A change to the 2019 calendar for the European Le Mans Series has been revealed today with the planned race at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona switching from Sunday 21 July to the evening of the previous day, Saturday the 20th of July.

With some concerns about the summer temperatures in Barcelona, race organisers LMEM visited the circuit in recent days and, after discussions with the management there, have agreed that the race will switch to Saturday evening, starting at 18:30 and finishing at 22:30 local time.

That will see the ELMS’s 41 car entry racing through sunset and into darkness, albeit assisted by the circuits light system, installed to accommodate their motorcycle racing needs (and the Barcelona 24 Hours).

Gérard Neveu, CEO of the European Le Mans Series, said: “The race in Barcelona is new for 2019 and we wanted to make this event more attractive for the Spanish fans and more comfortable for our teams. The weather in July is hot, so moving the race to Saturday evening will be better for the fans and for the competitors, especially the drivers.

“Having the race finishing after sunset will also make the 4 Hours of Barcelona unique on the ELMS calendar. We are looking forward to coming back to Barcelona after so many years.”

The 4 Hours of Barcelona event starts on Friday 19 July and now concludes on Saturday 20 July. The event is Round 3 of the 2019 European Le Mans Series and Round 4 of the Michelin Le Mans Cup.