2004 Le Mans Endurance Series Explained

The 2004 Le Mans Endurance Series was the inaugural season of ACO's Le Mans Endurance Series. It is a series for Le Mans prototype and Grand Touring style cars broken into 4 classes: LMP1, LMP2, GTS, and GT. It began on 9 May 2004 and ended on 13 November 2004 after 4 rounds.

This season was preceded by the 1000km of Le Mans held in 2003 as a development race for the creation of the LMES.

Schedule

Rnd	Race	Circuit	Date
-	LMES Official Test	Paul Ricard HTTT	10 April 11 April
1	1000km of Monza	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza	9 May
2	1000km of Nürburgring	Nürburgring	3 July^[1] ^[2]
3	1000km of Silverstone	Silverstone Circuit	13 August
4	1000km of Spa	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps	12 September
Sources:^[3] ^[4]

Entry list

Entry List
Entrant/Team	Car	Engine	Tyre	No	Drivers	Rounds
LMP1
Creation Autosportif	DBA 03S	Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8		3	Nicolas Minassian	All
					Jamie Campbell-Walter
Taurus Sports	Lola B2K/10	Judd GV4 4.0L V10		4	Christian Vann	1
					Benjamin Leuenberger
					Alex Müller
		Caterpillar 5.0L Turbo V10 (Diesel)		10	Calum Lockie	1, 3
					Phil Andrews
					Richard Jones	3
Team Goh	Audi R8	Audi 3.6L Turbo V8		5	Rinaldo Capello	All
					Seiji Ara
					Tom Kristensen	1
Rollcentre Racing	Dallara SP1	Judd GV4 4.0L V10		6	Martin Short	All
					João Barbosa
					Rob Barff	1
					Patrick Pearce	2–4
RML	MG-Lola EX257	MG (AER) XP20 2.0L Turbo I4		7	Mike Newton	All
					Thomas Erdos
					Miguel Ramos
Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx	Audi R8	Audi 3.6L Turbo V8		8	Allan McNish	All
					Pierre Kaffer
				88	Johnny Herbert
					Jamie Davies
Advan Kondo Racing	Dome S101	Mugen MF408S 4.0L V8		9	Hiroki Katoh	1
					Ryo Michigami
Larbre Compétition	Panoz GTP	Ford Élan 6L8 6.0L V8		11	Olivier Dupard	4
					Sébastien Dumez
					Jean-Luc Blanchemain
Team Nasamax	Nasamax (Reynard) DM139	Judd GV5 5.0L V10 (Bio-ethanol)		14	Robbie Stirling	1, 3–4
					Werner Lupberger
					Romain Dumas	3–4
Pescarolo Sport	Pescarolo C60	Judd GV5 5.0L V10		17	Soheil Ayari	1–2, 4
					Emmanuel Collard	1
					Éric Hélary	2
					Jean-Marc Gounon	4
Lister Cars Lister Racing	Lister Storm LMP	Chevrolet LS1 6.0L V8		20	Justin Keen	2–4
					John Nielsen	2
					Rob Barff	3
					Marc Goossens	4
Zytek Engineering	Zytek 04S	Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8		22	Andy Wallace	1
					David Brabham
					Stefan Johansson
					Robbie Kerr	3
					Chris Dyson
Spinnaker Clandesteam	Dallara SP1	Judd GV4 4.0L V10		24	Rocky Agusta	1
					Felipe Ortiz
					Beppe Gabbiani
Team Jota	Zytek 04S	Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8		69	John Stack	All
					Sam Hignett
					Gianni Collini
LMP2
Courage Compétition	Courage C65	MG (AER) XP20 2.0L Turbo I4		13	Alexander Frei	2–4
					Sam Hancock
					Jean-Marc Gounon	2–3
					Jonathan Cochet	4
Paul Belmondo Racing	Courage C65	MG (AER) XP20 2.0L Turbo I4		26	Paul Belmondo	All
					Claude-Yves Gosselin
					Marco Saviozzi	1–3
					Wim Eyckmans	4
Tracsport	Lola B2K/40	Nissan (AER) VQL 3.0L V6		27	John Ingram	2–4
					John Gaw
					Rick Pearson
Team Ranieri Randaccio	Tampolli RTA99	Ford Nicholson-McLaren 3.3L V8		28	Ranieri Randaccio	1–3
					Leonardo Maddalena	1–2
					Fabio Mancini	3
Équipe Palmyr	Lucchini SR2000	Alfa Romeo 3.0L V6		31	Christophe Ricard	2–4
					Philippe Favre
					Grégory Fargier
Intersport Racing	Lola B2K/40	Judd KV675 3.4L V8		32	Clint Field	1
					Jon Field
					William Binnie
Lucchini Engineering	Lucchini LMP2/04	Judd XV675 3.4L V8			Piergiuseppe Peroni	4
					Mirko Savoldi
					Filippo Francioni
Renauer Motorsport	Tampolli RTA99	Alfa Romeo 3.0L V6		33	Manfred Jurasz	2
					Hannes Gsell
					Petr Válek
K2 Race Engineering	Pilbeam MP91	Judd KV675 3.4L V8	?	34	Simon Pullan	3
					Peter Owen
					Ben Devlin
G-Force Racing	Pilbeam MP84	Nissan (AER) VQL 3.0L V6		35	Franck Hahn	2–4
					Jean-François Leroch	2–3
					Philippe Haezebrouck	2, 4
					Tim Greaves	3
					Sylvie Delcour	4
Gerard Welter Welter Racing	WR LMP2	Peugeot 3.4L V6		36	Jean-René de Fournoux	2–4
					Jean-Bernard Bouvet
					Sylvain Boulay	4
Pierre Bruneau PiR Compétition	Pilbeam MP91	JPX (Mader) 3.4L V6		99	Pierre Bruneau	All
					Marc Rostan
GTS
A-Level Engineering	Porsche 911 Bi-Turbo	Porsche 3.6L Turbo Flat-6		50	Wolfgang Kaufmann	2–3
					Eric van de Poele
MAC Racing Scuderia Veregra	Chrysler Viper GTS-R	Chrysler 8.0L V10		51	Maurizio Strada	1–2
					Massimo Morini
					"Base Up"
Graham Nash Motorsport	Saleen S7-R	Ford 6.9L V8		52	Gian Maria Gabbiani	1–2
					Ettore Bonaldi	1
					Michel Orts
					Phillip Bennett	2–4
					David Leslie	3–4
					Paul Whight
Konrad Motorsport Vitaphone Racing	Saleen S7-R	Ford 6.9L V8		53	Klaus Abbelen	2
					Maciej Stanco
					Paul Knapfield
				59	Uwe Alzen	All
					Michael Bartels
					Franz Konrad
Force One Racing	Chrysler Viper GTS-R	Chrysler 8.0L V10		60	David Hallyday	1–2
					Bruno Besson
					Anthony Kumpen	2
Barron Connor Racing	Ferrari 575-GTC Maranello	Ferrari 6.0L V12		61	Thomas Biagi	All
					Danny Sullivan
					John Bosch
				62	Mike Hezemans	All
					Jean-Denis Délétraz
					Ange Barde	1
					Andrea Piccini	3
Larbre Compétition	Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello	Ferrari 5.9L V12		86	Christophe Bouchut	All
					Pedro Lamy
					Steve Zacchia
				87	Tomáš Enge	4
					Robert Pergl
					Patrice Goueslard
GT
RSR Racing	TVR Tuscan T400R	TVR Speed 6 4.0L I6		40	Michael Caine	4
					Nigel Greensall
					Jonathan Coleman
				41	Jonny Kane
					Warren Hughes
					Lawrence Tomlinson
				74		3
					Nigel Greensall
JMB Racing	Ferrari 360 Modena GTC	Ferrari 3.6L V8		70	Roman Rusinov	All
					Stéphane Daoudi	1–3
					Jaime Melo	1, 4
					Bert Longin	4
JWR Mike Jordan JWR	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		71	Mike Jordan	2–3
					Robin Liddell	2
					Johnny Mowlem	3
Autorlando Sport	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		75	Liz Halliday	4
					Piers Masarati
				76	Franco Groppi	1
					Giampaolo Tenchini
					Joël Camathias
					Jim Michaelian	4
					Mauro Casadei
					François Labhardt
Choro-Q Racing Team	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		77	Haruki Kurosawa	All
					Kazuyuki Nishizawa
					Manabu Orido	1–2
Thierry Perrier Perspective Racing	Porsche 911 GT3-R	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		79	Ian Khan	1–2, 4
					Nigel Smith	1
					Peter Kox
					Michel Heydens	2, 4
					Tim Sugden	4
Sebah Automotive	Porsche 911 GT3-R	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		80	Piers Masarati	1, 3
					Bart Hayden	1
					Xavier Pompidou	2–3
					Marino Franchitti	2
					Marc Lieb	4
The Racer's Group	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		81	Patrick Long	1
					Lars-Erik Nielsen
					Thorkild Thyrring
Farnbacher Racing	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6				2–4
					Lars-Erik Nielsen
					Mike Rockenfeller	2
					Patrick Long	3–4
Denis Cohignac	Porsche 911 GT3-R	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		82	Sylvain Noël	1–2
					Denis Cohignac	1
					Daniel Desbrueres
					Thierry Stépec	2
					André-Alain Corbel
Seikel Motorsport	Porsche 911 GT3-RS	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		83	Luca Riccitelli	1
					Alex Caffi
					Gabrio Rosa
				84	Philip Collin	All
					Tony Burgess	1, 3–4
					Gaël Lesoudier	2–3
					Arno Klasen	2
					Graeme Mundy	4
Freisinger Motorsport	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		85	Stéphane Ortelli	All
					Romain Dumas	1
					Emmanuel Collard	2–4
					Alexey Vasilyev	2
Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport	TVR Tuscan T400R	TVR Speed 6 4.0L I6		89	Christopher Stockton	1
					Bob Berridge
					Michael Caine
					Jonny Kane	3
					Warren Hughes
T2M Motorsport	Porsche 911 GT3-RS	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		90	Vanina Ickx	1–2, 4
					Wolfgang Kaufmann	1
					Keiko Ihara
					Thierry Rabineau	2, 4
					Paul Daniels	2
					Robin Liddell	3
					Gilles Vannelet
					Yukihiro Hane
					Christophe Tinseau	4
Racesport Salisbury	TVR Tuscan T400R	TVR Speed 6 4.0L I6		91	John Hartshorne	All
					Richard Stanton	1–3
					Graeme Mundy
					Steve Hyde	4
					Adam Sharpe
Cirtek Motorsport	Ferrari 360 Modena GTC	Ferrari 3.6L V8		92	Rob Wilson	All
					Frank Mountain	1–3
					Hans Hugenholtz	1
					Karim Ojjeh	2
					Rory Passey	3
					Andrew Kirkaldy	4
					Maurizio Fabris
	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		93	Adam Jones	All
					Sascha Maassen
IN2 Racing	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6		96	Juan Barazi	4
					Michael Vergers
					Nick Dudfield
Auto Palace	Ferrari 360 Modena GTC	Ferrari 3.6L V8		97	Steeve Hiesse	1–3
					Giovanni Lavaggi
					Giampaolo Ermolli	1

Season results

Overall winner in bold.

Rnd	Circuit	LMP1 Winning Team	LMP2 Winning Team	GTS Winning Team	GT Winning Team	Results
		LMP1 Winning Drivers	LMP2 Winning Drivers	GTS Winning Drivers	GT Winning Drivers
1	Monza	#88 Audi Sport UK Veloqx	#99 PiR Compétition	#86 Larbre Compétition	#85 Freisinger Motorsport	Results
		Johnny Herbert Jamie Davies	Marc Rostan Pierre Bruneau	Christophe Bouchut Pedro Lamy Steve Zacchia	Stéphane Ortelli Romain Dumas
2	Nürburgring	#8 Audi Sport UK Veloqx	#13 Courage Compétition	#86 Larbre Compétition	#93 Cirtek Motorsport	Results
		Allan McNish Pierre Kaffer	Jean-Marc Gounon Alexander Frei Sam Hancock	Christophe Bouchut Pedro Lamy Steve Zacchia	Sascha Maassen Adam Jones
3	Silverstone	#8 Audi Sport UK Veloqx	#13 Courage Compétition	#86 Larbre Compétition	#70 JMB Racing	Results
		Allan McNish Pierre Kaffer	Jean-Marc Gounon Alexander Frei Sam Hancock	Christophe Bouchut Pedro Lamy Steve Zacchia	Stéphane Daoudi Roman Rusinov
4	Spa	#88 Audi Sport UK Veloqx	#13 Courage Compétition	#86 Larbre Compétition	#85 Freisinger Motorsport	Results
		Johnny Herbert Jamie Davies	Jonathan Cochet Alexander Frei Sam Hancock	Christophe Bouchut Pedro Lamy Steve Zacchia	Stéphane Ortelli Emmanuel Collard
Source:^[5]

Teams Championships

Points are awarded to the top 8 finishers in the order of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. Teams with multiple entries do not have their cars combined, each entry number is scored separately in the championship.^[6] Cars failing to complete 70% of the winner's distance are not awarded points.

LMP1 Standings

Pos	No	Team	Chassis	Engine	Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Total
1	88	Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx	Audi R8	Audi 3.6L Turbo V8	10	8	6	10	34
2	8	Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx	Audi R8	Audi 3.6L Turbo V8	8	10	10		28
3	5	Team Goh	Audi R8	Audi 3.6L Turbo V8	6	5	8	8	27
4	3	Creation Autosportif	DBA 03S	Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8		6		6	12
5	7	RML	MG-Lola EX257	MG (AER) XP20 2.0L Turbo I4	2	2	2	4	10
6=	17	Pescarolo Sport	Pescarolo C60	Judd GV5 5.0L V10	5	4			9
6=	69	Team Jota	Zytek 04S	Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8		1	3	5	9
8=	6	Rollcentre Racing	Dallara SP1	Judd GV4 4.0L V10	4	3	1		8
8=	22	Zytek Engineering	Zytek 04S	Zytek ZG348 3.4L V8	3		5		8
10	14	Team Nasamax	Nasamax DM139	Judd GV5 5.0L V10 (Bioethanol)	1		4		5
11	11	Larbre Compétition	Panoz GTP	Ford (Élan) 6L8 6.0L V8				3	3

LMP2 Standings

Pos	No	Team	Chassis	Engine	Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Total
1	13	Courage Compétition	Courage C65	MG (AER) XP20 2.0L Turbo I4		10	10	10	30
2	99	PiR Compétition	Pilbeam MP91	JPX 3.4L V6	10	8	5	3	26
3	27	Tracsport	Lola B2K/40	Nissan (AER) VQL 3.0L V6		6	4	5	15
4	36	Gerard Welter	WR LMP2	Peugeot 3.4L V6			8	6	14
5	26	Paul Belmondo Racing	Courage C65	MG (AER) XP20 2.0L Turbo I4				8	8
6	31	Equipe Palmyr	Lucchini SR2000	Alfa Romeo 3.0L V6			6		6
7	35	G-Force Racing	Pilbeam MP84	Nissan (AER) VQL 3.0L V6		5			5
8	32	Lucchini Engineering	Lucchini LMP2	Judd XV675 3.4L V8				4	4

GTS Standings

Pos	No	Team	Chassis	Engine	Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3^†	Rnd 4	Total
1	86	Larbre Compétition	Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello	Ferrari 5.9L V12	10	10	5	10	35
2	61	Barron Connor Racing	Ferrari 575-GTC Maranello	Ferrari 6.0L V12	8	5	2.5	5	20.5
3	62	Barron Connor Racing	Ferrari 575-GTC Maranello	Ferrari 6.0L V12		4	4	6	14
4	52	Graham Nash Motorsport	Saleen S7-R	Ford 7.0L V8		6	3	4	13
5=	59	Vitaphone Racing Konrad Motorsport	Saleen S7-R	Ford 7.0L V8		8			8
5=	87	Larbre Compétition	Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello	Ferrari 5.9L V12				8	8

† - Half points were awarded due to a lack of competitors.

GT Standings

Pos	No	Team	Chassis	Engine	Rnd 1	Rnd 2	Rnd 3	Rnd 4	Total
1	80	Sebah Automotive Ltd.	Porsche 911 GT3-R	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6	4	8	8	6	26
2	70	JMB Racing	Ferrari 360 Modena GTC	Ferrari 3.6L V8	8	3	10	4	25
3	85	Freisinger Motorsport	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6	10		4	10	24
4	93	Cirtek Motorsport	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6	3	10		8	21
5	77	Choro Q Racing Team	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6	6	6	1		13
6	84	Seikel Motorsport	Porsche 911 GT3-RS	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6	1	5	5	1	12
7	81	Farnbacher Racing	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6			6	5	11
8	81	The Racer's Group	Porsche 911 GT3-RSR	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6	5				5
9=	92	Cirtek Motorsport	Ferrari 360 Modena GTC	Ferrari 3.6L V8	2	2			4
9=	97	Auto Palace	Ferrari 360 Modena GTC	Ferrari 3.6L V8		4			4
11=	91	Racesport Salisbury	TVR Tuscan T400R	TVR 4.0L I6		1	2		3
11=	89	Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport	TVR Tuscan T400R	TVR 4.0L I6			3		3
11=	90	T2M Motorsport	Porsche 911 GT3-RS	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6				3	3
14	75	Autorlando Sport	Porsche 911 GT3-RS	Porsche 3.6L Flat-6				2	2

External links

• 2004 LMES season review

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2004 Eifelrennen . MotorSport Magazine Database . 31 December 2023.
2. Web site: Nürburgring 1000 Kilometres . Racing Sports Cars . 31 December 2023.
3. Web site: Final LMES Dates. DailySportsCar. 14 December 2003. 21 January 2024.
4. Web site: European Le Mans Series Calendar 2004. Motorsport Stats. 21 January 2024.
5. Web site: LeMans Endurance Series (LMES) - Season 2004: Results. Speedsport Magazine. 21 January 2024.
6. Web site: LeMans Endurance Series (LMES) - 2004: Point standings. Speedsport Magazine. 21 January 2024.