Ahead of next weekend’s Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo (10-12 July) – round four of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign – the boss of Akkodis ASP Team looks back upon the French squad’s outstanding performance in last month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the #78 and #87 Lexus cars finished respectively second and fourth.
Before heading to Brazil, Jérôme Policand reflected upon the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the team he founded back in 1999. Headquartered in south-western France, Akkodis has fielded the Lexus RC F in the series’ LMGT3 category since 2024.
Its third season in the top-tier of global endurance racing got off to a rough start. During the 6 Hours of Imola curtain-raiser, both Lexuses were plagued by technical issues. The #87 was forced to retire within the first hour, while the sister #78 car trailed in dead last, 23 laps behind the class winner.
Bad luck struck again at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. This time, it was the pole-sitting #78 RC F that had to throw in the towel. Despite the #87 securing sixth place in Belgium, the French team’s chances of joining the chase for the coveted crown looked incredibly slim.
However, with double points on offer, the 24 Hours of Le Mans always has the potential to turn the title race on its head. “It was our final opportunity to bounce back – a crucial turning-point for us,” Policand told fiawec.com. “If we hadn’t achieved a good result, the championship wouldn’t have been entirely lost, but we would have used our last joker...”
Fortunately, Akkodis ASP Team had an ace up its sleeve – a car that feels particularly at home on the Circuit des 24 Heures and, generally, through the medium and high-speed sections of the championship’s tracks. “Even during our first season, when we were struggling, Le Mans was the circuit that suited us best,” the Frenchman explains. “The characteristics of the Lexus mean we struggle more in sinuous parts.”
Drawing upon his 13 appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver, Policand knows that a fast car is never enough for such a demanding race – one where, he reveals, preparation for the following edition begins the moment the chequered flag falls. From Test Day onward, Akkodis ASP Team showcased the potential of the Lexus. Session-by-session, the team built up its knowledge and fine-tuned its set-ups. This groundwork was initially rewarded with third and fourth on the starting grid following a strong Hyperpole showing: “All-in-all, we had a solid week.”
In the race itself, the #78 and #87 entries jumped to the front early on, setting a relentless pace. The RC F was in fact one of only two LMGT3 models – alongside the BMW M4 – capable of stretching its stints to 11 laps. “It was really tricky,” confides the Team Manager. “When the pack picked up the pace, we had to stay in touch and therefore sacrifice that advantage. We had planned on 11-lap stints for almost the whole race, but we had to abandon that strategy.”
At the end of a contest completed without a single mechanical issue, the #87 just missed out on the podium while the better-placed #78 ultimately had to concede victory to the #33 TF Sport Corvette, whose aggressive strategy handsomely paid off. “They decided to maximise the track time of their Bronze driver – Ben Keating – who completed his minimum driving time after only eight hours of racing. It was a smart move on their part, and their top speed was impressive,” Policand graciously acknowledges.
The Akkodis ASP Team founder revealed that in the closing hours, the squad opted to rubber-stamp the result rather than risk a DNF by fighting for the win, as the #78’s radiator had become clogged with tyre marbles: “The water temperature was reaching the limit. You don’t often get a chance to win Le Mans, but on the other hand, there is a championship to think about. Securing a second-place finish meant playing it smart to stay in the title hunt.”
Thanks to the 36 points gathered at La Sarthe by the #78, Akkodis climbed up to third in the LMGT3 Teams’ standings, prompting a huge sigh of relief for Policand, who was beaming alongside Tom van Rompuy, Jack Hawksworth and Hadrien David on the post-race rostrum: “It’s a special, unique moment. When hard work pays off, the satisfaction is always great.”
Can Akkodis maintain that momentum into round four of the season? The Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo will surely bring back fond memories for the French outfit. It was at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace that it claimed its very first FIA WEC victory 12 months ago, catching the competition off-guard by perfectly managing its Goodyear Eagle hard-compound tyres. “We had tested them extensively in private sessions. Not only did we experience less wear, but we also gained in competitiveness. Right from the first few laps, we knew we had a shot.”
The removal of the Hard tyre is likely to make things more difficult for the team, but Grenoble native Policand is not one to look for excuses: “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be in the leading pack. Looking at the 18 LMGT3 crews, I believe we have two of the top six driver line-ups in the championship, so we have to deliver results. We want to finish on the podium, just like last year.”
The former racer points out that the final five rounds of the season could well be the last in FIA WEC for the hallowed Lexus RC F: “We’ve grown attached to this car. We never doubted it. Through its bodywork and design, it gives off a special aura. We all feel nostalgic.”
Ten years after the Lexus’ competitive bow, the 2027 FIA WEC campaign is expected to herald the track debut of the Toyota GR LMGT3, with Akkodis hopeful of running the newest creation from Toyota Motor Corporation’s workshops in the near future. Such a transition would further strengthen the close ties between the Rabastens-based operation and the most successful marque in FIA WEC history, which is fresh from its sixth Le Mans victory.
“Our partnership with TOYOTA RACING regarding upgrades, technical homologations and simulator programmes has allowed the team to take a major step forward. Being backed by a manufacturer like that is a privilege. Its results speak for themselves,” Policand concludes, well aware that this historic alliance promises exciting new chapters for Akkodis ASP Team’s future in FIA WEC…
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