Dispatch №01 — From the Trackside

After a few days prelouge, it was round 1 of the Michelin Le Mans Cup and the European Le Mans Series in Barcelona. This is the first dispatch from the Epic28 roster — a working note rather than a news report. Where we were, what we shot, what mattered to us as the cars went through the 4 Hours of Barcelona at Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya.

HOW BARCELONA PLAYED OUT

The 2026 European Le Mans Series season kicked off at Barcelona with a packed grid across LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am, LMP3 and LMGT3, in front of a record ~33,000 fans at the Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya. A red‑flag stoppage chopped into the middle of the 4‑hour race, stretching the session by 25 minutes to compensate for the lost time and turning strategy into a tight calculation of tyre‑wear versus position.

From the paddock, the narrative felt like a classic endurance opener: early chaos, a long mid‑race stretch of cat‑and‑mouse pace, then a late‑race surge that turned the podium into a finish‑line photo‑finish.

THE WINNERS ON PAPER

Forestier Racing by Panis (#29 Oreca 07‑Gibson) took a dramatic overall victory after the red‑flag disruption, with reigning LMP2 champions Esteban Masson and Oliver Gray joined by new teammate Louis Rousset on the top step of the podium. The team converted strong‑running pace into a tight gap over Inter Europol Competition (#34 Oreca 07) and others, underlining their title‑defence status in LMP2.

Behind Forestier, the LMP2 battles stretched deep into the field, while the Pro/Am, LMP3 and LMGT3 categories also saw tight finishes that set the tone for a six‑round 2026 season running from Barcelona through Le Castellet, Imola, Spa, Silverstone, and Portimão.

WHAT’S NEXT

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