The European Le Mans Series (ELMS) is a European endurance motor racing championship organised by the umbrella organisation Le Mans Endurance Management and administered by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) automobile club.
[6] The ACO awards European championships and trophies to the most successful drivers and teams in each of the series' categories over the course of a season.
[7] At the conclusion of the season, four champions and one runner-up receive an automatic invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
[3] During the 2009 season, the entry-level Formula Le Mans Cup ran separate races at LMS events.
[11][12] The following year, LMP2 replaced LMP1 as the ELMS' top class and FLM was renamed Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC) which remained until 2013.
[3][16] In 2015, the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) category was introduced and the GTC class was discontinued when the season ended.