The European Le Mans Series 2025 got off to a blistering start at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where an exciting four-hour race played out in front of packed tribunes.
The overall win at the Barcelona round of the 2025 ELMS went to LMP2 Pro-Am entry AF Corse, while IDEC Sport finished second overall and picked up maximum points in the LMP2 class.
AF Corse trumps LMP2 field with overall win
The #83 AF Corse Oreca 07 driven by Mathieu Vaxiviere, François Perrodo and Alessio Rovera took advantage of the multiple safety car periods to secure a surprising overall win. With the cars bunched up by the intervention vehicle after the bronze-rated drivers had completed their first stints, the remainder of the race proved to be a straight fight between some of the fastest drivers in the LMP2 field.
As the field were released for the final dash to the line with less than three minutes of the race remaining, the field was led by Mathys Jaubert’s #18 IDEC Sport machine, with Vaxiviere down in fourth position. However, the AF Corse driver made his way past all three cars in front of him – including two on the final lap – to take a spectacular win.
IDEC Sport had to settle for second overall, with the #48 VDS Panis Racing machine crossing the line in third to pick up the final spot on the podium.
CLX Motorsport victorious as new LMP3 cars debut
The winner of the LMP3 class was CLX Motorsport in their #17 Ligier JS P320 in the first ELMS race involving the new generation of LMP3 machinery. Adrien Closmenil, Paul Lanchere and Theodor Jensen edged out the #15 RLR M Sport Ligier by just under two seconds at the line, with the #88 Inter Europol Competition Ligier coming home in third.
Other cars to debut at the 2025 ELMS season-opener in Barcelona were the Ginetta G61-LT-P325-EVO, the Duqueine D09 and the Adess AD25 (the latter in the Michelin Le Mans Cup support race), all of which powered by a Toyota V6 engine.
Iron Dames battle hard to win in LMGT3
The LMGT3 class was also not exactly short on excitement at the ELMS season-opener, as the all-female #85 Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R took a hard-fought victory. Michelle Gatting expertly held the hard-charging Daniel Serra in the #57 Kessel Racing Ferrari at bay in the final two laps, crossing the line just 0.7 seconds ahead of the Brazilian. Alessio Picariello took the chequered flag for the #60 Proton Competition Porsche he shared with Claudio Schiavoni and Matteo Cressoni.
For the Iron Dames crew of Célia Martin, Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting, the win in Barcelona marked their third in the ELMS and sent a clear message regarding the trio’s title ambitions.
The full list of results can be found here. A full race replay is available for free here. The next round of the season, the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, takes place at Circuit Paul Ricard on 4 May.
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