees the ELMS cars run their second Free Practice session of the weekend ahead of Le Mans Cup Qualifying and then ELMS Qualifying before the Le Mans Cup crews finally get down to racing their penultimate race of the season at 16:45hrs local.