The 2026 season of the Le Mans Classic Series—new name for the historic competitions organized by Peter Auto—kicked off at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. From March 27 to 29, this opening round welcomed nearly 20,000 spectators who came to enjoy the show of around 250 cars competing on the Catalan track.
Blessed with perfect days throughout the week-end, both drivers and spectators fully enjoyed this first meeting, held under the banner of sunshine and a shared passion for motorsport.
For three days, the public was able to discover nine grids on track, showcasing nearly 50 years of automotive history, from 1950s GT cars to 2000s endurance prototypes.
In the village area, a lively atmosphere took hold, with families turning out in large numbers. Spectators enjoyed a wide range of activities, including exhibitions, various entertainment, a dedicated kids’ area, and an flyover parade, all contributing to a friendly and festive atmosphere.
On the track, Espíritu de Montjuïc delighted historic racing enthusiasts, who witnessed battles as spectacular as they were prestigious. And the favorites delivered: Armand Mille took advantage on a dramatic finish to secure victory in his Lola T70 Mk3b in Classic Endurance Racing 1, ahead of the one-of-a-kind Ligier JS3 -driven by ‘Mr John of B’ and Soheil Ayari. Fred Wakeman and Mike Grant-Peterkin did justice to the Ford GT40’s legacy by winning in GT1.
While former driver Jan Magnussen put on a show in Classic Endurance Racing 2, his Lola T292 suffered a technical failure as the finish line approached. Reigning champion Maxime Guenat (Lola T286) didn’t wait for him, racing to another victory ahead of Stéphane Nguyen’s Lola T282—Nguyen was ecstatic for his first outing behind the wheel of his race car. Marc and Dennis Busch, meanwhile, secured victory in the Porsche 935 in GT2.
On Saturday evening, the Sixties Endurance race smiled on the Shelby clan, with Olivier Galant’s Cobra Daytona Coupé taking the win ahead of the 289 version of the “snake,” driven by Vincent Kolb. As for the oldest cars in the Gentlemen Challenge, they stole the show, with John Spiers and Nigel Greensall dominating the action behind the wheel of the Lister Jaguar Costin to ultimately claim victory in Race 2, leaving the honors of the first race to Luc-Pierre Verquin and his Lister Chevrolet Knobbly.
The Ford Capri RS 3100s gained the upper hand over the BMW 3.0 CSLs in Heritage Touring Cup 1, with another victory for Maxime Guenat ahead of Armand Mille. The 90 minutes of the 2.0 L Cup were exceptionally intense, allowing the top Gentleman driver, Jurgen Rudolph, to claim the overall victory, narrowly edging out the Gentleman/Elite duo of Johannes Stengel and Andrew Smith. Philip Kadoorie (Porsche 962 C) and Olivier Galant (Jaguar XKR12) won both Group C Racing races, while Klaus Abbelen showed impressive speed in his Porsche 962 C, once driven by the Andretti family.
Finally, in Endurance Racing Legends 1, David and Olivier Hart easily dominated with their Pescarolo C60 on Saturday, before letting Mike Newton and his MG EX264 take center stage on Sunday.
Erwin France (Ferrari 458 Italia GTD) and the duo of James Thorpe and Phil Quaife (Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2) shared the honors at the end of the first ERL2 race, before the Ferrari F430 GTCs put on a show early Sunday evening, with Philip Kadoorie holding off a last-minute charge by Olivier Hart.
The drivers and their cars will now head to the second round of the season at Spa Classic,
from May 22 to 24 on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
