Renault Sport and European Le Mans Series join forces

Renault Sport and European Le Mans Series announced their collaboration during next three racing seasons (2016-2018). Two organisations will join forces to offer the fans racing weekends with more races. Provisional calendar for 2016 contains five  events with European Le Mans Series and various Renault Sport racing series together. While they will share the bill at five meetings in 2016, each category will retain its identity and its specificities. Programme contains Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, which represents the single-seaters, Renault Sport Trophy with GTS cars and European Le Mans Series with four classes of Endurance prototypes and GT cars.

Formula Renault 2.0, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this year, is an essential cornerstone of Renault Sport strategy, and history proves that this racing series has produced champions – Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, Valtteri Bottas, Romain Grosjean, to name a few.

International Formula Renault 2.0 series will reinforce their cooperation. The Eurocup, Alps and NEC are working on complementary calendars to avoid date conflicts and allow drivers who have double programmes to accumulate the necessary points to validate their FIA super-license. The three categories will have a minimum of seven events organized at Europe’s finest circuits, like Pau for the Alps or Silverstone for the NEC. And for the first time in its long and rich history, the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 will be the curtain raiser for the Monaco F1 Grand Prix.

Jean-Pascal Dauce, Renault Sport Technologies Director of Motorsport said: “During a period of reconstruction for the feeder series’, we are thrilled to have concluded this agreement with the ELMS to organize our championships. After having collaborated by their side at several meetings the past two years, it was wise to take the plunge to offer varied events in as much for the spectators as for our competitors. This partnership will also offer a quality setting to the Formula Renault 2.0 and Renault Sport Trophy drivers in proposing race meetings at legendary circuits, including a number of F1 venues. A very good school for the young drivers who hope to reach motor racing’s most prestigious category.”

Gérard Neveu , European Le Mans Series CEO: “We are very happy to welcome the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Renault Sport Trophy which are joining us at the majority of the 2016 ELMS calendar and our thanks go to Renault Sport Technologies for their full support. The addition of these two high profile single seater and GT race series will enhance the popularity of the ELMS weekends. Formula Renault 2.0 has produced some great champions since the series began, including Porsche’s Brendon Hartley and Audi’s Filipe Albuquerque, both ELMS race winners.The new Renault Sport Trophy with the new RS01 is going to be an exciting new championship and will provide another route for drivers interested in GT racing. The combination of ELMS, Formula Renault and the Renault Sport Trophy will give the fans more reasons to join us for an exciting 2016 season.”

Here’s the provisional 2016 Calendar:
16/17 April 2016: Motorland Aragón (Renault Sport Trophy, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0)
14/15 May 2016: Imola (Renault Sport Trophy, ELMS)
29 May 2016: Monaco (Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0)
16/17 July 2016: Red Bull Ring (Renault Sport Trophy, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, ELMS)
27/28 August 2016: Circuit Paul Ricard (Renault Sport Trophy, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, ELMS)
24/25 September 2016: Spa-Francorchamps (Renault Sport Trophy, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, ELMS)
22/23 October 2016: Estoril (Renault Sport Trophy, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, ELMS)