2009 Formula Le Mans Cup

The 2009 Formula Le Mans Cup season was the only season of the Formula Le Mans Cup, a support series for the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. All competitors utilized the Oreca FLM09 spec prototype. The season featured ten races held over six events from 10 May to 20 September 2009. Nico Verdonck claimed the title ahead of Gavin Cronje, despite the drivers sharing a car all season. Verdonck benefitted from points awarded for pole positions and fastest laps, giving him a four-point advantage of Cronje. Their team, DAMS, also won the teams championship.

Race calendar and results

The Formula Le Mans Cup schedule consisted of several types of events. Four events, held in support for the Le Mans Series, featured two races of 60 minutes each. A fifth event at the 24 Hours of Le Mans utilized only a single 60 minute race. The final event of the season at Magny-Cours featured three 60 minute races in succession with a winner determined only at the end of the third race.

Round Circuit Date Winning Drivers Winning Team
1 Belgium Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps May 9 Belgium Nico Verdonck
South Africa Gavin Cronje
France DAMS
2 May 10 Belgium Nico Verdonck
South Africa Gavin Cronje
France DAMS
3 France Circuit de la Sarthe June 13 Belgium Nico Verdonck
South Africa Gavin Cronje
France DAMS
4 Portugal Autódromo Internacional do Algarve July 31 France David Zollinger
France Damien Toulemonde
France Applewood-LD Autosport
5 August 1 Belgium Nico Verdonck
South Africa Gavin Cronje
France DAMS
6 Germany Nürburgring August 22 Belgium Nico Verdonck
South Africa Gavin Cronje
France DAMS
7 August 23 Belgium Nico Verdonck
South Africa Gavin Cronje
France DAMS
8 United Kingdom Silverstone Circuit September 11 Belgium Nico Verdonck
South Africa Gavin Cronje
France DAMS
9 September 13 Switzerland Mathias Beche
Finland Valle Mäkelä
Switzerland Hope Polevision Racing
10 France Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours September 20 Switzerland Mathias Beche
Finland Valle Mäkelä
Switzerland Hope Polevision Racing

Championship standings

Points are awarded to the top ten finishers in the order 20-15-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1.

Drivers' standings

An additional bonus point was available for individual drivers at each race; these could be earned by winning pole position or by setting the fastest lap of the race. A championship was also awarded to the best amateur driver over the season.

Pos Driver Team Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5 Rd 6 Rd 7 Rd 8 Rd 9 Rd 10 Total
1 Belgium Nico Verdonck France DAMS (21) 20 20 13 20 20 (21) 21 15 0 171
2 South Africa Gavin Cronje France DAMS 20 20 20 12 20 20 20 20 15 0 167
3 Switzerland Mathias Beche Switzerland Hope Polevision Racing 12 15 16 10 15 (16) 3 (16) (22) 21 146
4 Finland Valle Mäkelä Switzerland Hope Polevision Racing 12 15 15 10 15 15 3 15 20 20 140
5 France David Zollinger France Applewood-LD Autosport 2 13 0 (21) 12 6 15 12 10 15 106
6 France Damien Toulemonde France Applewood-LD Autosport 2 12 0 20 12 6 15 12 10 15 104
7 France Gary Chalandon Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 15 2 6 15 10 12 10 8 3 8 89
8 Switzerland Christophe Pillon Switzerland Hope Polevision Racing 8 8 12 4 6 8 12 3 6 20 87
9 France Dimitri Enjalbert Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 16 2 15 (11) 13 10 67
10 Switzerland Natacha Gachnang Switzerland Hope Polevision Racing 12 4 6 8 13 3 6 52
11= Italy Luca Moro France DAMS 4 0 0 2 8 4 8 6 4 12 48
11= Germany Wolfgang Kaufmann France DAMS 4 0 0 2 8 4 8 6 4 12 48
13 Austria Dominik Kraihamer Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 6 8 1 10 0 8 3 10 46
14 United Kingdom Lionel Robert Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 10 12 10 32
15 France Richard Mori France Ibañez Racing Service 0 3 3 0 3 6 2 2 6 25
16 United Kingdom Luke Hines Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 10 12 22
17= France Johan-Boris Scheier Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 1 1 0 8 2 8 20
17= France William Cavailhès France Ibañez Racing Service 4 3 0 3 6 2 2 20
19 France Philippe Haezebrouck France Applewood-LD Autosport 3 6 4 2 4 19
20 Norway Thor-Christian Ebbesvik Switzerland Hope Polevision Racing 8 8 16
21= France Jean-Michel Martin Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 10 4 14
21= France Maxime Martin Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 10 4 14
23= France Michaël Rossi France Exagon Engineering 3 10 13
23= Morocco Mehdi Bennani France Exagon Engineering 3 10 13
23= Monaco Marc Faggionato France Applewood-LD Autosport 3 6 4 13
26= France Damien Charveriat France DAMS 4 8 12
26= United Kingdom Charles Hollings France DAMS 4 8 12
26= Belgium Stéphane Lemeret France DAMS 6 6 12
26= Belgium Vincent Vosse France DAMS 6 6 12
30 France Fabien Rosier France DAMS (11) 11
31= France Vincent Capillaire France DAMS 10 10
31= France Mathieu Cheruy Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 10 0 10
33 France François Desprez France Ibañez Racing Service 0 3 6 9
34= France Julien Canal France Graff Racing 8 8
34= France Ludovic Badey France Graff Racing 8 8
36= France José Ibañez France Ibañez Racing Service 6 6
36= Sweden Linus Ohlsson France Applewood-LD Autosport 2 4 6
38 France Thomas Duchene France Exagon Engineering 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 5
39= France Frédéric da Rocha France Ibañez Racing Service 4 4
39= Belgium Tom Cloet France Applewood-LD Autosport 4 4
39= France Jean-Philippe Belloc France Applewood-LD Autosport 4 4
39= France Raymond Narac France Applewood-LD Autosport 4 4
43= Greece Kosta Kanaroglou Spain Escuela Española de Pilotos 0 3 3
43= Spain Oliver Campos-Hull Spain Escuela Española de Pilotos 0 3 3
43= France Damien Chanard Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 1 2 3
46= France Anthony Beltoise Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 2 2
46= France Gabriël Abergel Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 2 2
46= France Pascal Ballay Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 1 1 0 2
49= France Franck Lagorce France Exagon Engineering 0 (1) 1
49= Japan Keiko Ihara France Exagon Engineering 1 1
Key
  Rookie
Bold Pole position
(Brackets) Fastest Lap

Teams' standings

Pos Team Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5 Rd 6 Rd 7 Rd 8 Rd 9 Rd 10 Total
1 France DAMS 26 26 30 14 28 24 28 26 23 12 237
2 Switzerland Hope Polevision Racing 20 23 27 14 21 23 15 18 26 21 208
3 Belgium Boutsen Energy Racing 25 6 8 23 12 22 10 18 15 19 158
4 France Applewood-LD Autosport 2 12 3 26 16 8 19 12 10 19 127
5 France Ibañez Racing Service 0 3 4 3 0 3 6 2 2 6 29
6 France Exagon Engineering 3 10 1 14
7 France Graff Racing 8 8
8 Spain Escuela Española de Pilotos 0 3 3

References