Algarve Pro Racing deployed pace, a slick strategy and swift pit stops to become the first team in the 2024 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) to net a double podium across LMP2 and LMP2 Pro-Am at the end of the stop/start 4 Hours of Mugello (27-29 September).

Innumerable Safety Cars, Virtual Safety Cars (VSC) and a red flag played havoc with team strategy, but Algarve Pro adapted brilliantly, possessed race-winning speed and tyre preservation that, combined with rapid pit stops, propelled it to P2 results in Tuscany.

Misfortune in earlier rounds means the #25 crew, Matthias Kaiser, Olli Caldwell and Alex Lynn, have now fallen out of contention for Overall and LMP2 title honours with one round remaining in Portimao.

However, a runner-up finish in Mugello was a major shot in the arm for Algarve Pro in its bid for another LMP2 Pro-Am crown with the #20 trio of Kriton Lentoudis, Richard Bradley and Alex Quinn..

It was a clean start to the ELMS 4 Hours of Mugello and, although Silver-graded Kaiser was swiftly demoted one position to fourth by the #34 Inter Europol Competition of Gold-rated Clément Novalak, Algarve Pro vaulted back up to second in the first round of scheduled pit stops.

The Portugal-flagged team elected to conduct its second stop out of sequence so that Caldwell could take advantage of the #25 ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2’s relatively low tyre-wear in clean air.

The decision paid dividends, as Caldwell’s speed on the track and swift work in the pits ensured the #25 crew cycled up into first overall as opposing teams’ tactics played out.

However, a lack of sustained green flag running threw strategies into disarray; a second Safety Car decimated Algarve Pro’s lead and the need for a long fuel-fill while the entire field was tightly bunched meant it plummeted to sixth shortly before the red flags flew during the third hour.

Unperturbed, British racer Caldwell progressed to P4 at the restart, and placing Lynn aboard the #25 prototype during a VSC then lifted Algarve Pro onto the podium.

However, further positions were up for grabs, as Lynn was locked in an entertaining and protracted fight for the runner-up spot with the #65 Panis Racing of Charles Milesi.

A slick final stop that was some six seconds quicker than the opposition ultimately made the difference, propelling Algarve Pro up to a P2 finish, with a view of the race-winning #9 Iron Lynx entry.

Unfortunately, the outcome brings Algarve Pro’s defence of its 2023 Overall and LMP2 Trophies to a close, as the Portugal-based squad, Kaiser, Caldwell and Lynn are fifth in the LMP2 Teams and Drivers championships with a 29-point shortfall to the top.

Matthias Kaiser (#25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2): “We came into the 2024 European Le Mans Series aiming to defend Algarve Pro Racing’s championship titles, but an unfortunate incident at Spa and bad luck at Imola cost us. You can’t afford any ill fortune in such a short season, but we showed in the 4 Hours of Mugello that we have it in us to fight and can finish well ahead of the current points leader. Finishing second is a fantastic result, we have been strong, and I hope the same is true in the Portimao finale.

Olli Caldwell (#25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2): “We achieved a great result at Mugello and it’s nice to be back on the podium. It feels like a long time coming because we’ve always had the pace in the car in the previous rounds at Imola and Spa where we were perhaps a little unfortunate. My race stint at Mugello was difficult. A lot of Safety Cars and a red flag period made it hard to stay on our toes, keep the tyres and brakes in the window, and also make up positions at the restarts.

“I’m happy with my performance, though. I pulled a nice gap before the first VSC and we would have been in a really nice position had it stayed green, but I lost the lead to Iron Lynx, which I believe was on fresher tyres. As far as the title defence goes, we haven’t had the consistency to challenge for a championship. However, we proved we’re capable of fighting at the front and, as we can still get third in the points, we’ll go to Portimao with that aim.”

Alex Lynn (#25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2): “We’ve had a tough 2024 season in the European Le Mans Series, but we’ve never lacked pace and I’m proud that Algarve Pro Racing turns up to each race weekend ready and prepared to put on a good performance. In fact, I think we were the only crew capable of sticking with Iron Lynx – Proton at Mugello. As always, there are quite a few ifs and buts because, while we undercut lots of teams in the pits, some of the stoppages heavily disadvantaged us.

“I got the car in P3, had a lot of pace and, through a slick stop by the team, undercut the #65 Panis Racing of Charles Milesi. We dropped everyone behind by approximately 20 seconds, which is a gap you don’t typically see in LMP2 but is a reflection of our pace delta. Moving forwards to Portimao, I think achieving third in the championship would be a great end to the season.”

In LMP2 Pro-Am, Lentoudis survived an incident-free first lap in P8 but returned to his starting position of seventh when the #3 DKR Engineering car skated off into the barriers, causing the first of many Safety Cars.

Lentoudis was switched for British Pro Bradley as soon as the Greek Bronze’s drive-time had elapsed, and progress was made to fourth during a stop/start stint that featured VSCs and a red flag stoppage.

Algarve Pro jumped to P1 in LMP2 Pro-Am after inserting Quinn into the hot seat,  although the 23-year-old from Truro, England was eventually surpassed by the #29 Richard Mille by TDS machine and closed out a P2 result that brings him, Bradley and Lentoudis to within eight points of the championship lead.

Kriton Lentoudis (#20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 Pro-Am): “The opening stint didn’t go to plan, as I got stuck behind a slower car off the start and lost a lot of time, as Mugello is a circuit where it’s difficult to pass. However, four-hour European Le Mans Series races are like a game of chess and the guys and girls in the team and my teammates, Richard (Bradley) and Alex (Quinn), did an amazing job in pulling us up back up the leaderboard into second.

“I never dreamed at the beginning of the season that we would be in contention for the ELMS LMP2 Pro-Am championship at this stage, and this is almost entirely due to the team doing such an amazing job on strategy and car setup.”

Richard Bradley #20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 Pro-Am): “I’m really happy with how the European Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Mugello went because we truly maximised what we could achieve. It was once again a really good job by my teammates, Kriton (Lentoudis) and Alex (Quinn), and Algarve Pro Racing was mega on strategy and in the pit stops. In fact, the pit crew’s speed was one of the main reasons we led LMP2 Pro-Am and ultimately came home in second. The result puts us P3 in the championship and only eight points behind, so we have a real chance of becoming Champions and I’m looking forward to the final round in Portimao.”

Alex Quinn (#20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 Pro-Am): “The European Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Mugello was a very tough race, but the entire Algarve Pro Racing team did a great job and we all had the speed to finish comfortably on the second step of the podium. The battle for the LMP2 Pro-Am titles goes down to the wire in Portimao and we find ourselves in a nice position to be able to attack for the championship win.”

Algarve Pro Racing Team Principal, Stewart Cox, said: “I’m reasonably happy with what we achieved in the European Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Mugello. The #25 LMP2 Pro car has always had the pace to finish on the podium and we know all the ingredients were there to fight for the Overall and LMP2 titles, so it’s frustrating and disappointing to be out of contention at this stage. It’s nothing to do with luck, it’s management. It’s down to us as a team because all we had to do is not make mistakes and we put ourselves in those sort of positions at Spa and Le Castellet.

“This is clear when you look at the #20 LMP2 Pro-Am car, which just keeps on giving. We never expected to be in contention for the LMP2 Pro-Am crown going into the last race and it’s all because the drivers, Kriton (Lentoudis), Richard (Bradley) and Alex (Quinn), haven’t had any issues in the races. Kudos to them.”