After the FIA World Endurance Championship's presentation of its 2012 season, the European Le Mans Series announces its entry list.

For its first season, the European Le Mans Series, essential endurance racing Championship and main channel of the new WEC, presents a promising five category grid. The highest participation will be in the prototype category with a total of twenty entries.

Stars of the European Le Mans Series, this year, the LMP2s will dominate the track. 13 prototypes, 12 teams representing 7 nationalities, 5 chassis manufacturers and 2 engine manufacturers will be in the running for the first European Le Mans Series title. And if all the drivers have not yet been announced, those already confirmed show the quality and high level of the 2012 grid.

Among the awaited competitors: Greaves Motorsport, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Le Mans series LMP2 winner in 2011 joined by the TDS Racing, Boutsen Ginion Racing and Race Performance teams, all regularly on the podium last season. OAK Racing, with two Morgan-Judds, will also be a team to be reckoned with. Just like the young Sébastien Loeb Racing structure entering an Oreca-Nissan in LMP2 and a Formula Le Mans in LMPC.

In the LMPC category, whose tests programmed at the Paul Ricard circuit were cancelled because of snow, the number of entries will be confirmed after the upcoming sessions on 23 and 24 February. Between six and eight Formula Le Mans are already confirmed for the whole season.

The GT grid should boast some ten cars. In GTE Pro, two “factory” cars: a Porsche 911 RSR with Prospeed Competition and an Evora lined up by the Lotus team.

As of today, the new GTC category only has one full season entry. It will be joined by other GTC contestants on a race by race basis.

Finally, thanks to technical regulations shared between the European Le Mans Series and the FIA WEC, certain world championship competitors will be able to consider the possibility of participating in ELMS rounds and inversely.

For its 9th season, European Le Mans Series will propose a 6 event calendar, with five races held on circuits chosen for their very selective layouts that will highlight the competitors' driving skills.

The season will begin on the 9th and 10th of March with the official testing session on the Paul Ricard HTTT (High Tech Test Track) circuit. All categories will be able to attend: LMP2, FLM (Formula Le Mans), LM GTE Pro, LM GTE Am and GTC (the new category launched in order to offer to new teams and new drivers the opportunity to access the GT Endurance world at a European level for a limited budget).

The 6 hour races format will remain, still with the aim to optimize exposure and TV broadcast of the series, provided through a live production.

Following a meeting between Le Mans Series organisation and manufacturers involved in the competition, the new GTC category took shape last week.

Like for the Formula Le Mans, the aim of this new class is to offer to new teams and new drivers the opportunity to access the GT Endurance world at a European level for a limited budget.

Eligible cars are taken from one-make series organised by the Brands themselves. It will be mandatory to add a light parts kit to their specifications, in order to adapt them to Endurance format races and balance their performances.

After a thrilling Estoril 6-Hour race the Pescarolo team was able to savour its second victory of the season. Rebellion Racing won the teams' title in LM P1 in the Le Mans Series, and Julien Jousse and Emmanuel Collard bagged the drivers' crown. TDS Racing came first in LM P2, Pegasus Racing in FLM, JMW Motorsport in LM GTE Pro and IMSA Performance in LM GTE Am.

In the categories in which titles have not yet been awarded qualifying for the Estoril 6 Hours provided some pointers, and an answer. In LM P2 Greaves Motorsport clinched the title thanks to pole. Rebellion Racing increased its lead in the LM P1 teams' classification like IMSA Performance in LM GTE Am. Neil Garner Motorsport think of class podium. First pole of the season for JMW Motorsport.

The fifth and last round of the 2011 Le Mans Series will take place on the Estoril circuit near Lisbon on 23-25 September. While some titles are already in the pocket, others are still up for grabs! This is the case in LM P1 where the final showdown will take place between Rebellion Racing and Team Pescarolo; and also in LM P2 with Greaves Motorsport poised to win its first title in the Series.

After winning the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 km and the Imola 6 Hours, Peugeot emerged victorious in front of 40 000 spectators in the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone, the fourth of the five rounds of the 2011 Le Mans Series. After a long duel with the no. 1 Audi R18 TDI, the no. 7 908 came first after a well-judged race showing its reliability and speed. Greaves Motorsport won in LM P2, Pegasus Racing in FLM, AF Corse in LM GTE Pro and IMSA Matmut Performance in LM GTE Am.

Simon Pagenaud took pole in his Peugeot 908 for the Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone on his first outing on the famous English circuit. Despite uncertain weather conditions the Frenchman found the right window to set the fastest time in the session in front of Allan McNish and Stéphane Sarrazin. The other pole setters were: Danny Watts (LMP2), Phil Keen (FLM), Augusto Farfus (LM GTE Pro) and Nicolas Armindo (LM GTE Am).

The fourth round of the 2011 Le Mans Series will take place on the Silverstone circuit in England. The Autosport 6 Hours of Silverstone on 10th-11th September will be the thirty-fifth running of the famous British endurance classic. The teams racing in the Le Mans Series will begin the final push to the wire on this track on which some of the greatest drivers and cars have triumphed – there will be an exhibition of cars that have raced on the Northampton layout. In all five categories the winners could take a decisive step towards bagging this year's titles. Fifty cars will start the second-last race of the 2011 Le Mans Series season.

During the Le Mans Series summer break, it is time, after the official announcement ofthe creation of an FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 and two races beforethe end of the season; Silverstone on 9, 10 and 11 September and Estoril on 23, 24 and25 September, to talk about the future.

Two months after the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 Km, the next round of the Le Mans Series will take place on the Imolacircuit in an event lasting 6 hours. Teams and drivers, some of whom recently competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours, willrace in the third round of the season hoping to end the first half of the year on a high note. Before the summer break,they will all be out to make up for points lost at Le Castellet or on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, or to add to thosescored in the opening rounds in the spring.

Today Saturday, Peugeot won the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms for the fifth time on the trot after its four straight victories between 2007 and 2010.  The 908s got the better of their German rivals early on in the race despite their poor grid positions and were never headed after that. TDS Racing, Hope Racing, AF Corse and IMSA Performance Matmut triumphed in the other categories.

Audi made a stunning debut with its R18 TDIs. The Ingolstadt firm's three cars set the three quickest times in qualifying for the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms. Strakka Racing, AF Corse, IMSA Performance Matmut and Neil Garner Motorsport bagged pole in the other categories.

Henri Pescarolo's team made a triumphant comeback to endurance racing by winning on its first outing in 2011. Christophe Tinseau, Julien Jousse and Emmanuel Collard took first place in the event on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit. Greaves Motorsport won the LM P2 category and finished on the third step of the overall podium. JMW Motorsport , Felbermayr-Proton and Pegasus Racing carried off the spoils in the other categories.

Neel Jani topped the time sheets in qualifying for the Le Castellet 6 Hours. By bagging pole for the first round of the 2011 Le Mans Series, the Swiss driver helped Rebellion Racing to confirm its title ambitions.

After the announcement of the official 2011 Le Mans Series calendar last week with five races in Europe, of which three are shared with the ILMC, Le Mans Series officializes the registration opening and publishes the 2011 sporting and technical regulations.

Erratum: Strakka Racing makes history!

The twists and turns of the Hungaroring test cars and drivers to the absolute limit. With a high level of down force, exceptionally low grip and high track temperatures, the 1,000Km of Hungaroring have been very demanding on drivers, teams and cars.

Nobody could hold a candle to Strakka Racing's Danny Watts on Sunday morning's qualifying in Hungary, and the British team's overall victory made history with the very first overall victory for a LMP2 car in the Le Mans Series.

Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts have been pretty invincible as the Strakka Racing HPD ran without the slightest technical problems over the entire distance and scored its second victory in LMP2 and first overall in the 2010 season today.

The Le Mans Series heads to Hungary for the very first time so the 1,000Km of Hungaroring is a leap in the dark for most of teams and drivers. Team ORECA Matmut took their first victory with the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP one month ago in Portugal and expects to clinch another one in the heat of the night at Budapest.

The Hungaroring lies just east of Budapest and the Castle District of Pest has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The layout has not been too much modified over the years and the latest changes see the longest lap in the circuit's history with a total distance of 4.384 km.

With its slow corners and its narrow straights, many say its characteristics more closely resemble a street circuit than a purpose-built track. However, its beautiful setting in a natural amphitheatre makes it an excellent venue for spectators. They should enjoy a race that Team ORECA Matmut ex-Formula One driver Olivier Panis predicts tough.

What a difference two months can make in sportscars racing! Circumstance, excellent strategy and brilliant driving today in Portugal won Team ORECA Matmut its first race with the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.The 1000Km of Algarve saw Nicolas Lapierre, Olivier Panis and Stéphane Sarrazin emerge victorious to take their and Team ORECA Matmut's first victory ofthe 2010 season as they have driven an absolutely faultless race. Given French team's pace this season, it's hard to believe that their victory was only their first win of the season. In a no full course caution race, the French men delivered a solid drive, holding fast at the front till the end in front of so many fans who enjoyed a herringbone start, the traditional Le Mans start, for the very first time in the Series.

The wait is finally – almost – over. The qualification sessionalready gave the first patterns of the season, but tomorrow isthe D day. The first race of the season is a leap in the dark foreverybody, but there are very few brand-new cars in 2010. Theengineers have worked hard for the whole off-season toimprove the existing cars.

The Nürburgring has a reputation for being a “complete” circuit in thesense that it includes a wide variety of corners as well as high-speedsectors. Even though the “Ring” does not present an extremechallenge for the engine, the altitude – about 500m above sea level –reduces the engine power.

The Portimao race track has all the character ofan old British or American track. There are twists,turns and elevation changes everywhere, makingthis track alike a tarmac rollercoaster. All of thedrivers heaped praise on the new circuit, and itbrought us some brilliant racing.

With its mixture of long straights, fast corners and varying gradients,the Spa-Francorchamps circuit ranks as one of the most technicallychallenging circuits visited by the Le Mans Series but is a firmfavorite with drivers, teams and fans alike.

Unlike Barcelona, today's qualifying session did not result ina big surprise in the LMP1 class, as Team Peugeot Totalsnatched pole and second position under overcast weatherconditions.

No less than seven teams could have won the race in Spain today,emphasizing just how competitive the 2009 Le Mans Series seasonshould be. IPB Spartak Racing returned to form, Aston Martin Racingwas back on top, Racing Box scored their first victory in the class, andTeam Felbermayr-Proton clinched their best result since a while.