Terrence Woodward will return to the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) in 2026 after joining Ultimate for its LMP3 campaign.
The British driver will share the #35 Ligier JS P325-Toyota with Lucas Fecury and Sebastian Gravlund. His move follows competitive campaigns with 23Events Racing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup and Asian Le Mans Series, where he demonstrated his Qualifying pace and helped the French team secure several victories and podium finishes.
Woodward originally planned to remain with 23Events Racing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. However, a heavily subscribed LMP3 Pro/Am category prevented the team from securing a grid position. Ultimate then moved quickly to bring the Bronze-rated driver back onto the ELMS grid.
Woodward reflects on successful 23Events partnership
Woodward joined 23Events Racing for the 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup season and immediately developed a productive relationship with the French operation.
He claimed his first pole position with the team at Le Castellet before securing another at the Portimão finale. Although the crew struggled to convert its early speed into championship points, a revised driver combination helped transform its results during the second half of the campaign.
Woodward won his home race at Silverstone alongside James Winslow before ending the season with third place in Portugal alongside Chun Ting Chou.
“It was my first season with the team, and I really enjoyed working with them,” Terrance Woodward said. “They’re a great team. They’re all very focused on winning and wanting to compete. I had a couple of great mechanics in Hugo and Vincent, who were faultless and the car was always really well prepared. The race engineer is critical, and I built up a great relationship with Nathan there. He learned quickly how to set the car up for me, to give me confidence, and how to get the best out of me. So, I really enjoyed it and we had a good season.
“There was a bit of variation in the driver line ups, they had a couple of changes during the year. But, they were all good to work with. In the last couple of races. I mean, I went to Silverstone with James Winslow, and that was great, and then I raced with Chun Ting Chou, who we all call ‘Jimmy’, with a third place to finish the season.”
Consequently, Woodward concluded the year with considerably more momentum than he carried through the opening rounds. His two poles also underlined his outright speed, while the Silverstone victory demonstrated his ability to convert that pace into a result.
Asian Le Mans Series campaign maintains momentum
Woodward continued with 23Events Racing during the Asian Le Mans Series, where he shared the team’s LMP3 entry with Slovakian driver Matus Ryba and Egyptian racer Ibrahim Badawy.
The trio won one race in Dubai and collected three additional podium finishes during the campaign. As a result, they secured third place in the LMP3 championship standings.
That successful programme strengthened Woodward’s position ahead of the 2026 European season. Moreover, it gave him further experience in longer races, changing track conditions and a highly competitive multi-class environment.
His performances in Dubai ultimately attracted Ultimate’s attention. The team contacted Woodward after the Asian Le Mans Series round and offered him the opportunity to return to the ELMS.
Ultimate offers an unexpected route back to ELMS
Woodward initially intended to contest another Michelin Le Mans Cup season with 23Events Racing. However, the number of entry applications prevented the team from gaining an LMP3 Pro/Am grid slot.
Although that development disrupted his original plans, his recent results ensured that he did not remain without a programme for long. Ultimate recognised the value of an experienced and competitive Bronze-rated driver and invited him to join its ELMS operation.
“I’ve agreed to race with Ultimate, another quality French outfit,” he said. “They had a space on the European Le Mans grid, and they reached out to me after the Dubai round of the Asian Le Mans series, where we had some success. The prospect of being back on the ELMS grid with a strong team for 2026 was certainly hard to resist.”
Therefore, Woodward will step directly from the Michelin Le Mans Cup and Asian Le Mans Series into the ELMS rather than repeating his previous programme.
The move also places him within one of Europe’s leading endurance racing championships. He will now face longer races, deeper LMP3 competition and additional strategic challenges alongside Fecury and Gravlund.
New teammates complete Ultimate’s #35 crew
Fecury and Gravlund will join Woodward in Ultimate’s three-driver line-up.
Woodward brings extensive experience across three generations of LMP3 machinery, along with his recent success in Europe and Asia. Meanwhile, his Bronze categorisation gives Ultimate an important foundation within the championship’s driver regulations.
The trio must now establish a balanced working relationship and agree on a set-up that supports each driver. Furthermore, they will need to manage traffic effectively as the LMP3 field races between the faster LMP2 cars and LMGT3 entries.
Ultimate’s experience should help the drivers adapt. Nevertheless, the crew must execute consistently across each four-hour contest if it wants to challenge the strongest teams in the category.
Third-generation Ligier marks another step forward
Woodward will race the third-generation Ligier JS P325-Toyota during his return to the ELMS.
Few drivers can compare the latest car directly with both previous LMP3 generations. However, Woodward has driven all three and believes the category has improved with each technical cycle.
The earlier second-generation car combined a naturally aspirated engine with increased aerodynamic performance and greater straight-line speed. By contrast, the latest design introduces another significant change while retaining LMP3’s role as a development platform for aspiring prototype drivers.
“I’ve driven the gen one car, the gen two car, and obviously now the gen three one, so I’m probably in a good position to comment on this,” Woodward said. “They’ve definitely got better with each generation.
“The second gen was a very sweet car, naturally aspirated, more aero than the first car, quicker in a straight line. I think as people get into these cars, and they learn how to drive, and they learn how to extract a good lap time, you are learning skills. You’re learning how to brake. You’re learning all the things that will help if you are going to progress into LMP2. I’ve seen many people do it, like the likes of John Falb, Tony Wells and others have done it successfully.
“LMP3 is definitely a good grounding for anyone who wants to move up in the Le Mans Prototype range, but it’s a fabulous car in its own right. Doing 190 miles an hour down the straight at Le Mans? Yeah, it’s not a slow car. You know, it’s 150 miles an hour through Eau Rouge, it’s a thrilling car to drive in its own right. Even if you’re not looking to progress to P2 I think it’s still a challenge and a fun car to drive.”
Woodward therefore views LMP3 as more than an intermediate step. Although the category teaches drivers skills that can support a move into LMP2, its speed and performance also create a considerable challenge in their own right.
LMP3 experience strengthens Woodward’s challenge
Woodward’s experience should prove valuable as Ultimate develops the JS P325 throughout the season.
He already understands how different LMP3 designs generate their lap time and how drivers must adapt their braking technique, corner entry and throttle application. In addition, his recent campaigns have strengthened his knowledge of tyre management, traffic and endurance racing strategy.
That background could also help Fecury and Gravlund as the three drivers work to maximise the #35 car. Although each driver must find confidence individually, Woodward can provide useful comparative feedback from the previous generations.
Furthermore, his recent Qualifying results show that he can exploit the car over a single lap. Ultimate must now combine that speed with reliability and consistent race execution across the six-round championship.
ELMS return opens a new opportunity
Woodward’s move to Ultimate emerged only after his original Michelin Le Mans Cup plans fell through. Nevertheless, the change gives him an opportunity to compete at a higher level with another established French team.
His 2025 campaign demonstrated clear progress through pole positions, a victory and a podium finish. He then strengthened that form in Asia by contributing to another win and three further podiums.
As a result, Woodward arrives at Ultimate with recent momentum and considerable LMP3 knowledge. The British driver must now translate those strengths into ELMS results alongside Fecury and Gravlund.
With a new-generation Ligier, a front-running team and another opportunity on the European stage, Woodward enters 2026 ready to challenge one of endurance racing’s most competitive prototype fields.
