Léna Bühler climbs through the field in strong opening stint, secures eighth in Silverstone
Léna Bühler returned to the Michelin Le Mans Cup points at Silverstone with an eighth-place finish in LMP3, recovering from a challenging qualifying session and further misfortune during a race affected by changing weather, climbing from 11th to sixth in a particularly strong opening stint for the Swiss racer.
Léna Bühler and Zack Scoular returned to the Michelin Le Mans Cup points at Silverstone with an eighth-place finish in LMP3, recovering from a challenging qualifying session and further misfortune during a race affected by changing weather.
The #86 R-Ace GP Duqueine had shown promising pace from the opening sessions, and Bühler produced a particularly strong first stint, climbing from 11th to sixth before handing the car over to Scoular with one hour remaining. The team then faced an issue that forced a power cycle, followed by a difficult sequence of tyre changes as rain arrived, but a late switch back to slicks allowed him to recover and secure eighth at the chequered flag. The result marked the duo’s return to the points after their podium at Barcelona.
The Silverstone weekend had begun with Bühler and Scoular looking to recover momentum after a frustrating fourth round at Spa-Francorchamps, where repeated safety-car periods and a series of misfortunes left them 14th in LMP3 despite strong underlying pace. The Swiss driver had already proven her speed in LMP3 since making the transition from single-seaters in 2025, and then opened her second prototype season with a podium at Barcelona before another outstanding opening stint at Le Castellet put the #86 car into victory contention, only for a late rear-wing failure to end the challenge. Their Road to Le Mans weekend had subsequently been compromised by a wheel failure in qualifying, while Spa produced another frustrating result, making Silverstone another opportunity to finally convert the pace of the R-Ace GP Duqueine into a strong points finish.
The duo showed their potential immediately in the opening practice session, with Scoular setting a 1:55.327 and Bühler a 1:55.710 to put the #86 fifth-fastest in LMP3. Once again, the pair demonstrated one of the strengths that has characterised their campaign, with their lap times closely matched.
They were 14th in class in the second practice session as preparations turned towards qualifying, with Scoular nominated to qualify the car for the LMP3 Pro class.
Scoular initially set a 2:02.9 before improving to eighth-fastest after his first representative run, only for subsequent laps to be deleted for track limits. With just three minutes remaining, the R-Ace GP driver needed a clean final sequence and responded under pressure, setting a 1:55.392 to move into 13th before improving again to 1:55.115 while remaining in the same position.
With one final opportunity available, Scoular made another improvement, gaining time in the first sector and finally breaking through the 1:55 barrier with a 1:54.963. The lap moved him to 11th in LMP3 and secured the #86 car a sixth-row starting position.
A post-qualifying penalty for the #50 LMP3 entry subsequently promoted Bühler to 10th for the start, as the Swiss driver took over driving duties for the opening stint.
Bühler immediately found herself in the middle of the action when the race got underway, with several incidents unfolding around her through the opening corners. Keeping her composure while cars around her ran wide, she slotted into 11th and avoided the trouble, with the race remaining green despite the chaos in the midfield.
A Full Course Yellow was deployed on the second lap for debris, but racing resumed around 10 minutes into the race, with Bühler immediately gaining a position to move into 10th. She soon followed Jacoby and began applying pressure, only for another incident to create another opportunity.
Lopez, running eighth, spun ahead of Bühler, forcing the Swiss driver to take evasive action at speed while avoiding the stationary car. She negotiated the incident cleanly and emerged in ninth, continuing her charge through the opening stint.
Bühler was soon circulating in the 1:58s and remained attached to Jacoby, eventually making her move on lap six and completing the pass for eighth. Her confidence and pace continued to grow, and she quickly turned her attention towards Isaac Barashi.
The R-Ace GP driver passed Barashi and immediately found herself battling Kristensen; once again she was able to complete the move, climbing to seventh. It was an impressive recovery from her original starting position, particularly considering the amount of action she had already had to navigate.
Once clear, Bühler was able to settle into her own rhythm and begin extending the gap behind. She dropped into the 1:57.0s and quickly opened a three-second advantage over her pursuers. By lap 12, the margin had grown beyond five seconds as she continued to push consistently and maintain her pace.
Her excellent stint was interrupted on lap 14 when the AF Corse Ferrari of Rey Acosta stopped at Turn 6, triggering another Safety Car. Bühler was seventh overall at the time, but the neutralisation erased much of the advantage she had worked to establish.
Racing resumed around 40 minutes into the event with one hour and 18 minutes remaining, and Bühler was immediately placed under pressure from Jacoby. With further incidents developing through the midfield, she kept the car clean and continued to defend effectively, setting a 1:57.030 in the process.
The pressure then eased when Jacoby received a drive-through penalty for causing a collision, allowing Bühler to concentrate on maintaining her pace. She gained another position when Pitamber came into the pits and moved into sixth as the race approached the main pit-stop window.
Rather than stopping immediately, R-Ace GP kept Bühler on track and extended her stint, allowing her to bring the #86 Duqueine into pit lane from sixth place. It was a superb opening stint from the Swiss driver, who had taken the car from 11th to sixth and put her team into contention for another strong result.
With one hour remaining, Scoular took over the car as light drops of rain began to appear around the circuit. The timing of the pit stops quickly became critical, with conditions deteriorating rapidly and cars beginning to struggle for grip.
The #49 High Class Racing Ligier went off at Turn 13 amid the changing conditions, but Scoular soon faced trouble of his own. On lap 27, the #86 stopped on track and required a power cycle before it could restart, costing approximately 30 seconds and dropping the R-Ace GP entry all the way to 17th in class.
The situation became increasingly chaotic across the field, with multiple cars spinning as the rain intensified. Some teams committed to wet tyres, while others stayed on slicks and gambled that the conditions would improve.
Scoular was forced to pit again, this time switching to wets as the rain worsened and another Safety Car was deployed. The sequence of stops shuffled the classification significantly, with the #86 recovering to 14th in LMP3 under the neutralisation, although several cars had also lost time after needing multiple pit visits.
As the rain began to ease and the prospect of a restart emerged, R-Ace GP made another strategic gamble. Scoular came into the pits for a third time, this time switching back to slick tyres in anticipation of a drying track. The decision initially dropped him to 19th in class and 32nd overall, but other competitors soon began following the same strategy as the crossover point approached.
When the Safety Car returned to the pits, Scoular was back up to 14th in LMP3, although the leading four cars had managed to lap the field during the chaotic conditions, meaning the #86 was effectively one lap behind the class leaders.
With 25 minutes remaining, racing resumed on a circuit featuring a mixture of slick and wet tyres, producing another unpredictable restart. Scoular initially struggled for grip on the slicks, but the gamble quickly began to pay off as the track continued to dry.
He gained one position to move into 13th and was soon circulating in the 2:06s before improving into the 2:03s as the crossover conditions developed. More and more rivals were forced back into the pits for slicks, allowing Scoular to climb steadily through the order.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, the advantage had shifted decisively towards the slick-shod cars, while those who had stayed on wets were increasingly struggling for grip. Scoular took another position to move into 10th and immediately began closing on Rabin in the #87 CLX Motorsport car, which was still running wet tyres.
The R-Ace GP driver became the first competitor to break below the two-minute barrier in the closing phase, setting his best lap of the sequence on lap 47 and rapidly closing the gap to Rabin. He completed the pass for ninth and immediately set his sights on David Droux in the #97 CLX Motorsport car.
Scoular again made the difference with his pace, closing onto Droux and completing another overtake to move into eighth place. Ahead, the top four cars were still a lap clear and running on wets, but among the cars on the same lap Scoular had now fought his way back into the top eight.
He maintained the position through the closing laps to take the chequered flag eighth in LMP3, completing a remarkable recovery after the problem and the sequence of tyre changes.
For the #86 R-Ace GP crew, the result represented a valuable return to the points after the Barcelona podium. Although the weekend once again contained its share of setbacks, Bühler’s opening stint was a major highlight, with the Swiss driver recovering five positions and handing the car over from sixth place after a controlled and consistently fast drive.
Scoular’s second stint was more challenging, but his late-race pace and the team’s decision to gamble back onto slick tyres ultimately paid dividends, allowing the pair to salvage eighth place from a difficult situation.
The Michelin Le Mans Cup season will now conclude in Portugal, with the Portimão Algarve circuit hosting the season finale on October 9-10. Bühler and Scoular will look to end the campaign on another positive note.
