The 2009 Formula Le Mans Cup season was the only season of the

Formula Le Mans Cup The Le Mans Prototype Challenge (shortened to LMP Challenge or LMPC) was a spec sports prototype formula created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and sports car constructor Oreca. The formula is inte ...

, a support series for the

Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

and the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...

. All competitors utilized the

Oreca FLM09 The Le Mans Prototype Challenge (shortened to LMP Challenge or LMPC) was a spec racing, spec sports prototype formula created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and sports car racing, sports car constr ...

spec prototype. The season featured ten races held over six events from 10 May to 20 September 2009.

Nico Verdonck Nicolas Verdonck (born 5 December 1985) is a Belgian racing driver. He was born in Brussels. Career Formula Renault Verdonck competed in Formula Renault 1600 in 2003, his first year in single seaters. His race engineer was Tim Wright. Formula 3 ...

claimed the title ahead of

Gavin Cronje Gavin Cronje (born 21 April 1979 in Johannesburg) is a South African racing driver. He has competed in such series as Euroseries 3000 and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He won the inaugural Formula Volkswagen South Africa Championship in 2008 ...

, 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 A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

, 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 Magny-Cours () is a Communes of France, commune in the Nièvre Departments of France, department in central France. It is the home of the ''Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours'', a famous Motorsport#Motor racing, motor racing circuit (whose name is of ...

featured three 60 minute races in succession with a winner determined only at the end of the third race.

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 In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

or by setting the fastest lap of the race. A championship was also awarded to the best amateur driver over the season.

Teams' standings

References

External links

Official website
{{Le Mans Series European Le Mans Series

Formula Le Mans The Le Mans Prototype Challenge (shortened to LMP Challenge or LMPC) was a spec sports prototype formula created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and sports car constructor Oreca. The formula is inte ...

Formula Le Mans Cup Season, 2009 2009 in European sport