RLR MSport’s ELMS title-defence dented by non-score in rain-hit 4 Hours of Le Castellet

RLR MSport’s defence of its European Le Mans Series (ELMS) LMP3 titles has taken a serious hit, as damage sustained in contact forced the team to retire less an hour from the end of the wet and wild 4 Hours of Le Castellet (2-4 May).

Circuit Paul Ricard was struck by inclement weather that created a dramatic race, and RLR MSport’s Michael Jensen, Nick Adcock and Gillian Henrion were unable to add valuable points to their championship tally after an impact from an LMGT3 car left the #15 Ligier JS P325 with race-ending suspension and radiator damage.

France’s Henrion placed fifth on the LMP3 starting grid, but he, Jensen and Adcock had their sights set on the podium, having extracted performance from their new-for-2025 Ligier and been a fixture of the top three in Thursday’s collective tests and Saturday’s FP2 session.

However, rain clouds loomed over Circuit Paul Ricard prior to the race-start at midday on Sunday (4 May) and tyre-selection was a complete lottery.

RLR MSport opted to fit slicks for Jensen’s opening stint, but the track was on a knife-edge and grip fell away dramatically when the heavens opened just as the ELMS field came around to complete the second of two formation laps.

The slick-shod Jensen fell to ninth after surviving a dramatic slide across the inside of Turn 1, but, as one of the first LMP3 runners to box for grooved Michelins, RLR MSport got back up into its original grid position of fifth.

Jensen drove well, Adcock had pace when conditions were at their most changeable, and Henrion’s lap times were strong as the weather stabilised after halftime, but progress up the leaderboard was limited by the fact RLR MSport had fallen off the lead lap.

Young Frenchman Henrion was eighth entering the fourth and final hour, when the #15 Ligier sustained broken suspension and a punctured radiator in contact from an LMGT3 car.

Henrion toured back to pit lane to retire, with fluid spewing from the side of the ailing prototype, and the non-score leaves RLR MSport in a distant fourth in the LMP3 Teams and Drivers standings.

“The European Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Le Castellet weekend ended on a bitter note,” said Henrion. “After a strong collective effort to improve the car, we managed to secure a solid P5 in Qualifying – a clear step forward compared to our performance in Barcelona.

“Unfortunately, the race didn’t go our way. Rain arrived just before the start and we took the strategic gamble to fit slick tyres on what was at the time a damp, but drying track. However, the rain intensified, forcing us to pit early – a decision that cost us two laps to the LMP3 leaders.

“Michael (Jensen) and Nick (Adcock) gave it everything in very tricky conditions and I pushed hard to recover, but I was hit while overtaking an LMGT3 car and that brought our race to an end. A huge thank you to RLR MSport for its hard work, and to Michael and Nick for their commitment and trust. Every race teaches us something and we’ll come back stronger at Imola. Keep pushing!”

Adcock said: “We made a bad choice to start the race on slick Michelin tyres. Circuit Paul Ricard was damp, but we thought the surface would dry out quite quickly looking at our weather forecast. Unfortunately, the opposite happened and the three LMP3 cars that started on wets shot off into the distance. Michael (Jensen) and I really battled hard with the car. It was really sketchy and difficult to drive.

“The circuit was drying quite quickly when I boxed and handed over to Gillian (Henrion), who had good pace until a Ferrari LMGT3 car turned in on him at Turn 15, damaging the car beyond repair. You have to keep it clean in endurance racing and it’s unfortunate that we’re coming away from the ELMS 4 Hours of Le Castellet will nil points, but there isn’t much we can do and we’ll fight on, coming back strongly at Imola.”