Algarve Pro opens ELMS LMP2 Pro-Am title bid with well-executed win in Barcelona

Algarve Pro Racing’s Michael Jensen, Enzo Trulli and Malthe Jakobsen opened their 2026 account with a well-executed LMP2 Pro-Am victory in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) 4 Hours of Barcelona (10-12 April).

Jensen, Trulli and Jakobsen had some work to do from eighth on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya grid, and their task was made harder after the former was forced to take to the gravel in avoidance of spinning prototypes on the first lap.

Starting driver Jensen, fortunate to have evaded disaster, regrouped in ninth position after a drawn-out red flag but wasted little time in passing the #21 United Autosports for P8.

The Danish Am initially seemed unable to make an impression on the #88 Proton Competition, which pulled a three-second gap in traffic, but his end-of-stint pace was sufficiently strong to narrow his deficit prior to the first round of scheduled pit stops.

A quick turnaround by Algarve Pro’s mechanics lifted the #20 ORECA 07-Gibson ahead of the #88 car, therefore Jensen closed out a strong opening stint in seventh.

The Portugal-flagged team remained on an upward trajectory with Trulli, who overcame a tyre disadvantage to execute three on-track overtakes for P5 on the approach to halftime, before Algarve Pro breached the podium places by carrying out its next driver-change with a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) in force.

Those gains gave Jakobsen a clear run at the #14 TDS Racing, the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies Hypercar driver snatching second position before homing in on the class-leading #30 Duqueine Team, which initially led by more than four seconds.

His pursuit was punctuated by a Full Course Yellow (FCY), but the Dane was more alert than his opponent and swept into P1 at Turn 12 as soon as the neutralisation was lifted.

However, strategy would be the decider; Algarve Pro conducted its penultimate fuel stop later and the #20 ORECA took on more fuel than the opposition, shortening the team’s final refill so that it kept track position and won LMP2 Pro-Am in Barcelona.

Michael Jensen (#20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 Pro-Am): “The European Le Mans Series’ LMP2 Pro-Am class is more competitive than ever before. There always seems to be incidents at Turns 1, 2 and 3 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and this race was no exception, as I found another LMP2 car facing the wrong direction and avoided it by going across the gravel. Despite rear-end contact, I emerged without damage.

“I was a bit unlucky in traffic and lost time after the restart but handed the car to Enzo (Trulli) in a strong position. He did a solid job and Malthe (Jakobsen) completed a well-executed race. As always, Algarve Pro Racing provided a strong car. It’s a long season and we will need to score big points in every race to compete for the championship. We’re already looking forward to the next round in Le Castellet.”

Enzo Trulli (#20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 Pro-Am): “To come away from Barcelona as LMP2 Pro-Am winners is a great result. We performed really well and I can’t thank Algarve Pro Racing enough for giving me this opportunity to compete in the European Le Mans Series. Thanks also to Michael (Jensen) and Malthe (Jakobsen) for doing amazing jobs.

“Of course, we got a bit scared when we saw the car in the gravel on the first lap, but you always try to think positively and, thankfully, it all ended well. My stint was good because I didn’t have the best of the tyres – I kept two from Michael’s stint – and yet I still managed to overtake three cars. While there’s still some work to do, the car felt quick and we’re ready for the next round of the season in Le Castellet.”

Malthe Jakobsen (#20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 Pro-Am): “I’m really happy with the victory we achieved in the European Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Barcelona. It was very messy at Turns 1 and 2 on the opening lap, but Michael (Jensen) made it through the chaos with a bit of gravel in the car, which was fine. Afterwards, he did a faultless stint and handed the car to Enzo (Trulli), who made up positions despite having a tyre disadvantage, as he was basically triple-stinting the right-hand Goodyears.

“I was super happy to jump into a very competitive car that allowed me to fight my way forward into P1 for 25 championship points. We’re exactly where we want to be, we have a strong team package thanks to Algarve Pro Racing, and we must stay focused for Le Castellet.”

Algarve Pro set the early pace with the #25 ORECA of Matthias Kaiser, Tristan Vautier and Jake Hughes, the latter adapting to LMP2 prototypes in no time and topping the FP1 classification.

Predictably, the pace increased throughout free practice and qualifying, and Algarve Pro launched into the 2026 ELMS season from fifth on the Catalunya grid.

Quick reactions ensured starting driver Kaiser kept the #22 United Autosports at bay as the field surged into the first sequence of corners, where two separate multi-car collisions occurred and led to a red flag stoppage.

Having overtaken the #18 IDEC Sport on the opening lap of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Kaiser took the restart in fourth but ceded position to both the #22 United Autosports and #37 CLX Motorsport during the first 11 racing laps.

However, Algarve Pro was elevated back to P4 when opponents served penalties and, facing pressure from the resurgent #18 machine, Kaiser set personal bests to stave off an attack either side of his mid-stint fuel-fill.

A decision to switch Kaiser for Hughes during a second-hour VSC promoted Algarve Pro into the podium places, but the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis prised open the door to P3 in among lapped traffic.

Determined to get back into the reckoning, Hughes – a McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Test and Simulator Driver – pushed on after the #34 Inter Europol Competition and used a marginal pace advantage to snatch third position.

However, moments after completing the pass, a touch from a lapped LMGT3 car sent the #25 ORECA skating wide through the Turn 13 gravel with a damaged left-rear wheel and puncture.

Algarve Pro sustained a massive time-loss because Hughes had to complete the full 4.65km lap at a significantly reduced speed to reach pit lane, and there was little hope of recovering a representative result from P9 and a lap down.

Hughes and teammate Vautier both went forward during the closing half of the Barcelona curtain-raiser, the latter reaching sixth in class, but a ten-second penalty for a FCY infringement would demote the #25 trio to ninth in the final classification.

Algarve Pro Racing Team Principal, Stewart Cox, said: “I have mixed feelings about how the European Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Barcelona played out for Algarve Pro Racing. You can’t take anything away from Michael (Jensen), Enzo (Trulli) and Malthe (Jakobsen), who achieved a super solid LMP2 Pro-Am win with the #20 ORECA – well done to them.

“We did what we wanted to do, the pit crew performing brilliantly throughout with no infringements on the team’s side, but none of the drivers thought the cars were amazing and we definitely have work to do to find a bit of pace, particularly in qualifying.”

Cox continued: “With the #25 car, we didn’t think we had the speed to fight for the win but knew we could put on a good showing and take a top three result. Unfortunately, a crazy bit of contact with the car’s left-rear punctured a tyre and caused Jake (Hughes) to go off with no rear support. It basically put us out of the race, as we just drove around waiting for something to happen from there.”