Starting from pole position, the #18 IDEC SPORT finished fourth in the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the fourth round of the 2026 European Le Mans Series. The #28 crossed the line in tenth place after a race marked by numerous Safety Car periods. A look back at four hours in which pace, strategy and adaptability were put to the test.
Five Safety Cars in an hour and a half.
That figure alone almost sums up the opening part of Sunday’s 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps for IDEC SPORT.
After an already strong weekend — fastest in Free Practice 1 with the #18, victory in the Pit Stop Challenge, an outright record in the same challenge for the #28 crew, and pole position secured by Valerio Rinicella — the two IDEC SPORT LMP2 cars headed into the fourth round of the 2026 European Le Mans Series with plenty of reasons to be confident.
But in endurance racing, having the pace never means the outcome is written in advance.
A strong start from pole for the #18
At 1:00 pm, Jamie Chadwick started from pole position at the wheel of the #18, with Laurents Hörr and Valerio Rinicella waiting to take over later in the race.
Further down the grid, Paul Lafargue started from eleventh in the #28, which he shared with Paul-Loup Chatin and Job Van Uitert.
Jamie Chadwick made an excellent getaway, negotiated the opening corners perfectly and retained the lead.
But the rhythm of the race quickly changed.
A succession of incidents brought out the Safety Car repeatedly. During the first hour and a half alone, the Safety Car was deployed five times.
For the drivers, the challenge was no longer simply about going fast.
They had to wait. Restart. Bring the tyres back up to temperature. Immediately rediscover their rhythm. And sometimes do it all over again just a few minutes later.
“There were a huge number of Safety Cars; it was pretty crazy. When you’re fighting at the front, it’s difficult to be aggressive with strategy decisions and take risks. In the end, the Safety Cars hurt us, but there are a lot of positives to take away.” Jamie Chadwick – #18 IDEC SPORT
“We had quite a few Safety Cars during my stint. It was quite an unusual race in those conditions. We’re also looking at what we could have done differently.”
Paul Lafargue – #28 IDEC SPORT
What does a Safety Car change in an endurance race?
It is one of the aspects that can sometimes be difficult to appreciate when watching a race.
A Safety Car does more than simply slow the cars down.
It can completely change the gaps and the strategies.
A neutralisation can create an opportunity to make a pit stop while losing less time compared with rivals. Conversely, if it happens a few moments too early or too late, it can compromise a planned strategy.
And when Safety Car periods follow one another as they did at Spa, teams have to constantly recalculate their options.
That was the situation for much of the 4 Hours of Spa.
Barely in the car before another Safety Car
At the end of Jamie Chadwick and Paul Lafargue’s driving time, Laurents Hörr took over the #18 while Paul-Loup Chatin climbed into the #28.
The two drivers barely had time to settle into their stints before another Safety Car was deployed.
For the #28, which had started from eleventh, the various neutralisations created opportunities to move further up the order.
“With the succession of Safety Cars, there were strategic opportunities, particularly the possibility of making an almost free pit stop. That could have put us around fifth or sixth position. I had a good car, but some of the circumstances of the race didn’t go our way. I think we had the potential to finish in the top five today.”
Paul-Loup Chatin – #28 IDEC SPORT
Meanwhile, the #18 remained firmly in contention at the front.
The #18 stays in the podium fight
After Jamie Chadwick’s opening stint, Laurents Hörr kept the #18 among the leading group before handing over to Valerio Rinicella.
In an extremely competitive LMP2 field, a few tenths per lap, a pit stop or a strategic decision can be enough to change the order.
“The race was full of ups and downs. We were lacking a little bit of pace — not much, but enough to prevent us from getting more out of it. We’ve been very close many times this season.”
Laurents Hörr – #18 IDEC SPORT
Having secured pole position on Saturday, Valerio Rinicella was entrusted with the final stint. The Italian ultimately brought the #18 home in fourth position.
The result brought further points for Jamie Chadwick, Laurents Hörr and Valerio Rinicella, while confirming the level of performance the car had shown throughout the weekend.
“We showed all weekend that we have a fast car. Now we need to understand what we were missing, particularly over the long runs, so that we can keep improving. We scored points and we need to keep moving in this direction.”
Valerio Rinicella – #18 IDEC SPORT
The #28 finishes tenth in the 4 Hours of Spa
For the #28, the race unfolded differently.
After Paul Lafargue and Paul-Loup Chatin, Job Van Uitert completed the final stint.
Starting from eleventh, the crew fought for four hours to move up the order. The various strategic windows created by the Safety Car periods ultimately did not allow the car to fulfil the potential the team had hoped for.
The #28 crossed the line in tenth position.
“It’s not the result we were hoping for. It’s never easy starting from where we did and having to fight your way back through the field. We didn’t make any mistakes and neither did the team, which is something we can be proud of. We need to keep that momentum going.” Job Van Uitert – #28 IDEC SPORT
Plenty of pace, but still a few details to put together
Fourth and tenth: the final classification was, of course, Sunday’s verdict.
But Spa also provided IDEC SPORT with several important confirmations.
The #18 was fastest in Free Practice 1. Valerio Rinicella secured pole position. The mechanics won the Pit Stop Challenge with the #18, while the #28 crew set the outright record for the challenge in 13.620 seconds.
Those performances demonstrated the potential within the team, but also the level of execution required to convert that speed into results over four hours of racing.
“We would obviously have liked to leave Spa with more because the performance was there. We showed a lot of positive things, both in the garage and on track, but there are still a few details we need to work on to turn that performance into results. There is no margin for error in LMP2: you have to put everything together. We leave with points, lessons learned and the desire to do better. We know we have the speed; now it’s up to us to deliver at Silverstone.”
Nicolas Minassian – IDEC SPORT Team Principal
Next stop: Silverstone
With Spa now behind them, IDEC SPORT will analyse the data and lessons from the Belgian weekend before turning its attention to the next round of the European Le Mans Series.
The next event will have a particular significance, as the team already knows the venue: Silverstone, where testing earlier this season had shown encouraging potential.
The fifth and penultimate round of the 2026 European Le Mans Series will take place from 11 to 13 September.
Another opportunity to turn speed into results.
