A series of sporting adjustments in the ELMS regulations for 2018

THEWestern Automobile Club (ACO), in charge of the organization of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) announced this Thursday a series of measures affecting the sporting regulations of the competition. No major changes to come, but numerous adjustments which will be felt even before the start of the 2018 season on the Castellet circuit (Var), on April 14 and 15.

First of all a new trophy, reserved only for Bronze and Silver crews in the class LM P2 (the top of the championship), will be introduced on each event to the first crew composed of a Bronze driver and a Silver or two Bronzes. Cars competing in the LM P3 category will benefit from an additional set of tires, to be used at any time during the year.

In order to better familiarize yourself with the specificities of the routes, a day of private testing will be organized on Wednesday before the Monza round (Italy), Red Bull Ring (Austria), Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and Portimao (Portugal).

During pit stops, it will now be possible to change wheels during refueling operations. Finally, the minimum driving times have been modified in all categories. In LMP2, the driving time minimum for a Bronze or Silver pilot within a crew of 2 pilots goes from 2h20 to 2h15. For a crew of 3 drivers, the minimum driving time for Bronze or Silver drivers will be 1 hour 10 minutes (instead of 1 hour 30 minutes) and for a Gold or Platinum driver the maximum driving time will increase from 30 to 40 minutes.

In LMP3, if a crew of 2 drivers is made up of 2 Bronze each driver must drive a minimum of 50 minutes. For crews made up of 3 pilots including 2 or 3 bronze, they must drive for at least 50 minutes (instead of one hour in 2017).
In LMGTE, a Bronze driver in a crew of 3 drivers must be behind the wheel for at least 1h30 (instead of 45 minutes previously).