Vector Sport RLR begins to unlock Colombian rookie Gomez Azza’s pace on his Le Mans Cup debut
15 April 2026 | adminleveridge
Vector Sport RLR begins to unlock Colombian rookie Gomez Azza’s pace on his Le Mans Cup debut Vector Sport RLR has a track record of identifying and developing superstar racing drivers at a young age, and the team called upon its many years of experience to support and guide Colombia’s Geronimo Gomez Azza through his very first Michelin Le Mans Cup race weekend at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (10-11 April).
The Le Mans Cup is a proven breeding ground for young drivers wanting to forge careers in the world’s most prestigious endurance categories, including the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Vector Sport RLR made significant gains early on in Official Testing and free practice, enhancing the #15 Ligier JS P325’s long-run performance so that Gomez Azza could begin to demonstrate his raw pace and ability.
Unfortunately, clean air was at a premium on the 4.65km Catalunya track in qualifying and the 17-year-old from Bogotá placed 24th for the start of his maiden Le Mans Cup race.
However, the #15 Ligier launched well and Gomez Azza grabbed an opportunity to duck underneath multiple rivals as the 43-car multi-class field barrelled into the first sequence of turns.
The Safety Car was deployed in response to a first-corner collision and Gomez Azza was quick to improve on 17th once racing resumed, picking off the #5 23Events Racing on the first high-speed tour of Catalunya and rising as high as P15.
He surged forwards with pace and determination, but a severe lock-up meant an attempt to pass another opponent into Turn 5 resulted in contact, which left the #15 prototype beached in the gravel with right-side damage.
The Vector Sport RLR machine was recovered by Catalunya’s marshals and continued on to rise from 23rd to 11th as teams began pitting, but laps were given up during the driver-change phase, which included a stop/go penalty for causing a collision.
There was nothing multiple LMP3 Champion Noble could do to recover a truly representative result during the latter half of the two-hour race and, despite frequently registering car-best lap times, the Scot finished the Barcelona Round in a distant 21st.
“We worked hard to find an optimal set up in testing and things evolved quite quickly, as I found a rhythm in a car that felt good,” said Gomez Azza. “Acclimating to multi-class racing as part of a huge grid was perhaps the biggest learning curve for me – I have only raced at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya once before and it was as part of a much smaller field of seven cars – but Colin (Noble) was a great coach and ensured I was prepared for the challenge.
“I was aggressive from the start and made up several places by lap three. The collision that followed was unfortunate because all four wheels locked up in the downhill braking zone for Turn 5. The incident definitely impacted my confidence because I didn’t know what to expect from the car to begin with, but it actually felt good and was one of the quickest in dirty air. I feel there’s still a lot of room for improvement in all areas. I obviously need more LMP3 experience and I’ll keep working hard alongside the team to ensure we progress next time out in Le Castellet.”
Noble said: “Overall, I’m disappointed with how the Michelin Le Mans Cup Barcelona Round went for Vector Sport RLR, but we can take some positives from the experience. The team members all worked well together for their first outing, Geronimo (Gomez Azza) showing good pace and coming through the field at the start of the race. Unfortunately, we carried significant damage from contact that occurred early on and, when I got in the car it was just a matter of bringing it home.”
