24h Le Mans
For only the second time since 2010, the Le Mans 24 Hours winning crew did not include a Frenchman. However, there is still plenty of homegrown talent currently blooming in the endurance field. This season saw Julien Canal become world champion, while Léo Roussel was a winner of the European Le Mans Series and Thomas Laurent was the undisputed rookie of the year.
Julien Canal and Léo Roussel: champions
Julien Canal made a triumphant return to the WEC, adding a second LMP2 drivers’ trophy to his list of wins. Le Mans native Canal earned his first title in 2015 with G-Drive Racing and truly achieved his potential with Vaillante Rebellion this season, alongside Bruno Senna and Nicolas Prost. The crew won four of the last five rounds and Canal’s superb qualifying time earned them LMP2 pole position at the 6 Hours of Shanghai. Canal can boast three successive victories in GT at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2010-2012) and two WEC titles in LMP2 in 2015 and 2017. What more could he wish for? A trophy at Le Mans no doubt!
In 2014 and 2015 Léo Roussel (born on 31 August 1995) made Le Mans 24 Hours history by becoming the youngest French driver ever to take part. In 2017, he was offered one of the most highly prized seats in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), with G-Drive Racing, winners of the WEC LMP2 title in 2015 and the ELMS in 2016. Top-five finishers from beginning to end, Roussel and his Mexican teammate Memo Rojas, displayed the consistency it takes to win a six-round series. At 22, Roussel is only just beginning!
Thomas Laurent, the young marvel
Second overall at the at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, having led the race for almost two hours on the Sunday, Thomas Laurent made a name for himself overnight. With three wins in LMP2 in the WEC and four in the Asian Le Mans Series to his name, Laurent already has an enviable performance record. His rise to the top is the perfect demonstration of how the endurance tier system can work wonders. Winning Road to Le Mans (LMP3) in 2016 earned Laurent his ticket to Le Mans in LMP2 in 2017. As a new member of the Rebellion Racing LMP1 team for 2018, Laurent will be one to watch at the next edition of the French 24-hour marathon. Is the podium within his reach? Or even the top step?
Photo: Two years after winning with G-Drive Racing (Ligier), Julien Canal wins a second world championship with Vaillante Rebellion’s #31 Oreca (LMP2).
