Since he just announced his retirement, let's look back on the small to (very) big stories and other statistics of Tom Kristensen's record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will host Legends of Le Mans, a feeder series introduced by Peter Auto in partnership with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and the FIA WEC. The supporting fixture features iconic endurance racing cars, still racing several decades after their hey day.

24 Heures du Mans

But Le Mans isn&rsquo;t all about the past. It is very much about making history in the present. After a promising start, Legends of Le Mans continues in 2027 with a round at the 95th 24 Hours of Le Mans, 9&ndash;13 June 2027. Vintage prototypes and GTs will be back at the circuit that made many of them famous.

<h2>History back on track</h2>

There&rsquo;s something special about seeing a race car back where it earned its laurels. Shapes, colours and sounds take us back to an era, a race, a story.

Legends of Le Mans does exactly that. It&rsquo;s not just a classic car series. The championship is a revival, a festival of iconic sports cars racing on the circuits that witnessed their glory days. Automotive heritage leaves the museum, comes back to life and up to speed.

At Le Mans, the impression of being whisked back in time is even more striking. The French round forms the core of the 2027 season. Returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit is not just another calendar fixture. It&rsquo;s a proud homecoming, a return to the place where many of the cars on the grid wrote a page of automotive history.

<h2>Two generations united</h2>

Legends of Le Mans and the FIA WEC are building a bridge between past and present. On one hand, vintage prototypes and GTs demonstrate decades of innovation and racing. Meanwhile, today&rsquo;s Hypercars and LMGT3s represent the new generation of endurance race cars.

These curtain raisers are a superb opportunity for motorsport fans to gauge how far the automotive world has progressed in a short time. And for those new to the discipline, they offer a glimpse of its not-so-distant past.

In 2027, Legends of Le Mans will be a FIA WEC support fixture at circuits across Europe and around the world. After the Peter Auto Test Days at Paul Ricard in March, the championship heads to Imola in April, then Spa-Francorchamps in May and the highlight of the season &ndash; Le Mans&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;in June. The last round takes place in Bahrain in November, the finale of the FIA WEC season.

Keep your eyes and ears open at Le Mans next year. Every car has a detail with a story to tell. It would be a shame to leave them under dust sheets!

Legends of Le Mans, 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans support race

2023 ELMS Champions Algarve Pro Racing became the fourth different overall winner in 2026, with the Portuguese securing their first ELMS LMP2 victory in three years.

ELMS

Matthias Kaiser, Jake Hughes and Ben Barnicoat stood on the top step of the podium following the Goodyear 4-hours of Silverstone. &nbsp;Heavy rain fell at the halfway point that had all the teams reevaluating their strategy and providing a thrilling final part of the race.

The no14 TDS Racing Oreca took the LMP2 Pro/Am victory from pole position, the fifth different winners in five races and Scott Huffaker taking the chequered flag in second place overall, despite an earlier incident that saw his teammate Sami Meguetounif stop at the side of the track with a technical issue.&nbsp;Pole sitter Steven Thomas joined his teammates on the top step of the class podium.&nbsp;

The LMP3 class saw the debut ELMS victory for reigning Michelin Le Mans Cup&nbsp;Champions R-ace GP, with Fabien Michal, Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Hugo Schwarze finishing ahead of the championship leading no17 CLX Motorsport Ligier, closing the gap in the championship race to just 9-points ahead of the final race of the season in Portugal next month.

There was another couple of firsts in the LMGT3 class, with Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi becoming the first driver from Qatar to win in the ELMS and it was also the first ELMS LMGT3 victory for Mercedes-AMG. Ralf Aron handed over to Julian Hanses, who took the chequered flag in the no62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG, finishing less than 3 seconds ahead of Charlie Eastwood in the no33 TF Sport Corvette, moving Team Qatar by Iron Lynx into the championship lead by just 3 points ahead of TF Sport ahead of the season finale in Portim&atilde;o.&nbsp;

All four ELMS titles are still up for grabs in the final race of the 2026 season, the 4 Hours of Portimao on Saturday 10 October.

<a href="https://www.europeanlemansseries.com/en/page/results" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> for the result from the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.europeanlemansseries.com/en/page/classification-2" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> for the championship positions after Round 5 of the 2026 European Le Mans Series.

<div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w3qkWlqDsOI?si=iFeNe2QAJlxZMVpU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

&nbsp;

ELMS : Algarve Pro Racing win wet Silverstone race

For the 43rd edition of the European Heritage Days, held on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2026, the M24 museum will open its doors for a weekend of unique events and activities. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase its collections, automotive heritage, and know-how in a brand-new way.

M24 - Musée du sport automobile

<h2>On the Program</h2>

Saturday 19 September 2026:

<ul>
	<li>Guided tour: 10:15 AM</li>
</ul>

Sunday 20 September 2026:

<ul>
	<li>Guided tour: 10:15 AM</li>
</ul>

<h2>For Families</h2>

Quiz Activity

A question-and-answer game about the 24 Hours of Le Mans with prizes for the winners. Open to everyone.

Photography Workshop (in line with the national theme &quot;Heritage of Photography&quot;)

Visitors will be invited to a presentation of the archives and various iconographic media used throughout the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The workshop will be led by the museum&#39;s archivist.

Cyanotype Workshop :

Cyanotype is a fascinating historical photographic process that produces deep blue prints through a chemical reaction. This workshop will be led by the museum&rsquo;s educational guides.

For the Little Ones :

A coloring workshop and a dedicated educational area will be available within the museum spaces.

Activities will run continuously throughout the day.

<h4>Practical Information:</h4>

Dates: Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2026 
Admission: Reduced rate available on-site at &euro;15 for everyone, and &euro;10 for youths (ages 6&ndash;17) and residents of the Sarthe department. 
Activities are included in the price of the on-site entrance ticket.

&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://www.m24-musee.com/" target="_blank">Find out more about M24, the Motorsport Museum</a> &lt;&lt;&lt;

The European Heritage Days at the M24 – Motorsport Museum

Four rounds in, the European Le Mans Series is still wide open ahead of the next fixture, the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone this coming Sunday (13 September). A shake-up remains possible in all classes, from LMP2 to LMGT3, before the final showdown in Portimão.

With two races to go, this year&rsquo;s European Le Mans Series championship is undecided. All 47 crews on the Goodyear&nbsp;4 Hours of Silverstone grid head to the famous British circuit with the intention of making their mark and earning precious points that could make all the difference in the race to the top. With small gaps separating the teams in all four classes&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, LMP3 and LMGT3&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;round five could be decisive.

Check out the <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/umbrella_media/2026-elms-goodyear-4-hours-of-silverstone-entry-list-v1-6a97d40808e8f631224570.pdf" target="_blank">full entry list</a> for the 2026 Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone.

<h2>LMP2: Forestier Racing by Panis and United Autosports neck and neck</h2>

It&rsquo;s tiebreak time! Forestier Racing by Panis and United Autosports have 70 points apiece. However, the crew of the #29 Oreca&nbsp;07-Gibson, Oliver Gray, Esteban Masson and Louis Rousset have the advantage. Thanks to their wins at Barcelona and Imola, they currently stand in first place ahead of the United Autosports team, who won Le Castellet.

But the battle for the top spot involves more than two crews. The IDEC sport #18 in the hands of Jamie Chadwick, Valerio Rinicella and Laurents H&ouml;rr stands third on 52 points. After three fourth places in a row, the crew finally made the podium at Spa-Francorchamps, with the pole position point as a bonus.

Winners of the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Jakub Smiechowski, Nick Yelloly and Tom Dillmann come to Silverstone with plenty to say for themselves. They trail the leaders by 28 points, but will be determined to confirm their return to form. British driver Nick Yelloly will be keen to make an impression on home ground. The car was second at Silverstone last year.

<h2>LMP2 Pro/Am: who will take the upper hand?</h2>

There is no distinct favourite in this class either. Algarve Pro Racing and AF Corse tie on 61 points. The #20 Oreca of Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli and Malthe Jakobsen ranks first thanks to the number of podiums this season. However, the AF Corse #83 driven by Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo, Matthieu Vaxiviere and Antonio Fuoco is now a hair&rsquo;s breadth away thanks to victory at Spa-Francorchamps.

Behind them, Vector Sport and Duqueine Team have 49 points each. In other words, victory or DNF for one of the top two could completely shake up the rankings. The slightest mistake carries a high price tag.

Silverstone will also be a decisive round for AO by TF. Reigning champions, PJ Hyett, Louis Del&eacute;traz and Dane Cameron lie fifth and no doubt have their eye on a podium place. Last year at Silverstone, they missed the win by just 0.141 seconds.

<h2>LMP3: CLX Motorsport could streak ahead</h2>

The situation in LMP3 is different. On 65 points, CLX Motorsport has a 15-point lead over R-ace GP. Paul Lanch&egrave;re, Alexander Jacoby and Louis Iglesias have won the last two races and come to Silverstone in an ideal position.

All the same, they should watch their backs! At the wheel of the R-ace GP #85 Duqueine, Fabien Michal, Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Hugo Schwarz have a current score of 50. Rinaldi Racing is just behind, on 49 points, with the rest of the places to be closely fought.

At Silverstone&nbsp;CLX Motorsport has a chance to forge ahead and put a serious option on the championship win. The Swiss team will be all-out to snatch a third win to widen the gap and have some breathing space ahead of the final race in Portim&atilde;o.

<h2>LMGT3: 13 points between the top six</h2>

Anything could happen in LMGT3 this season. After four rounds, there are only 13 points between the top six crews, and 52 points still to be awarded before the end of the season.

The Proton Competition #75 Porsche Porsche&nbsp;911 GT3 R&nbsp;LMGT3 tops the tables on 53 points. Matt Kurzejewski, Thomas Sargent and Richard Lietz regained the lead at Spa-Francorchamps, but the TF Sport #33 Corvette&nbsp;Z06 LMGT3.R is not far behind.

The reigning champions will be out to shine before their home crowd. Charlie Eastwood, Blake McDonald and Alec Udell will be seeking to place the Corvette first this round. However, the TF Sport crew will have competition from Team Qatar by Iron Lynx, Proton Competition, GR Racing and Kessel Racing&thinsp;&ndash;&thinsp;all still in the running for the championship crown.

LMGT3 is the biggest class on the grid, with six constructors fielding a total of fourteen cars.

<h2>Watch the race live on the FIAWEC+ application</h2>

So with everything still to race for, the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone could decide the season&rsquo;s outcome. Round 5 of the European Le Mans Series is not the grand finale, but it could be here that the championship is won or lost.

The race itself will start at noon on Sunday 13 September.

To watch the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone&nbsp;2026 live, head to&nbsp;<a href="https://plus.fiawec.com/fr/european-le-mans-series" target="_blank">FIAWEC+</a>, the official endurance streaming platform. All European Le Mans Series are free to view, including live coverage, replays and season highlights.

<div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zekG6tU7Gh4?si=QkntHyuzTaX5xV34" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

&nbsp;

ELMS 4 Hours of Silverstone: four titles still for the taking

<div class="donneesIPTC">
	<a href="/wpphpFichiers/1/1/ressources/Image/actualites/2014/24-heures-du-mans/11/tom-kristensen-retirement/tom-kristensen-audi-r18.jpg" rel="prettyPhoto"><img alt="24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans – Tom Kristensen, a great history in Le Mans

Related News

Legends of Le Mans, 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans support race

ELMS : Algarve Pro Racing win wet Silverstone race

The European Heritage Days at the M24 – Motorsport Museum

ELMS 4 Hours of Silverstone: four titles still for the taking

Partners

Major Partner

PREMIUM partners

OFFICIAL partners