| Mathias Beche | |
|---|---|
_(2).jpg) Beche at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers parade | |
| Nationality |  Swiss Frenchvia dual nationality |
| Born | (1986-06-28)28 June 1986 (age 39) Geneva, Switzerland |
| European Le Mans Series career | |
| Debut season | 2010 |
| Current team | TDS Racing |
| Racing licence |  FIA Gold |
| Car number | 29 |
| Former teams | Hope Polevision Racing Applewood Seven Matech Competition Inter Europol Competition TDS Racing xVaillante Nielsen Racing |
| Starts | 48 |
| Wins | 12 |
| Poles | 10 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Best finish | 1st in2012 |
| Previous series | |
| 2011 2010 2009 2008 2008 2007–2008 | FIA GT1 World Championship European GT3 Formula Le Mans Formula Asia 2.0 Formula V6 Asia Asian Formula Renault |
| Championship titles | |
| 2014 2012 | FIA WEC (LMP1-L) European Le Mans Series (LMP2) |
| Awards | |
| 2025 | Goodyear Golden Wingfoot Award |
Mathias Beche Aussel (born 28 June 1986 inGeneva) is a Swiss-French professional racing driver who currently competes in theEuropean Le Mans Series forRichard Mille by TDS. He is a formerELMS champion in theLMP2 class, as well as anLMP1-L champion and overall race winner in theFIA World Endurance Championship forRebellion Racing.
After starting inkarting, Beche began racing insingle-seaters in Asia in 2007 when he contested theAsian Formula Renault Challenge, finishing fifth overall with one win.[1] The following year he took part inFormula Asia 2.0 where he ended up runner-up toFelix Rosenqvist.
2009 saw Beche switch tosportscar racing, finishing third inFormula Le Mans. In 2010 he contested fourLe Mans Series rounds; three in the FLM class and one in GT1 in aFord GT. He then entered the last two rounds of theFIA GT3 European Championship, also in a Ford.
In 2011 Beche competed in the full Le Mans Series season in an LMP2Oreca 03 for TDS Racing withPierre Thiriet andJody Firth. The trio won the rounds atSpa andEstoril and finished fourth in the final drivers' standings. Beche also drove in theFIA GT1 World Championship round atZolder in a Ford.
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For2012, LMP2 became the top class of the renamed European Le Mans Series. Partnering Thiriet at TDS, Beche won the opening round of the season atPaul Ricard and the season finale atRoad Atlanta, securing his first major championship victory. For that year's24 Hours of Le Mans they were joined byChristophe Tinseau, finishing second in class.
Beche remained in the ELMS with Thiriet by TDS in2013, though he would also progress to drive in theFIA WEC's top class, piloting aLola B12/60 forRebellion Racing.[2][3] Despite missing the opening ELMS round, the Swiss driver took two victories alongside Thiriet, leading the team towards second place in the standings. In the WEC, Beche scored two podium finishes on his way to fifth in the championship.
Rebellion's LMP1 programme would become the permanent home for Beche during the next two seasons, which started with an LMP1-L class win (for non-hybrid powered teams) at the24 Hours of Le Mans alongsideNico Prost andNick Heidfeld and the eventual LMP1-L title in2014.[4][5] The team withdrew from the opening two races of the2015 season to finalise work on their newRebellion R-One, but once they entered, Beche and Prost took two privateer class wins to become champions.[6] At the end of the year, Beche was part of a shootout for a reserve seat atToyota Gazoo Racing, though that seat eventually went toKamui Kobayashi.[7]
In 2016, Beche returned to theELMS with Thiriet by TDS, driving anOreca 05 alongside Pierre Thiriet andRyō Hirakawa.[8] He took pole for the opening race atSilverstone, though an early crash by Thiriet forced the team out of the race.[9][10] The trio bounced back by winning a weather-affected event atImola, before Thiriet/TDS won again at theRed Bull Ring.[11][12] Beche then took a convincing pole atLe Castellet, paving the way for the outfit's third successive victory.[13][14] Another podium finish atSpa was not enough to win the title, as Beche and the team suffered electrical troubles in the final race, which was won by eventual championsG-Drive Racing.[15]
Beche returned to Rebellion on a full-time basis in 2017, competing in the LMP2 class of theWEC.[16] His #13 entry was hampered by disqualifications atLe Mans, where a miraculous overall podium (and second place in class) was taken away by the team's "unnecessary modification of approved bodywork", andFuji, which saw a heated battle between Beche andJean-Éric Vergne come to a head before Rebellion were excluded for a drive time violation.[17][18] Despite taking three podiums from the final four races, the Swiss driver and his teammates finished fourth in the teams' standings, whereas the sister #31 entry won the LMP2 title.[19]
For the2018–19 WEC "Super Season", Beche and Rebellion returned to LMP1 with theR13, with the Swiss driver partneringThomas Laurent andGustavo Menezes.[20] The team started off with two third places, including a class podium atLe Mans, before a disqualification for both Toyotas earned Beche and his teammates victory atSilverstone.[21][22] However, Beche moved to the sister car for the round atSebring and left the team with two races to go, meaning that he finished sixth in the championship — three places behind Menezes and Laurent.
After a scattergun racing programme in 2019 and 2020, where the Swiss made hisSuper GT debut for artoPing An Team Thailand, Beche returned to the rostrum in 2021, winning the final race of theLe Mans Cup as well as the LMP2 Pro-Am class at the8 Hours of Portimão with Realteam Racing.[23][24][25]
Beche would make the LMP2 Pro-Am category his home in 2022, driving forTDS Racing xVaillante alongside rookieTijmen van der Helm and amateur driverPhilippe Cimadomo in theELMS.[26] He took two overall pole positions during the year, though this was only enough for fourth in the Pro-Am standings.[27] The team also finished fourth at theLe Mans 24 Hours, where a pre-race exclusion for Cimadomo for insufficient driving standards forced the team up to compete as a Pro entrant with new driverNyck de Vries.[28] Beche switched to Nielsen Racing for the2023 ELMS season, where he,Ben Hanley andRodrigo Sales finished fourth in the Pro-Am classification with three class podiums.[29] AtLe Mans, the trio retired early when Sales crashed at Dunlop corner.[30]
Going into 2024, Beche teamed up with LMP2 rookieGrégoire Saucy and the returning Sales atRichard Mille by TDS in theELMS, driving in the LMP2 Pro-Am class once again.[31] A slower stop relegated Beche to second inBarcelona, though a strong performance inLe Castellet gave the TDS crew victory.[32][33] Despite Beche's impressive pace atLe Mans, which he contested for TDS's sister teamPanis Racing, numerous penalties for the team left him ninth in LMP2.[34] Back in the ELMS, third inImola allowed the team to take the championship lead.[35] AtSpa-Francorchamps however, a mid-race crash caused by Saucy ended TDS's race early.[36] Beche and his teammates recovered lost ground inMugello, as they performed an aggressive recovery drive to win.[37] This put TDS just two points behind leadersAF Corse ahead of thePortimão finale.[38] In an immensely tight championship battle, an overtake byMatthieu Vaxivière on Beche in the dying embers of the race was a deciding factor, one that dropped TDS to fourth in the championship.[39][40][41]
During the 2024-25 winter, Beche took part in theAsian Le Mans Series, partneringJonas Ried and Alexander Mattschull atProton Competition.[42] Due to health problems, Beche missed the second race atSepang.[43] Thanks in part to mechanical problems inDubai and a drive time penalty atYas Marina, the Proton crew finished last in the teams' standings.[44][45][46] Beche was initially announced to drive a full season in the2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship forPR1/Mathiasen Motorsports.[47] As part of the lineup, Beche inherited third place in class at the24 Hours of Daytona.[48] Before the fourth race of the season atMosport however, Beche was replaced byBenjamin Pedersen.[49]
He remained at TDS Racing for the2025 ELMS season, partnering Sales andClément Novalak.[50] With a win at the season finale atPortimão, Beche and his teammates finished third in the LMP2 Pro-Am standings.[51][52] As a recognition of his average stint pace across the season, Beche received theGoodyear Golden Wingfoot Award in his category.[53]
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Asia Racing Team | ZHU1 1 6 | ZHU1 2 6 | SEP 1 4 | SEP 2 5 | BEI1 1 2 | BEI1 2 2 | SHA1 1 5 | SHA1 2 Ret | ZHU2 1 15 | ZHU2 2 11 | BEI2 1 4 | BEI2 2 Ret | SHA2 1 4 | SHA2 2 1 | 5th | 190 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Champ Motorsport | SEP1 1 1 | SEP1 2 2 | SEP1 3 2 | SEP2 1 4 | SEP2 2 5 | BIR1 1 3 | BIR1 2 3 | BIR2 1 5 | BIR2 2 4 | 2nd | 190 | ||||||
| Asia Racing Team | SHA1 1 1 | SHA1 2 2 | SHA2 1 Ret | SHA2 2 3 | SHA2 3 2 | SHA2 4 2 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Hope Polevision Racing | SPA 1 3 | SPA 2 2 | LMS 2 | PRT 1 4 | PRT 2 2 | NÜR 1 2 | NÜR 2 8 | SIL 1 2 | SIL 2 1 | MAG 1 | 3rd | 146 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Hope Polevision Racing | FLM | Oreca FLM09 | General Motors 6.3 L V8 | LEC 2 | 13th | 28 | |||||
| Applewood Seven | ALG Ret | HUN Ret | SIL | |||||||||
| Matech Competition | LMGT1 | Ford GT1 | Ford 5.3 L V8 | SPA 2 | 6th | 15 | ||||||
| 2011 | TDS Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | LEC Ret | SPA 1 | IMO 7 | SIL Ret | EST 1 | 4th | 38 | |
| 2012 | Thiriet by TDS Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | LEC 1 | DON 2 | PET 1 | 1st | 94 | |||
| 2013 | Thiriet by TDS Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 03 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL | IMO 1 | RBR 1 | HUN 6 | LEC 8 | 6th | 62 | |
| 2016 | Thiriet by TDS Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 05 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL Ret | IMO 1 | RBR 1 | LEC 1 | SPA 3 | EST 8 | 2nd | 96 |
| 2019 | Inter Europol Competition | LMP2 | Ligier JS P217 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | LEC | MNZ | CAT | SIL | SPA 12 | ALG Ret | 35th | 0.5 |
| 2022 | TDS Racing xVaillante | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | LEC 10 | IMO 10 | MNZ 13 | CAT 11 | SPA 12 | ALG 11 | 22nd | 4 |
| 2023 | Nielsen Racing | LMP2 Pro-Am | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT 4 | LEC 4 | ARA 2 | SPA Ret | ALG 2 | ALG 3 | 4th | 75 |
| 2024 | Richard Mille by TDS | LMP2 Pro-Am | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT 2 | LEC 1 | IMO 3 | SPA Ret | MUG 1 | ALG 5 | 4th | 94 |
| 2025 | TDS Racing | LMP2 Pro-Am | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT 3 | LEC 3 | IMO 4 | SPA 5 | SIL 4 | ALG 1 | 3rd | 89 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
† Non World Endurance Championship entries are ineligible to score points.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Craft-Bamboo Racing | CN | Ligier JS53 | Honda 2.0 L I4 | INJ 1 | FUJ 1 | SHA | SEP | 3rd | 52 | ||
| 2019–20 | Inter Europol Endurance | LMP2 | Ligier JS P217 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SHA 4 | BEN Ret | SEP 5 | BUR 7 | 5th | 28 | ||
| 2023 | Nielsen Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | DUB 1 4 | DUB 2 3 | ABU 1 6 | ABU 2 8 | 6th | 39 | ||
| 2023–24 | ARC Bratislava | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | SEP 1 10 | SEP 2 10 | DUB 10 | ABU 1 11 | ABU 2 8 | 14th | 7 | |
| 2024–25 | Proton Competition | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | SEP 1 9 | SEP 2 WD | DUB 1 9 | DUB 2 10 | ABU 1 5 | ABU 2 5 | 11th | 23 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | P | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | DAY 5 | SEB | LBH | COA | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | LGA | 24th | 49 | |
| Rebellion Racing | PET 8 | |||||||||||||||
| 2025 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 V8 | DAY 3 | SEB 9 | WGL 12 | MOS | ELK | IMS | PET | 31st | 786 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | artoPing An Team Thailand | Lexus RC F GT3 | GT300 | FUJ | FUJ | SUZ | MOT | FUJ | SUZ 19 | MOT 23 | FUJ 26 | NC | 0 |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | European Le Mans Series Champion 2012 With:Pierre Thiriet | Succeeded by |
