TotalEnergies and ELMS
The European Le Mans Series features the elite of European Endurance racing and all the LMP2, LMP3 and LMGT3 prototypes that hope one day to take part in the FIA WEC (World Endurance Championship) and the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. As part of its partnership with the ACO, TotalEnergies is official fuel supplier and the company also provides support to the CLX Motorsport Team through its brand ELF.
Major partnership with Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO)
Through this strategic partnership with the ACO, the company is building on its longstanding commitment to endurance racing. Like an open-air test lab, the track represents a key source of innovation, because the intensive demands of endurance racing – long race times and distances – push us to develop increasingly high-performance fuels that will one day be available to motorists.
The ACO has recently redefined the rules for the WEC, introducing stricter constraints for the Hypercar category. Now, the objective is to achieve the best performance while minimising fuel consumption. This revolution reflects the current concerns of both manufacturers and motorists: consuming less and reducing their environmental footprint.
To meet these challenges and building on Excellium Endurance—introduced in 2019 with already 10% renewable ethanol and 5% bio-based hydrocarbons—TotalEnergies engineers took a major step forward with the development of Excellium Racing 100. The result of eighteen months of research and testing, this racing fuel already embodied the ambition to combine performance, reliability, and energy efficiency.
First introduced in March 2022 in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the 1000 Miles of Sebring (USA), Excellium Racing 100 was at the time a 100% certified sustainable fuel*. Designed and produced by TotalEnergies, it was made from bioethanol derived from French wine industry residues (grape marc and lees), enabling at least a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across its entire life cycle, in accordance with European methodology.
Building on four years of racing experience, TotalEnergies is now taking a further step forward with Excellium Racing evo, a direct evolution of Excellium Racing 100, developed to meet the current and future challenges of motorsport competition. From 2026, Excellium Racing evo becomes the official fuel of the FIA WEC—including the 24 Hours of Le Mans—as well as the European Le Mans Series and the Asian Le Mans Series, ensuring equal supply to all competitors.
Based on 100% bio-circular feedstocks, using a mass balance approach and certified ISCC PLUS*, Excellium Racing evo is notably produced from recycled residues and waste (used oils, sugar beet pulp residues, and wood waste from the paper industry), particularly at the La Mède biorefinery. It delivers uncompromised performance, compatible with a wide range of powertrains—from naturally aspirated V12 engines to turbocharged hybrid V6 units—while ensuring at least a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to its fossil equivalent**.
A true demonstration of TotalEnergies’ expertise and pioneering spirit, Excellium Racing evo reflects the shared values with the FIA and the ACO: safety, technological innovation, energy efficiency, hybridization, and low-carbon mobility. Validated by all stakeholders—manufacturers, teams, and governing bodies—this fuel highlights the role of motorsport as an innovation laboratory, serving the development of concrete, transferable solutions for the mobility of tomorrow.
ELF and the pyramid of young talent in endurance racing
Already extensively involved in Endurance racing – a category widely acknowledged as an excellent test lab for the fuels of the future – TotalEnergies added a new string to its bow in 2020 when the company agreed a partnership between the Elf brand and the CLX Motorsport team (formerly Cool Racing) as part of the European Le Mans Series. In 2026, the ELF-sponsored team aims to regain the crown it lost last year with two Oreca07 LMP2 prototypes entrusted to Adrien Closmenil/Theodor Jensen/Ian Aguilera (No. 37) and Georgios Kolovos/Charles Milesi/Felipe Fraga (No. 47). In the LMP3 category, CLX Motorsport aims to retain its title with a No. 17 Ligier JS P325 prototype (Alexander Jacoby/Bruno Ribeiro).
The 2026 European Le Mans Series features six races, each lasting four hours. Silverstone (United Kingdom) has rejoined the ELMS this year. The season kicks off in Spain (Barcelona-Catalunya) and is set to conclude in Portugal (Portimão). The starting grid features some 47 cars (23 LMP2, 10 LMP3 and 14 GT3).
* Excellium Racing evo is a fuel based on 100% bio-circular feedstocks, certified under the ISCC PLUS scheme, using a mass balance approach.
** In line with the methodology defined by Directive 2018/2001 on the promotion of renewable energy, as amended by Directive RED III (2023/2413), Excellium Racing evo enables a reduction of at least 65% in greenhouse gas emissions over its entire life cycle compared to its fossil equivalent.
Update on March 2026
