Late substitute storms through the field to secure the team’s first overall ELMS win since 2023 alongside Jake Hughes and Matthias Kaiser
BEN BARNICOAT produced a decisive final-hour charge through the rain to earn Algarve Pro Racing victory in the 2026 Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone alongside Jake Hughes and Matthias Kaiser.
“I love the rain and was able to get to the lead and win the race. The car was just flying,” Barnicoat said.
The British driver, called up at short notice for the No. 25 Oreca 07, emerged from the team’s final stop behind several rivals but carved his way through the field as the conditions worsened.
He took the overall lead with 32 minutes remaining and pulled clear to win by 17.995 seconds, completing 105 laps of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.
The result was Algarve Pro Racing’s first outright European Le Mans Series victory since the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 2023 and made the Portuguese squad the fourth different overall winner of the 2026 season.
Kaiser Makes His Move
The race began on a damp circuit with a dry line forming after overnight rain, but teams knew heavier weather was approaching.
Inter Europol Competition’s Kuba Smiechowski started from pole in the No. 43 Oreca, but Theodor Jensen swept into the lead for CLX Motorsport on the opening lap.
Kaiser also made early progress, passing Smiechowski before the end of the first lap to place Algarve Pro Racing in the leading group.
Kaiser later explained that aggressively warming his tyres before the start gave him the grip required to gain positions during the opening exchanges.
The complexion of the race changed when heavy rain arrived during the second hour. A prolonged Safety Car period and the decision over when to change from slick tyres to wets reshuffled the order, catching out several leading teams.
Hughes restarted in the No. 25 car and was forced to contend with standing water, heavy spray and traffic in his first wet race stint in the Oreca.
Hughes described the middle section as a battle for survival. It was his first experience of racing the car in the wet, but he negotiated the traffic and delivered it to Barnicoat without damage.
Penalty Fails To Stop APR
Algarve Pro Racing’s victory remained uncertain after the car received a 10-second penalty for earlier contact between Kaiser and the No. 23 United Autosports McLaren.
The penalty was served during the final driver change, leaving Barnicoat with ground to recover as the race entered its closing stages.
He quickly caught and passed the cars ahead, including Marino Sato’s No. 21 United Autosports Oreca, before opening a comfortable advantage at the front.
Barnicoat said he was determined to maximise the one-off opportunity and had only one objective once he entered the race: taking the overall victory.
Kaiser described the contest as chaotic but praised the speed of the car and Barnicoat’s closing performance.
“It was a chaotic race, but I think we had a great car and the team delivered perfectly well,” he said.
The No. 14 TDS Racing Oreca finished second overall and won LMP2 Pro/Am, while IDEC Sport and United Autosports completed the LMP2 podium.
Sixth overall and third in LMP2 was enough for United Autosports to reclaim the championship lead, moving 13 points clear of Forestier Racing by Panis before the Portimão finale on 10 October.
