Having flattered to deceive in the opening two rounds of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign, Akkodis ASP Team headed to the 24 Hours of Le Mans aiming to convert its palpable potential into a solid result. It did that and then some...
The Jérôme Policand-helmed outfit displayed podium-challenging pace with its pair of Lexus RC F LMGT3 entries at Imola and Spa-Francorchamps, only for a variety of reliability issues to leave the squad with a solitary sixth position to show for its efforts.
Right from the word ‘go’ at La Sarthe, Akkodis was firmly in the mix once again, with ‘super-sub’ Jack Hawksworth topping the timesheets in FP1 behind the wheel of the #78 car and both Lexuses – in their striking one-off liveries for the prestigious event – placing inside the top five in FP3.
After Bronze-graded drivers Petru Umbrărescu and Tom van Rompuy advanced safely through the opening phase of qualifying, Hadrien David and Clemens Schmid similarly did the business in Hyperpole 1, to secure Hawksworth and José María López a shot in the Hyperpole 2 top ten showdown.
The Argentine and Brit duly made the most of their opportunity to lock out the second row of the grid in the #87 and #78 RC Fs, despite the US-domiciled Yorkshireman losing a lap in relation to his rivals due to the door on his car stubbornly refusing to shut at the start of the session.
Schmid and Hawksworth each gained a spot at the beginning of the race, with the latter assuming the lead once the first flurry of pit-stops had played out. Van Rompuy subsequently continued that good work as Umbrărescu took over in the #87 and made it a Lexus one-two.
The Japanese cars would remain up at the sharp end throughout the twice-round-the-clock contest – the undisputed flagship event of the FIA WEC season – but found themselves shuffled back slightly during the night, as the #33 TF Sport Corvette seized control.
Having fallen to fourth, Hawksworth got the better of a prolonged duel with Zacharie Robichon in Heart of Racing Team’s pole-winning #27 Aston Martin, prior to overhauling Jonny Adam in the sister Vantage for second. Over the last hour, the 35-year-old endeavoured to chase down Jonny Edgar in the lead, reducing the gap to as little as 13 seconds before ultimately having to settle for the runner-up spoils.
“What a week!” enthused Hawksworth, who has impressed as a ‘stand-in’ for Akkodis in each of the most recent three editions of Le Mans. “The team put in an incredible effort, prepared two amazing race cars and then executed perfectly for 24 hours, and it was a tonne of fun to drive with Hadrien and Tom, who produced an amazing performance throughout. It was so cool to stand on the podium after such a special race.”
“It was already the realisation of a childhood dream just to compete at Le Mans,” added 22-year-old Frenchman David, who was making his maiden appearance in the event after similarly finishing second at the Circuit de la Sarthe in the ‘Road to Le Mans’ as part of the Michelin Le Mans Cup 12 months earlier.
“This is the culmination of years of hard work. The fight for the win went right the way down to the final laps, and we can take a lot of satisfaction and pride in what we have achieved. We have the oldest LMGT3 car in the paddock and we succeeded in finishing second in the biggest race in the world. It’s extraordinary!”
Underscoring their raw speed, David and Hawksworth posted the fastest two laps in the production-based class – separated by just 74 thousandths-of-a-second around the 13.626km layout, and more than half-a-second quicker than anybody else was able to muster – while for van Rompuy, the outcome represented a third podium finish at Le Mans in four attempts.
“It was an unforgettable result after 24 hours of pushing to the limit,” the Belgian mused. “Huge thanks to the team and everyone who made it possible. I’m incredibly proud of this effort and of every single person involved. What a race!”
The #87 Lexus conceded ground due to a drive-through penalty for contact on Sunday morning, but a dogged fightback from all three drivers and a stellar final stint by López saw the two-time world champion take the chequered flag fourth, a mere 1.735 seconds shy of the bottom step of the rostrum.
“Missing the podium by such a small margin after 24 hours of intense racing hurts, of course, but looking back at what we achieved together, I can only be proud,” reflected Schmid. “A huge ‘thank you’ to the entire Akkodis ASP Team, my team-mates and everyone behind-the-scenes who worked tirelessly throughout the week. The effort, commitment and teamwork were simply incredible.
“Le Mans is always special, and this year was no exception. We gave it everything we had and we’ll come back stronger.”
Next up on the FIA WEC calendar is the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo on 10-12 July – a race that holds happy memories for Akkodis, as the scene of its breakthrough victory with the Lexus RC F last year…
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