Caranta and Henrion test LMP2 cars at Portimão Rookie Test

Jules Caranta and Gillian Henrion made their LMP2 debuts at the combined European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup Rookie Test at Portimão, held after the Le Mans Cup season finale. The test took place in place of the usual FIA World Endurance Championship Rookie Test, which did not run in 2026 because the season finale moved from Bahrain to Monza.

Caranta, who won last year's Duqueine Academy, drove Nielsen Racing's #27 ORECA and completed 22 laps in the morning session. He described the car as very different from LMP3 in terms of braking, power and straight-line speed. He said help from Nielsen Racing's regular LMP2 drivers, with whom he had shared a garage all season, helped him adapt quickly.

Henrion, a two-time Michelin Le Mans Cup LMP3 Pro/Am Drivers' Champion, drove IDEC Sport's #28 ORECA after missing an outing the previous year. He said the car's speed and extra feel required greater focus. He is targeting an ELMS LMP3 campaign with Motorsport 98 next year, with LMP2 a longer-term goal.