Enzo Trulli has reflected on the challenging final stint that secured Algarve Pro Racing victory in the opening round of the 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Circuit Paul Ricard. The Italian survived a tense fuel-saving battle during the closing stages, eventually crossing the finish line just 0.698 seconds ahead of Matthieu Vaxivière in the #37 CLX Motorsport Oreca.
Sharing the #25 Oreca 07-Gibson with Michael Jensen and Malthe Jakobsen, Trulli overcame difficult weather conditions, low tyre temperatures and increasing pressure from the chasing competitors. The trio secured victory following a race heavily influenced by changing track conditions, strategic decisions and an extended Safety Car period.
The result continued Algarve Pro Racing’s recent success after Jensen, Jakobsen and Trulli claimed the 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) LMP2 Pro/Am championship. Following their latest triumph, all three drivers praised the team’s collective performance, with Jensen highlighting Trulli’s composure and Jakobsen explaining the strategic decisions that helped establish their advantage.
Jensen reflects on difficult opening stint at Le Castellet
Jensen faced challenging conditions from the beginning of the four-hour race as rain affected Circuit Paul Ricard during the formation laps. Race Control ordered an additional formation lap before allowing the 46-car field to begin competing, although the difficult conditions immediately caused problems for several entries.
The Danish driver concentrated on maintaining a consistent pace while avoiding the incidents that disrupted other competitors. With limited grip and unpredictable weather, Jensen recognised that keeping the #25 Oreca out of trouble would prove crucial to the team’s chances of securing a strong result.
Reflecting on his opening stint, Jensen acknowledged the difficulties of maintaining competitive lap times without making mistakes.
“It was a tough day in the office; it was very long four hours. My stint was the same for everybody, but pretty difficult. It was about keeping it clean, making no mistakes, and keeping good lap times. But it was tricky conditions out there. A tough day, but obviously very, very happy with the result.”
His approach provided a foundation for the rest of Algarve Pro Racing’s race, allowing Jakobsen and Trulli to continue challenging the leading LMP2 competitors as the conditions evolved.
Jensen praises Trulli’s performance under pressure
Although Jensen completed his driving responsibilities earlier in the race, the final stint proved particularly difficult to watch from the garage.
Trulli held the LMP2 lead but faced an increasingly challenging fuel situation, with Algarve Pro Racing uncertain whether the Italian could complete the remaining distance without another pit stop. Meanwhile, Vaxivière continued reducing the gap in the #37 CLX Motorsport Oreca.
Jensen admitted that he hoped for another neutralisation to reduce the amount of green-flag running required. However, Trulli ultimately maintained the advantage without assistance, with the team providing regular guidance to keep him composed.
“Watching Enzo I was just waiting and hoping for a full course yellow or a safety car, but Enzo did a stellar job. The team kept him calm and relaxed, and yeah, it was just a fantastic team effort. Obviously, Enzo did the hard work in the car. Just amazing to watch and so super proud of him.”
The result represented another success for the established trio, which Algarve Pro Racing retained for its 2026/27 ALMS championship campaign following its European title triumph.
Jakobsen explains tyre strategy and recovery through LMP2 field
Jakobsen played a significant role in moving Algarve Pro Racing into contention during the middle stages, initially continuing on the tyres Jensen had used during the opening stint.
However, an early Virtual Safety Car created an opportunity for the team to change tyres without losing excessive track position. The decision proved beneficial, with Jakobsen returning to the circuit in third before making progress towards the leaders.
The Dane subsequently overtook Sting Ray Robb in the #22 United Autosports Oreca before catching and passing Adrien Closmenil in the #37 CLX Motorsport entry to take the LMP2 lead.
Jakobsen explained how Algarve Pro Racing capitalised on the interruption to improve its position.
“We started the first stint on carrying over Michael’s tyres, and then we had the virtual safety car very quickly afterwards and, luckily, we had a big gap behind, so we decided to change tyres. We came out third afterwards and managed to get my way forward up to the lead very quickly.”
The strategy allowed Algarve Pro Racing to establish itself among the leading competitors, although Jakobsen subsequently faced increasing pressure as the track conditions continued changing.
Martins challenges Jakobsen as track conditions evolve
Despite moving into the LMP2 lead, Jakobsen encountered difficulties as the circuit began drying. The changing conditions affected tyre performance, allowing several competitors to close the gap.
Victor Martins emerged as one of the strongest challengers in Proton Competition’s #11 Oreca. The Frenchman made rapid progress through the field, overtaking Laurin Heinrich in the #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR entry before catching Jakobsen and moving into the lead.
Jakobsen acknowledged that he could not match Martins during that stage, although the race remained open as different fuel strategies began influencing the order.
“But then as the track dried up, I think we struggled a little bit with the tyres, and Victor Martins was very, very fast. I definitely couldn’t keep up with him. Then we had a nice battle with the car four as well our sister car, Lauren came past. Then at the end of the stint they had to box a little bit before us because of fuel consumption, and I managed to push on hard and we managed to stay ahead after the pitstop. Enzo just had to get his head down; he managed to do so even though the team had to tell him to fuel save. So very proud of him. Thank you, Enzo.”
His account highlighted the importance of Algarve Pro Racing’s fuel strategy. By remaining on track while rivals stopped earlier, Jakobsen helped preserve the advantage that Trulli would later defend.
Trulli describes constant communication during fuel-saving battle
Trulli inherited a competitive position when he took over the #25 Oreca, but the final stint presented an increasingly difficult challenge.
Following an extended Safety Car period caused by heavy rain and dangerous visibility, officials restarted the race with approximately 15 minutes remaining. Trulli needed to balance fuel conservation against maintaining enough pace to stay ahead of the chasing competitors.
The Italian initially held an advantage of approximately 7.8 seconds over Louis Delétraz in the #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca. However, Delétraz required a late fuel stop, promoting Vaxivière into second and creating a direct battle for victory.
Trulli explained that constant communication with his engineer, David, proved essential as he attempted to calculate how much fuel he needed to conserve.
“I was talking every lap with my engineer David. He tried to keep me cool. He gave me the gap, and with the gap, I tried to manage how much I had to feel safe. That was tough because I had to fuel save a lot, and I had no temperature in the tyres and brakes. So, in the last few laps, it was quite tough, but I tried to stay calm, keep my head cool.”
Trulli credits teammates after narrow victory
Despite the pressure, Trulli successfully managed his remaining fuel and maintained the lead until the chequered flag.
Vaxivière continued closing throughout the final laps, but the Italian defended his position to secure victory by just 0.698 seconds. Nick Yelloly followed in third for Inter Europol Competition, leaving the entire LMP2 podium separated by only 2.297 seconds.
Following the race, Trulli credited Jensen and Jakobsen for their earlier performances, explaining that they had handed him the car in a position from which he could challenge for victory.
He also discussed adapting to Michelin wet tyres, which he had not previously used during a race stint, and reflected on his recent winning momentum.
“Michael and Malthe did an amazing stint. They gave me the car basically in the lead, and I just tried to drive. This was for first time for me on Michelin wet tyres, so on the first lap I tried to adapt, and then the car was amazing. It’s a good run for me winning three races in a row with Portimao Sepang last week and now this one. There is a lot to improve in myself but it’s nice to start the ALMS like this.”
His comments reflected both satisfaction with the result and an awareness that he continues developing his experience in prototype competition.
Algarve Pro Racing builds on ELMS championship success
The victory continued a successful period for Jensen, Jakobsen and Trulli, who entered the ALMS season following their dramatic 2026 ELMS LMP2 Pro/Am championship triumph at Portimão.
Their European campaign featured two victories and two second-place finishes, with the trio securing the championship by nine points over TDS Racing. That success provided considerable momentum heading into the winter season, although Le Castellet presented a different challenge as the team competed for overall LMP2 honours.
The Portuguese outfit again demonstrated the value of maintaining an established driver combination. Jensen provided consistency during the opening stint, Jakobsen moved the car into contention through decisive overtakes and effective tyre management, and Trulli completed the final stint despite the difficult fuel situation.
As the official ALMS race report confirmed, the prolonged Safety Car period and late fuel stop for CrowdStrike Racing by APR shaped the final battle, leaving Trulli defending against Vaxivière during the closing laps.
Algarve Pro Racing begins latest ALMS title challenge with victory
The result places Algarve Pro Racing at the top of the LMP2 championship standings following the opening race, with Jensen, Jakobsen and Trulli securing maximum race points ahead of Sunday’s second contest.
Behind the winning #25 Oreca, CLX Motorsport finished second with Louis Stern, Adrien Closmenil and Vaxivière, while Torsten Kratz, Cian Shields and Yelloly completed the podium for Inter Europol Competition.
DKR Engineering followed fourth, ahead of United Autosports and AF Corse. Meanwhile, reigning champions CrowdStrike Racing by APR recovered to seventh after Delétraz’s late fuel stop.
With 16 cars competing in the category, the opening race demonstrated the competitiveness of the LMP2 field. The leading three crews finished within 2.3 seconds, while the top five remained separated by less than seven seconds.
For Algarve Pro Racing, the victory represented another important step towards its championship ambitions. However, the team will face another challenge during Sunday’s second four-hour race, when Proton Competition will start from LMP2 pole position.
LMP2 | 2026/27 ALMS Le Castellet Race 1 full results
- #25 Algarve Pro Racing — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — Winner
- #37 CLX Motorsport — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +0.698s
- #43 Inter Europol Competition — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +2.297s
- #3 DKR Engineering — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +5.779s
- #22 United Autosports — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +6.332s
- #55 AF Corse — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +25.873s
- #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +38.605s
- #24 Nielsen Racing — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +38.661s
- #11 Proton Competition — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +45.130s
- #83 AF Corse — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +46.297s
- #16 Team Virage — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +1:03.357
- #20 Algarve Pro Racing — Oreca 07-Gibson — 93 laps — +1:27.117
- #66 Proton Competition — Oreca 07-Gibson — 92 laps — +1 lap
- #30 Duqueine Team — Oreca 07-Gibson — 92 laps — +1 lap
- #34 Inter Europol Competition — Oreca 07-Gibson — 91 laps — +2 laps
- #2 United Autosports — Oreca 07-Gibson — 89 laps — Not classified
The final ALMS Race 1 classification confirms Algarve Pro Racing’s victory and the finishing order of all 16 LMP2 entries, including the narrow margins separating the leading competitors.
