A 41-car field will take part in the annual European Le Mans Series (ELMS) Rookie Test at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve on Sunday 11 October, one day after the 2026 season concludes with the 4 Hours of Portimão.
The test gives young drivers the opportunity to gain experience across the ELMS categories while allowing teams to assess potential options for the 2027 season. The official entry list features 14 LMP2 cars split between 10 LMP2 and four LMP2 Pro/Am entries, 19 LMP3s and six LMGT3 cars. Michelin Le Mans Cup teams Racing Spirit of Léman and Code Racing Development will also add two GT3 Aston Martins to the field. FIAWEC
Sunday’s running follows a 47-car ELMS season finale in which all four championships will be decided. With the titles settled before the Rookie Test begins, attention will quickly shift towards the next generation of drivers and the combinations that could feature on the 2027 grid.
14 LMP2 cars set for Rookie Test
LMP2 will account for 14 cars, with the field divided into 10 outright LMP2 entries and four LMP2 Pro/Am cars. The category includes a mixture of young drivers moving up from junior prototypes and single-seaters alongside established professionals providing reference laps and technical feedback.
TDS Racing has one of the largest line-ups, with Conrad Laursen and Sami Meguetounif joined by Scott Huffaker II and Filipe Albuquerque in the #14 Oreca 07-Gibson. IDEC Sport will run two cars, placing Woohyun Shin alongside Danial Frost in the #18 while Mattéo Quintarelli and Gillian Henrion share the #28.
Forestier Racing by Panis will give Tymoteusz Kucharczyk and Hadrien David their opportunities in the #29 alongside Esteban Masson. The test comes immediately after Forestier Racing by Panis concludes its LMP2 championship fight with United Autosports, giving the team an early chance to evaluate potential future additions to its programme.
Inter Europol Competition will also run two Orecas. Lucas Fluxà Cross and Chun Ting Chou are listed in the #34, while Cian Shields will test the #43 alongside experienced regulars Tom Dillmann and Nicholas Yelloly. CLX Motorsport has Henry Cubides Olarte in the #47, while Giovanni Maschio, Colin Queen and Matteo Segre complete the outright LMP2 field for AF Corse.
Full LMP2 entry list
- #7 Vector Sport — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Enea Frey
- #14 TDS Racing — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Conrad Laursen
- Sami Meguetounif
- Scott Huffaker II
- Filipe Albuquerque
- #18 IDEC Sport — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Woohyun Shin
- Danial Frost
- #28 IDEC Sport — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Mattéo Quintarelli
- Gillian Henrion
- #29 Forestier Racing by Panis — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Tymoteusz Kucharczyk
- Hadrien David
- Esteban Masson
- #30 Duqueine Team — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Hugo Schwarze
- Max van der Snel
- #34 Inter Europol Competition — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Lucas Fluxà Cross
- Chun Ting Chou
- #43 Inter Europol Competition — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Cian Shields
- Tom Dillmann
- Nicholas Yelloly
- #47 CLX Motorsport — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Henry Cubides Olarte
- #83 AF Corse — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Giovanni Maschio
- Colin Queen
- Matteo Segre
Four cars make up LMP2 Pro/Am field
Four additional Orecas will represent LMP2 Pro/Am, taking the total number of LMP2 cars to 14. DKR Engineering will run Antti Rammo, Quentin Antonel and Esteban Muth, while Nielsen Racing has five drivers scheduled to sample its #27.
Naveen Rao and Steven Thomas are joined by Jules Caranta, Matthew Bell and Huffaker in the Nielsen entry. Huffaker will therefore gain mileage with two teams, having also been listed in TDS Racing’s outright LMP2 car.
CLX Motorsport will give Louis Stern, Louis Iglesias and Arthur Pavie time in the #37, while Franz Binder and Lenny Ried complete the class aboard Proton Competition’s #88.
Full LMP2 Pro/Am entry list
- #3 DKR Engineering — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Antti Rammo
- Quentin Antonel
- Esteban Muth
- #27 Nielsen Racing — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Naveen Rao
- Steven Thomas
- Jules Caranta
- Matthew Bell
- Scott Huffaker II
- #37 CLX Motorsport — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Louis Stern
- Louis Iglesias
- Arthur Pavie
- #88 Proton Competition — Oreca 07-Gibson
- Franz Binder
- Lenny Ried
LMP3 leads the field with 19 entries
LMP3 supplies the largest group at the Rookie Test, with 19 cars from a combination of ELMS and Michelin Le Mans Cup programmes. The extensive field gives a large group of young drivers an opportunity to sample the third-generation LMP3 machinery introduced for 2025.
Most of the field will use the Ligier JS P325-Toyota, although BWT Mücke Motorsport and both R-ace GP entries will run the Duqueine D09-Toyota. Several leading teams from the 2026 campaign are represented, including CLX Motorsport and R-ace GP, who enter the Portimão weekend fighting for the 2026 LMP3 championship.
Gillian Henrion is another driver set for double duty, with his LMP3 appearance in DKR Engineering’s #4 coming alongside his LMP2 test with IDEC Sport. Paul Alberto will similarly drive CLX Motorsport’s #17 Ligier before also sampling Kessel Racing’s Ferrari in LMGT3.
Full LMP3 entry list
- #4 DKR Engineering — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Sebastian Gravlund
- Danny Buntschu
- Gillian Henrion
- #5 Rinaldi Racing — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Santiago Baztarrica
- Isaac Barashi
- #6 ANS Motorsport — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Ethan Pharamong
- Mika Abrahams
- #8 BWT Mücke Motorsport — Duqueine D09-Toyota
- Mattis Pluschkell
- Tobias Bille Clausen
- #11 Eurointernational — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Nazareno López Cesaratto
- #12 Brutal Fish by Campos — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Jason Ambrose
- Kacper Sztuka
- Matteo Giaccardi
- #13 Inter Europol Competition — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Joao Vergara
- Lucas Fecury
- Ivan Ovsienko
- #16 Team Virage — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Alex Gardner
- Sebastien Kawpeng
- Simon Schranz
- #17 CLX Motorsport — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Vic Stevens
- Paul Alberto
- Gabriel Doyle-Parfait
- Adrien Closmenil
- #20 High Class Racing — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Marcus Terkildsen
- #31 Racing Spirit of Léman — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Mark van der Snel
- Gregory Servais
- Oskar Kristensen
- #35 Ultimate — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Matthieu Lahaye
- Arthur Rogeon
- #62 Bretton Racing — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Miroslav Mikes
- Jan Koller
- Maxmilian Karhan
- #68 M Racing — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Martin Lacquemanne
- August Therbo
- #70 Team Virage — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Samuel Ifrid
- Maximilian Kammerlander
- #79 Forestier Racing by VPS — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Pacome Weisenburger
- Emily Cotty
- Stylianos Taxiarchis Kolovos
- #85 R-ace GP — Duqueine D09-Toyota
- Matus Ryba
- Sebastian Bach
- #86 R-ace GP — Duqueine D09-Toyota
- Maksymilian Angelard
- Kyuho Lee
- #92 Forestier Racing by VPS — Ligier JS P325-Toyota
- Adrien Bastide
- Tomas Pompidou
- Jason Pribyl
Six ELMS LMGT3 cars join Portimão running
Six ELMS LMGT3 cars will take part, with Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche represented. TF Sport will run Andrew Gilbert, Fran Rueda and Romain Leroux in the #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, while AF Corse has Andrew Morrow and Nicola Lacorte in its #51 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo.
High Class Racing’s Porsche will be shared by Stefan Aust, Jens Reno Moller and George King. Spirit of Race has Alexandre Leroy alone in its #55 Ferrari, while Gaetano Di Mauro, Alberto and Andrea Bristot will drive the #57 Kessel Racing entry.
Proton Competition completes the ELMS LMGT3 contingent with Jonas Ried in its #75 Porsche. The class enters the weekend following a closely contested season in which the championship remains unresolved ahead of the Portimão title decider.
Full LMGT3 entry list
- #33 TF Sport — Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R
- Andrew Gilbert
- Fran Rueda
- Romain Leroux
- #51 AF Corse — Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo
- Andrew Morrow
- Nicola Lacorte
- #54 High Class Racing — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3
- Stefan Aust
- Jens Reno Moller
- George King
- #55 Spirit of Race — Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo
- Alexandre Leroy
- #57 Kessel Racing — Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo
- Gaetano Di Mauro
- Paul Alberto
- Andrea Bristot
- #75 Proton Competition — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3
- Jonas Ried
Michelin Le Mans Cup teams add two Aston Martins
The field grows to 41 through two additional GT3 entries from Michelin Le Mans Cup teams. Racing Spirit of Léman and Code Racing Development will both run Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evos alongside the regular ELMS machinery.
Racing Spirit of Léman will give Esteban Beckmann and Sebastian Moreno track time in the #24, while Gaspard Simon will drive Code Racing Development’s #69. Their participation gives young GT drivers another route into the test while providing the two MLMC teams with additional mileage at Portimão.
Full GT3 entry list
- #24 Racing Spirit of Léman — Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo
- Esteban Beckmann
- Sebastian Moreno
- #69 Code Racing Development — Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo
- Gaspard Simon
Rookie Test turns attention towards 2027
The annual ELMS Rookie Test serves a dual purpose, offering drivers their first experience of machinery further up the endurance ladder while allowing teams to evaluate potential members of their 2027 programmes. The scale of this year’s field makes that particularly evident, with 41 cars and dozens of drivers scheduled to take part.
LMP2 contains several drivers taking an important step towards the highest level available in ELMS, while the 19-car LMP3 field continues the category’s role as an entry point into prototype racing. The GT contingent similarly offers opportunities across both ELMS and Michelin Le Mans Cup machinery.
Portimão will therefore move quickly from deciding the four championships still on the line in the 2026 finale to providing an early look towards the following season. Sunday’s running will not decide any trophies, but it could play an important role in determining which drivers return to the ELMS paddock when the 2027 campaign begins.
