# 2012 European Le Mans Series

The 2012 European Le Mans Series was the ninth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's European Le Mans Series (previously known as simply Le Mans Series). Championship titles were awarded in five categories, with the Le Mans Series shifting its categories following its separation from the FIA World Endurance Championship. LMP1 cars were dropped due to most teams entering the FIA World Endurance Championship while a new GTC category was created to allow single make grand tourer cars and FIA GT3s to compete in endurance races. However, there were no GTC cars that competed during the season.
Due to the numerous issues the season was reduced to just three rounds, starting in Le Castellet, France on 1 April and ended at Braselton, Georgia, United States, on 20 October.

## Schedule

Following the ELMS decision to no longer share races with the FIA World Endurance Championship (formerly the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup), the series required new races to replace the Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone races which now were part of the WEC. Circuit Paul Ricard was the only event carried over from 2011 and remained the season opener. Circuit Zolder was supposed to serve as the second round of the series, but on 1 April the race was cancelled due to a lack of entrants. ELMS teams were instead invited to enter the 6 Hours of Spa WEC round. Following a small number of entries at Donington, the season's two later rounds at the Brno Circuit and Autódromo Internacional do Algarve were cancelled. In place of these two rounds, an agreement was reached with the American Le Mans Series to allow ELMS competitors to participate in the Petit Le Mans for double points, with the ELMS providing transport assistance to full-season teams.
| Rnd | Race | Circuit | Date |
| – | Official Test Session | Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France | 9–10 March |
| 1 | 6 Hours of Castellet | Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France | 1 April |
| 2 | 6 Hours of Donington | Donington Park, Castle Donington, United Kingdom | 15 July |
| 3 | Petit Le Mans | Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia | 20 October |
| Sources: ||||

## Regulation changes

The Le Mans Series made changes to its class structure for the 2012 season, eliminating one previous class while adding another. The LMP1 Le Mans Prototype category were no longer featured in LMS races due to the large amount of LMP1 factory teams which switched from the Le Mans Series to the World Endurance Championship. This move promotes the LMP2 category to the top of the class structure. To replace LMP1, a new class has been created at the bottom of the class structure, named GTC. This class allowed only three cars from various one make series to compete: The Ferrari 458 Challenge, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, and the Lotus Evora GT4. Teams in GTC were not allowed more than one professional driver in their line-up. Finally, the Formula Le Mans category was renamed LMP Challenge, aligning with the title utilized by the American Le Mans Series.

## Entry list

Entry List :
| Entrant/Team | Car | Engine | Tyre | No | Drivers | Rounds |
| LMP2 |||||||
| Greaves Motorsport | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 1 | Alex Brundle | All |
| Greaves Motorsport | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 1 | Tom Kimber-Smith | All |
| Greaves Motorsport | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 1 | Lucas Ordóñez | 1–2 |
| Greaves Motorsport | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 1 | Alex Buncombe | 3 |
| Pecom Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 10 | Luís Pérez Companc | 1–2 |
| Pecom Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 10 | Pierre Kaffer | 1–2 |
| Pecom Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 10 | Gianmaria Bruni | 1 |
| Pecom Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 10 | Soheil Ayari | 2 |
| Race Performance | Oreca 03 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 11 | Jonathan Hirschi | 1 |
| Race Performance | Oreca 03 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 11 | Michel Frey | 1 |
| Race Performance | Oreca 03 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 11 | Ralph Meichtry | 1 |
| Status GP | Lola B12/80 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 17 | Alexander Sims | 1–2 |
| Status GP | Lola B12/80 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 17 | Yelmer Buurman | 1 |
| Status GP | Lola B12/80 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 17 | Dean Stirling | 1 |
| Status GP | Lola B12/80 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 17 | Julien Jousse | 2 |
| Status GP | Lola B12/80 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 17 | Maxime Jousse | 2 |
| Murphy Prototypes | MG-Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 18 | Jody Firth | All |
| Murphy Prototypes | MG-Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 18 | Warren Hughes | All |
| Murphy Prototypes | MG-Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 18 | Luca Moro | 1 |
| Murphy Prototypes | MG-Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 18 | Brendon Hartley | 2–3 |
| Sébastien Loeb Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 19 | Nicolas Marroc | 1–2 |
| Sébastien Loeb Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 19 | Nicolas Minassian | 1–2 |
| Sébastien Loeb Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 19 | Stéphane Sarrazin | 1–2 |
| OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 24 | Jacques Nicolet | 1–2 |
| OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 24 | Guillaume Moreau | 1 |
| OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 24 | Dominik Kraihamer | 1 |
| OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 24 | Matthieu Lahaye | 2 |
| OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 35 | Bertrand Baguette | 2–3 |
| OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 35 | Dimitri Enjalbert | 2 |
| OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 35 | Olivier Pla | 2–3 |
| OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 35 | Jacques Nicolet | 3 |
| Jota | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 38 | Sam Hancock | 1–2 |
| Jota | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 38 | Simon Dolan | 1–2 |
| Extrême Limite ARIC | Norma M200P | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 44 | Fabien Rosier | 1 |
| Extrême Limite ARIC | Norma M200P | Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 | D | 44 | Philippe Thirion | 1 |
| Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 45 | Bastien Brière | 1 |
| Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 45 | Jack Clarke | 1 |
| Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 45 | Sébastien Buemi | 1 |
| Thiriet by TDS Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 46 | Mathias Beche | All |
| Thiriet by TDS Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 46 | Pierre Thiriet | All |
| Thiriet by TDS Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5L V8 | D | 46 | Christophe Tinseau | 3 |
| LMPC |||||||
| Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 | M | 40 | Thomas Dagoneau | 1–2 |
| Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 | M | 40 | Massimo Vignali | 1 |
| Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 | M | 40 | Jean-Marc Merlin | 1 |
| Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 | M | 40 | Jean-Charles Battut | 2 |
| Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 | M | 40 | John Hartshorne | 2 |
| CURTIS Racing Technologies | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 | M | 42 | Phil Keen | 1 |
| CURTIS Racing Technologies | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 | M | 42 | John Hartshorne | 1 |
| CURTIS Racing Technologies | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet LS3 6.2L V8 | M | 42 | Alex Kapadia | 1 |
| LM GTE Pro |||||||
| Kessel Racing | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | D | 61 | Michał Broniszewski | 1 |
| Kessel Racing | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | D | 61 | Philipp Peter | 1 |
| JMW Motorsport | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | D | 66 | James Walker | 1 |
| JMW Motorsport | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | D | 66 | Jonny Cocker | 1–2 |
| JMW Motorsport | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | D | 66 | Allan Simonsen | 2 |
| JMB Racing | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | M | 83 | Jaime Melo | 1 |
| JMB Racing | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | M | 83 | Marco Frezza | 1 |
| LM GTE Am |||||||
| AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | M | 60 | Piergiuseppe Perazzini | All |
| AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | M | 60 | Marco Cioci | All |
| AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | M | 60 | Matt Griffin | All |
| IMSA Performance Matmut | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | M | 67 | Anthony Pons | All |
| IMSA Performance Matmut | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | M | 67 | Nicolas Armindo | All |
| IMSA Performance Matmut | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | M | 67 | Raymond Narac | All |
| Gulf Racing | Aston Martin Vantage GTE | Aston Martin 4.5L V8 | D | 69 | Stuart Hall | 1 |
| Gulf Racing | Aston Martin Vantage GTE | Aston Martin 4.5L V8 | D | 69 | Roald Goethe | 1 |
| Prospeed Competition | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | M | 75 | Marc Goossens | 1 |
| Prospeed Competition | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | M | 75 | Maxime Soulet | 1 |
| JMB Racing | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | M | 99 | Alain Ferté | 1 |
| JMB Racing | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari F142 4.5L V8 | M | 99 | Philippe Illiano | 1 |

## Season results

| Rnd. | Circuit | LMP2 Winning Team | LMPC Winning Team | GTE Pro Winning Team | GTE Am Winning Team | Results |
| Rnd. | Circuit | LMP2 Winning Drivers | LMPC Winning Drivers | GTE Pro Winning Drivers | GTE Am Winning Drivers | Results |
| 1 | Paul Ricard | No. 46 Thiriet by TDS Racing | No. 42 CURTIS Racing Technologies | No. 66 JMW Motorsport | No. 75 Prospeed Competition | Results |
| 1 | Paul Ricard | Mathias Beche Pierre Thiriet | John Hartshorne Alex Kapadia Phil Keen | James Walker Jonny Cocker | Marc Goossens Maxime Soulet | Results |
| 2 | Donington | No. 35 OAK Racing | No. 40 Boutsen Ginion Racing | No. 66 JMW Motorsport | No. 67 IMSA Performance Matmut | Results |
| 2 | Donington | Olivier Pla Dimitri Enjalbert Bertrand Baguette | Thomas Dagoneau Jean-Charles Battut John Hartshorne | Jonny Cocker Allan Simonsen | Nicolas Armindo Raymond Narac Anthony Pons | Results |
| 3 | Road Atlanta | No. 46 Thiriet by TDS Racing | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate | No. 67 IMSA Performance Matmut | Results |
| 3 | Road Atlanta | Mathias Beche Pierre Thiriet Christophe Tinseau | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate | Nicolas Armindo Raymond Narac Anthony Pons | Results |
| Source: |||||||

## Championship Standings

Points are awarded to cars that finish in tenth place or higher, with unclassified entries failing to complete 70% of the race distance or entries failing to reach the finish not earning championship points. One bonus point is awarded for winning pole position (denoted by bold). Double points will be awarded at Petit Le Mans.
Points System :
| Position | Position | Position | Position | Position | Position | Position | Position | Position | Position | Pole Position |
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Pole Position |
| 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |

## Teams Championships

The top two finishers in the LMP2, GTE Pro, and GTE Am championships earned automatic entry to the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.

### LMP2 Standings

| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | CAS | DON | ATL | Total |
| 1 | Thiriet by TDS Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 94 |
| 2 | OAK Racing | Morgan LMP2 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8 Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 71 |
| 3 | Greaves Motorsport | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 48 |
| 4 | Sébastien Loeb Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | 2 | 4 | | 30 |
| 5 | Pecom Racing | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | 7 | 5 | | 16 |
| 6 | Status GP | Lola B12/80 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | 3 | Ret | | 15 |
| 7 | Murphy Prototypes | MG-Oreca 03 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 15 |
| 8 | Race Performance | Oreca 03 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8 | 5 | | | 10 |
| 9 | Extrême Limite ARIC | Norma M200P | Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8 | 8 | | | 4 |
| 10 | JOTA | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | 9 | Ret | | 2 |
| – | Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca 03 | Judd-BMW HK 3.6 L V8 | Ret | | | 0 |
| Sources: ||||||||

### LMPC Standings

| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | CAS | DON | Total |
| 1 | Boutsen Ginion Racing | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | Ret | 1 | 27 |
| 2 | Curtis Racing Technologies | Oreca FLM09 | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | 1 | | 25 |
| Sources: ||||||||

### LM GTE Pro Standings

| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | CAS | DON | Total |
| 1 | JMW Motorsport | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari 4.5 L V8 | 1 | 1 | 51 |
| 2 | JMB Racing | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari 4.5 L V8 | 2 | | 19 |
| Sources: ||||||||

### LM GTE Am Standings

| Pos | Team | Chassis | Engine | CAS | DON | ATL | Total |
| 1 | IMSA Performance Matmut | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 94 |
| 2 | AF Corse | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | Ferrari 4.5 L V8 | 3 | 2 | Ret | 34 |
| 3 | Prospeed Competition | Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 1 | | | 26 |
| Sources: ||||||||

## Drivers Championships
### LMP2 Standings

| Pos | Driver | Team | CAS | DON | ATL | Total |
| 1= | Pierre Thiriet | Thiriet by TDS Racing | 1 | 2 | 3 | 94 |
| 1= | Mathias Beche | Thiriet by TDS Racing | 1 | 2 | 3 | 94 |
| 2= | Bertrand Baguette | OAK Racing | | 1 | 4 | 62 |
| 2= | Olivier Pla | OAK Racing | | 1 | 4 | 62 |
| 3 | Jacques Nicolet | OAK Racing | 6 | 6 | 4 | 54 |
| 4 | Christophe Tinseau | Thiriet by TDS Racing | | | 3 | 50 |
| 5= | Alex Brundle | Greaves Motorsport | 4 | 7 | 5 | 48 |
| 5= | Tom Kimber-Smith | Greaves Motorsport | 4 | 7 | 5 | 48 |
| 6= | Nicolas Marroc | Sébastien Loeb Racing | 2 | 4 | | 30 |
| 6= | Stéphane Sarrazin | Sébastien Loeb Racing | 2 | 4 | | 30 |
| 6= | Nicolas Minassian | Sébastien Loeb Racing | 2 | 4 | | 30 |
| 7 | Dimitri Enjalbert | OAK Racing | | 1 | | 25 |
| 8 | Lucas Ordoñez | Greaves Motorsport | 4 | 7 | | 18 |
| 9= | Luís Pérez Companc | Pecom Racing | 7 | 5 | | 16 |
| 9= | Pierre Kaffer | Pecom Racing | 7 | 5 | | 16 |
| 10= | Alexander Sims | Status GP | 3 | Ret | | 15 |
| 10= | Dean Sterling | Status GP | 3 | | | 15 |
| 10= | Yelmer Buurman | Status GP | 3 | | | 15 |
| 10= | Jody Firth | Murphy Prototypes | Ret | 3 | Ret | 15 |
| 10= | Warren Hughes | Murphy Prototypes | Ret | 3 | Ret | 15 |
| 10= | Brendon Hartley | Murphy Prototypes | | 3 | Ret | 15 |
| 11= | Michel Frey | Race Performance | 5 | | | 10 |
| 11= | Jonathan Hirschi | Race Performance | 5 | | | 10 |
| 11= | Ralph Meichtry | Race Performance | 5 | | | 10 |
| 11= | Soheil Ayari | Pecom Racing | | 5 | | 10 |
| 12 | Matthieu Lahaye | OAK Racing | | 6 | | 9 |
| 13= | Guillaume Moreau | OAK Racing | 6 | | | 8 |
| 13= | Dominik Kraihamer | OAK Racing | 6 | | | 8 |
| 14 | Gianmaria Bruni | Pecom Racing | 7 | | | 6 |
| 15= | Fabien Rosier | Extrême Limite ARIC | 8 | | | 4 |
| 15= | Philippe Thirion | Extrême Limite ARIC | 8 | | | 4 |
| 16= | Sam Hancock | JOTA | 9 | Ret | | 2 |
| 16= | Simon Dolan | JOTA | 9 | Ret | | 2 |
| Sources: |||||||

### LMPC Standings

| Pos | Driver | Team | CAS | DON | Total |
| 1 | John Hartshorne | Curtis Racing Technologies Boutsen Ginion Racing | 1 | 1 | 51 |
| 2 | Thomas Dagoneau | Boutsen Ginion Racing | Ret | 1 | 27 |
| 3 | Jean-Charles Battut | Boutsen Ginion Racing | | 1 | 26 |
| 4= | Alex Kapadia | Curtis Racing Technologies | 1 | | 25 |
| 4= | Phil Keen | Curtis Racing Technologies | 1 | | 25 |
| 5= | Jean-Marc Merlin | Boutsen Ginion Racing | Ret | | 1 |
| 5= | Massimo Vignali | Boutsen Ginion Racing | Ret | | 1 |
| Sources: |||||||

### LM GTE Pro Standings

| Pos | Driver | Team | CAS | DON | Total |
| 1 | Jonny Cocker | JMW Motorsport | 1 | 1 | 51 |
| 2 | James Walker | JMW Motorsport | 1 | WD | 26 |
| 3 | Allan Simonsen | JMW Motorsport | | 1 | 25 |
| 4= | Jaime Melo | JMB Racing | 2 | | 19 |
| 4= | Marco Frezza | JMB Racing | 2 | | 19 |
| Sources: |||||||

### LM GTE Am Standings

| Pos | Driver | Team | CAS | DON | ATL | Total |
| 1= | Anthony Pons | IMSA Performance Matmut | 2 | 1 | 1 | 94 |
| 1= | Nicolas Armindo | IMSA Performance Matmut | 2 | 1 | 1 | 94 |
| 1= | Raymond Narac | IMSA Performance Matmut | 2 | 1 | 1 | 94 |
| 2= | Piergiuseppe Perazzini | AF Corse | 3 | 2 | Ret | 34 |
| 2= | Marco Cioci | AF Corse | 3 | 2 | Ret | 34 |
| 2= | Matt Griffin | AF Corse | 3 | 2 | Ret | 34 |
| 3= | Marc Goossens | Prospeed Competition | 1 | | | 26 |
| 3= | Maxime Soulet | Prospeed Competition | 1 | | | 26 |
| Sources: |||||||

## Manufacturers Cups
### LMP2 Standings

| Pos | Constructor | CAS | DON | ATL | Total |
| 1 | Oreca-Nissan | 44 | 33 | 50 | 127 |
| 2 | Morgan-Nissan | | 25 | 37 | 62 |
| 3 | Zytek-Nissan | 14 | 6 | 30 | 50 |
| 4 | Morgan-Judd | 8 | 9 | | 17 |
| 5 | Lola-Judd | 15 | 0 | | 15 |
| 6 | Oreca-Judd | 10 | | | 10 |
| 7 | Norma-Judd | 4 | | | 4 |
| Source: ||||||

### LM GTE Standings

| Pos | Constructor | CAS | DON | ATL | Total |
| 1 | Porsche | 27 | 18 | 51 | 96 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 44 | 41 | 0 | 85 |
| – | Aston Martin | 0 | | | 0 |
| Source: ||||||