After a highly successful 2013 season for the European Le Mans Series, changes for next year’s five round series have been announced aimed at improving the show and making the ELMS more attractive to teams and drivers.

Updated 2014 Provisional Calendar
Two dates on the 2014 provisional calendar have been altered with both Round 2 at Imola and Round 5 at Estoril changing by one week.  The Italian race will now take place on the 17/18 May and the Portuguese round on the 18/19 October.  With the exception of the opening round at Silverstone, which will take place on Saturday 19 April, the races will take place on Sunday.

Provisional 2014 European Le Mans Series Calendar
1/2 April                              Official Test                       Paul Ricard         FRA
18/19 April                         Round 1                              Silverstone         GBR
17/18 May                          Round 2                              Imola                    ITA
19/20 July                           Round 3                              Red Bull Ring     AUT
13/14 September            Round 4                              Paul Ricard         FRA
18/19 October                  Round 5                              Estoril                   PRT
All dates are provisional and subject to confirmation

More track time
In a change from this season, all of the races will be of four hours duration, up from three in 2013.

On day one of each event there will be two 90 minute free practice sessions, up from 60 minutes per session.

On Day Two there will be a 20-minute qualifying period for LMGTE and GTC followed by a 20-minute qualifying session for LMP2 and LMPC, with the four hour race later the same day.

For next season there is a total of 440 minutes of track time at each event compared to 320 minutes this year.

Driver Categories
The rules regarding the composition of crews in each category has also been clarified for the 2014 season.
·         For LMP2 a crew of 2 or 3 drivers must include at least one Silver or Bronze driver (same as in 2013).
·         For the LMGTE and GTC a crew of 2 or 3 drivers must include at least one Bronze and one Silver driver or two Bronze drivers.
·         For the LMPC class a crew of 2 or 3 drivers must include, at most, one Gold or Platinum driver (same as in 2013).

In another change, tyre warming will be allowed once again in ELMS from the start of 2014.

Gerard Neveu, CEO of Le Mans Endurance Management, organisers of the European Le Mans Series, said: “2013 was a good year for the European Le Mans Series and this success has meant there is a lot of interest from teams and drivers for the 2014 season.  We talked at length to our current teams and the changes we are making reflect these discussions.  With double the time in the free practice sessions and an extra hour in the race there is a lot more track time at each event and economically this is a good move for everyone.
 
“With the confirmation of the dates for Imola and Estoril the 2014 calendar is now set.  Finally the driver line ups in each category have been clearly defined and this will make things more transparent next season.  The 2014 European Le Mans Series is building on the solid foundations laid in ACO’s first year in charge and we are confident that, with these changes, there will be further growth next season.”