Chief Minister Vijay To Wave Green Flag At Actor Ajith's Race In Le Mans Cup

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and actor C. Joseph Vijay is set to wave the ceremonial green flag at the Michelin Le Mans Cup race at Silverstone, United Kingdom, on Saturday, September 12. He will attend the fifth round of the 2026 championship as a special guest and is expected to support the Indian drivers competing across the weekend.

Vijay To Officially Start Silverstone Race

The Michelin Le Mans Cup confirmed Vijay's appearance through its official social media channels. The organisation said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister would start the Silverstone round in front of a 44-car grid.

"A special guest will be waving the green flag at Silverstone this weekend! C. Joseph VIJAY. The Indian actor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu @actorvijay, will be joining us to support our Indian drivers in the UK and officially start the #SilverstoneRound in front of the 44-car grid. We can't wait to go racing this Saturday!" the championship said.

The two-hour Michelin Le Mans Cup race will take place on Silverstone's 5.891 km Grand Prix circuit. The Silverstone event is the fifth round of the 2026 season, which is scheduled to conclude at Portimao in Portugal in October.

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Ajith Kumar To Race In LMP3 Pro/Am

The event will have a significant Indian presence on track. Actor and racer Ajith Kumar is competing in the LMP3 Pro/Am category for Ajith RedAnt by Virage, sharing a Ligier JS P325-Toyota prototype with French driver Romain Vozniak.

Former Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan and Aditya Patel will form an all-Indian pairing for Ajith RedAnt Racing in the LMP3 category. Official Silverstone test documentation lists Karthikeyan and Patel in the No. 36 Ligier JS P325-Toyota, while Vozniak is listed in the LMP3 Pro/Am entry for Ajith RedAnt by Virage.

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Ajith's participation adds another chapter to his competitive motorsport programme, which has taken him beyond celebrity appearances and into international endurance racing. Competing in the Le Mans Cup requires drivers to manage traffic, tyre life, changing weather and team strategy over longer race distances.

Endurance-Racing Series

Launched in 2016, the Michelin Le Mans Cup is an endurance championship designed as a development pathway for drivers and teams aspiring to progress into the European Le Mans Series and, eventually, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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The series features LMP3 prototype race cars and GT3 machinery. LMP3 cars are purpose-built closed-cockpit prototypes, significantly different from conventional road cars in their aerodynamic grip, braking performance, and operating procedures. A two-hour race requires multiple drivers to share the car, making coordination in pit stops and strategy a central part of the event.