Larbre Compétition is a French auto racing team founded in 1988 by racing driver Jack Leconte and based at the Circuit du Val de Vienne in Le Vigeant, France.
The team has had considerable success in a number of sports car racing series and major events, including title wins in the FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA GT Championship, and FFSA GT Championship, as well as multiple GT class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Larbre has previously competed with Porsche, Chrysler, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Chevrolet race cars, having won at least one championship with all of them.
Racing history
For 2008, Larbre chose to enlist Saleen S7-Rs for the Le Mans Series and FFSA GT Championship. The team continued with the GT1 Saleens during the 2009 LMS season, but ACO denied an entry from them for the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For 2010, Larbre competed once again with the 10-year-old S7-R in the Le Mans Series, with drivers Fernando Rees, Gabriele Gardel and Patrice Goueslard. In 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans the team took the last LMGT1 class win with the aging Saleen S7-R, as well championship victories from both Le Mans Series and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.In 2011, the GT1 class got axed from ACO-sanctioned racing, and the old GT2 category (renamed as GTE) became the premier GT class. The team entered a Chevrolet Corvette C6.R into the GTE-Am division of the Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team won the GTE-Am category of the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Corvette and also took the second place with Porsche GT3 RSR. They also won the ILMC GTE-AM championship and thus became the first team to win a professional championship with a GT2-spec Corvette C6.R.
In 2012 and 2013, Larbre competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship with two GTE-Am class Corvette C6.Rs.
For 2014, Larbre competed in the first race of the European Le Mans Series season, the 4 Hours of Silverstone, with Keiko Ihara and Gustavo Yacamán driving a Morgan LMP2. The team also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as an ELMS entry with the addition of Ricky Taylor.
For 2015, Larbre competed with a Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in the GTE-Am class of the FIA World Endurance Championship with drivers Gianluca Roda, Paolo Ruberti, Kristian Poulsen, and Nicolai Sylvest. The team returned in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2016, again with a Corvette C7.R racing in GTE-Am, consisting of Yatuka Yamagishi, Pierre Ragues, and Paolo Ruberti.
Larbre Compétition's latest ventures would be at the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class, finishing 12th in class, and the 2022 Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival.
Race results
24 Hours of Le Mans Year Entrant No. Car Drivers Class Laps 1993 Monaco Média International Société Larbre Compétition 47 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Jürgen Barth Dominique Dupuy Joël Gouhier Category 4 304 15th 1st Société Larbre Compétition 78 Jack Leconte Jesús Pareja Pierre de Thoisy 301 16th 2nd 1994 Porsche Alméras Société Larbre Compétition 49 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Jacques Alméras Jean-Marie Alméras Jacques Laffite LMGT2 94 DNF DNF Société Larbre Compétition 50 Jean-Luc Chéreau Jack Leconte Pierre Yver 62 DNF DNF 52 Dominique Dupuy Carlos Palau Jesús Pareja 307 8th 1st 1995 Société Larbre Compétition 36 Porsche 911 GT2 Evo Érik Comas Jean-Pierre Jarier Jesús Pareja LMGT1 64 DNF DNF 37 Emmanuel Collard Dominique Dupuy Stéphane Ortelli 82 DNF DNF Société Larbre Compétition Jean-Claude Miloé(private entrant) 55 Jean-Luc Chéreau Jack Leconte Pierre Yver 40 DNF DNF 1996 Société Chéreau Sports Société Larbre Compétition 27 Porsche 911 GT2 Evo Jean-Luc Chéreau Jack Leconte Pierre Yver LMGT1 279 22nd 13th Société Larbre Compétition 82 Porsche 911 GT2 André Ahrlé Patrick Bourdais Patrice Goueslard LMGT2 284 20th 6th 1997 Société Larbre Compétition 75 Porsche 911 GT2 Patrick Bourdais Peter Kitchak André Lara-Rezende LMGT2 205 DNF DNF Société Chéreau Sports Société Larbre Compétition 77 Jean-Luc Chéreau Jean-Pierre Jarier Jack Leconte 77 DNF DNF 1998 Chéreau Sports Société Larbre Compétition 60 Porsche 911 GT2 Robin Donovan Jean-Pierre Jarier Carl Rosenblad LMGT2 164 DNF DNF Société Larbre Compétition 72 Jean-Luc Chéreau Patrice Goueslard Pierre Yver 240 23rd 9th 1999 Chéreau Sports Larbre Compétition 65 Porsche 993 GT2 Jean-Luc Chéreau Patrice Goueslard Pierre Yver LMGTS 240 NC NC Larbre Compétition 67 Sébastien Bourdais Jean-Pierre Jarier Pierre de Thoisy 134 DNF DNF 2000 Larbre Compétition 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R Christophe Bouchut Jean-Luc Chéreau Patrice Goueslard LMGT 34 DNF DNF 2001 Larbre Compétition 58 Chrysler Viper GTS-R Jean-Philippe Belloc Christophe Bouchut Tiago Monteiro LMGTS 234 20th 4th 80 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Jean-Luc Chéreau Sébastien Dumez Patrice Goueslard LMGT 274 10th 4th 2002 Larbre Compétition-Chéreau 50 Chrysler Viper GTS-R Christophe Bouchut Patrice Goueslard Vincent Vosse LMGTS 319 18th 4th 51 Jean-Luc Chéreau Jean-Claude Lagniez Carl Rosenblad 278 25th 6th 2003 Larbre Compétition 86 Chrysler Viper GTS-R Christophe Bouchut Patrice Goueslard Steve Zacchia GTS 317 16th 4th 2004 Panoz Motor Sports Larbre Compétition 11 Panoz GTP Roland Bervillé Jean-Luc Blanchemain Patrick Bourdais LMP1 54 DNF DNF Larbre Compétition 69 Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello Christophe Bouchut Olivier Dupard Patrice Goueslard GTS 317 14th 5th 2005 Larbre Compétition 50 Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello Olivier Dupard Patrice Goueslard Vincent Vosse GT1 324 12th 4th 2006 Larbre Compétition 50 Ferrari 550 GTS Maranello Jean-Luc Blanchemain Patrick Bornhauser Gabriele Gardel GT1 222 DNF DNF 2007 Aston Martin Racing Larbre 006 Aston Martin DBR9 Roland Bervillé Patrick Bornhauser Gregor Fisken GT1 272 29th 13th 008 Christophe Bouchut Casper Elgaard Fabrizio Gollin 341 7th 3rd 2008 Larbre Compétition 50 Saleen S7-R Patrick Bornhauser Christophe Bouchut David Smet GT1 306 28th 7th 2010 Larbre Compétition 50 Saleen S7-R Roland Bervillé Julien Canal Gabriele Gardel LMGT1 331 13th 1st 2011 Larbre Compétition 50 Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Patrick Bornhauser Julien Canal Gabriele Gardel LMGTE Am 302 20th 1st 70 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR Jean-Philippe Belloc Christophe Bourret Pascal Gibon 301 21st 2nd 2012 Larbre Compétition 50 Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Patrick Bornhauser Julien Canal Pedro Lamy LMGTE Am 329 20th 1st 70 Jean-Philippe Belloc Christophe Bourret Pascal Gibon 309 28th 5th 2013 Larbre Compétition 50 Chevrolet Corvette C6.R Patrick Bornhauser Julien Canal Ricky Taylor LMGTE Am 302 29th 5th 70 Philippe Dumas Cooper MacNeil Manuel Rodrigues 268 41st 11th 2014 Larbre Compétition 50 Morgan LMP2 Keiko Ihara Pierre Ragues Ricky Taylor LMP2 341 14th 9th 2015 Larbre Compétition 50 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R Kristian Poulsen Gianluca Roda Paolo Ruberti LMGTE Am 94 DNF DNF 2016 Larbre Compétition 50 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R Jean-Philippe Belloc Pierre Ragues Yutaka Yamagishi LMGTE Am 316 37th 8th 2017 Larbre Compétition 50 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R Romain Brandela Christian Philippon Fernando Rees LMGTE Am 309 48th 15th 2018 Larbre Compétition 50 Ligier JS P217 Erwin Creed Thomas Dagoneau Romano Ricci LMP2 332 32nd 12th 2019 Larbre Compétition 50 Ligier JS P217 Nick Boulle Erwin Creed Romano Ricci LMP2 355 17th 12th
Achievements 24 Hours of Le Mans 1993 - LMGT class winner Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 1994 - LMGTS class winner Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2010 - LMGT1 class winner Saleen S7-R 2011 - LMGTE-AM class winner Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT2 2012 - LMGTE-AM class winner Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT2
FIA GT Championship 2000 - N-GT class team champion Porsche 911 GT3-R 2001 - GT class team champion Chrysler Viper GTS-R 2002 - GT class team champion Chrysler Viper GTS-R
Spa 24 Hours 2001 - Overall winner Chrysler Viper GTS-R 2002 - Overall winner Chrysler Viper GTS-R
Le Mans Series 2004 - LMGTS class team champion Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello 2006 - LMGT1 class team champion Aston Martin DBR9 2010 - LMGT1 class team champion Saleen S7-R
Intercontinental Le Mans Cup 2010 - LMGT1 class team champion Saleen S7-R 2011 - LMGTE-AM class champion Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT2
Championat de France FFSA GT 1997 Champion de France FFSA GT Porsche GT2 2003 Champion de France FFSA GT Chrysler Viper 2008 Champion de France FFSA GT Saleen S7-R 2010 Champion de France FFSA GT Porsche 911 GT3
References