Kriton Lendoudis
Greek racing driver (born 1959)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kriton Lendoudis (Greek: Κρίτων Λεντούδης, born 28 December 1959), sometimes spelled Kriton Lentoudis, is a Greek businessman and amateur racing driver. He currently competes in the LMP2 Pro-Am class of the European Le Mans Series for Nielsen Racing, having previously been a presence in historic racing.[1]
| Kriton Lendoudis | |
|---|---|
Lendoudis in 2018 | |
| Nationality | |
| Born | 28 December 1959 Greece |
| European Le Mans Series career | |
| Debut season | 2023 |
| Current team | Nielsen Racing,BBM Sport |
| Categorisation | |
| Car number | 20 |
| Former teams | AF Corse, Algarve Pro Racing |
| Starts | 12 (12 entries) |
| Wins | 1 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 2nd (LMP2 Pro-Am) in 2024 |
Racing career
Beginnings in historic racing
Lendoudis made his known racing debut in 2014: having bought a Porsche 956C at auction, Lendoudis began taking part in the Group C Racing Championship.[2] Having finished 11th at Spa-Francorchamps and 13th at Le Mans, he withdrew from the Silverstone round due to an engine failure at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.[3][4][5] Before the Le Castellet event, Lendoudis bought a Mercedes-Benz C11 and drove it alongside Gareth Evans, who helped him score his maiden C1 class podium with a third place.[6] In addition, Lendoudis partook in a round of the Ferrari Challenge Europe as well as the end-of-year Finali Mondiali race that year.

Lendoudis embarked on a full-time campaign in the series with AF Corse in 2015, finishing 17th in the Coppa Shell class. He also drove his C11 in the Group C Racing Championship alongside Rui Águas.[7] At the opening round in Barcelona, Lendoudis finished third overall in race 2.[8] Another third place in the overall classification followed at Spa, as Lendoudis finished third in the C1 class standings.[9][10] In addition, Lendoudis was featured in Ferrari's F1 Clienti programme that year, as part of which he drove a Ferrari F1-2000 around the Imola Circuit.[11] In 2016, the Greek driver scored his first podium in the Ferrari Challenge series and ended up 11th overall. He also scored a class podium in the 12 Hours of Mugello, driving for Tsunami RT alongside Côme Ledogar and Oleksander Gaidai.[12]
After winning the Group C Racing Championship in the C1 class during the 2017 season, Lendoudis made a switch to GT3 machinery the following year by competing for Black Falcon in the Pro-Am category of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup.[13] He, Águas, and Saud Al Faisal took a subclass podium at Le Castellet and finished fifth in the Pro-Am championship. Lendoudis continued to race and win in historic competitions during 2018 and 2019, driving a Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.[14][15]
Le Mans Cup
During 2019, Lendoudis made his Le Mans Cup debut, driving in the 24 Hours of Le Mans support race called Road to Le Mans.[16] He and Rui Águas finished the opening race of the weekend sixth within the GT3 class.[17]
After a year of absence during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lendoudis entered into the LMP3 prototype class of the Le Mans Cup in 2021, partnering Águas at AF Corse.[18] They scored a best finish of eighth and finished 19th in the teams' standings. The pair returned in 2022 but failed to score any points during their four races.[19] During this time, Lendoudis raced his Peugeot 908 in historic events, winning race 1 at Le Castellet in 2021 and coming close to victory at Barcelona in April 2022.[20][21]
European and Asian Le Mans Series
Lendoudis and Águas moved to the European Le Mans Series in 2023, entering the final year of the LMGTE class at AF Corse alongside Ulysse de Pauw.[22] Though the trio finished all but one race in the points, their efforts were only enough for eighth place in the teams' championship. In the historic race at Spa meanwhile, Lendoudis won race 2 whilst piloting his Mercedes C11.[23]
For the 2024 ELMS season, Lendoudis moved up to the LMP2 class with Algarve Pro Racing, racing in the Pro-Am category together with former Le Mans class winner Richard Bradley and young pro Alex Quinn.[24][25] After two races where they finished off the podium, the No. 20 APR trio benefited from good strategy at Imola to take victory.[26] With Lendoudis remaining clean throughout the next few races, the team extended their podium streak by finishing third at Spa and second at Mugello to set up a final-round title decider.[27] The team decided to gamble during the final stint, leaving Quinn out of the pits and forcing him to stretch his fuel all the way to the end. They led the race until the final lap, when a slowing Quinn was eventually caught by Bent Viscaal, demoting the No. 20 APR crew to second in the race and the Pro-Am championship.[28][29]
In the winter of 2024, Lendoudis partnered Quinn and Olli Caldwell at APR in the Asian Le Mans Series.[30] After finishing third in race 2 at Sepang and race 1 in Dubai, Lendoudis celebrated victory in Dubai race 2 thanks in part to a standout performance by Quinn.[31][32][33] A fuel strategy gamble in race 1 at Yas Marina yielded a second place, but a technical issue on Sunday meant that the #20 APR crew dropped to fourth in the final standings.[34][35][36]
Alongside Quinn and Caldwell, Lendoudis returned to contest the 2025 ELMS season in Algarve Pro's #20 car.[37] They finished second in the Barcelona season opener and ended up sixth in Le Castellet.[38][39] A red-flagged Imola event saw the APR crew battle for the lead in the middle stages of the race, before they eventually claimed third place.[40] With a victory at the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in August, Lendoudis and his teammates ascended to the lead of the Pro-Am championship.[41][42] However, contact at the final round caused the team to drop to second in the Pro-Am standings.
Lendoudis continued to make appearances in historic racing, winning race 2 at Spa in the Endurance Racing Legends series in 2025 at the wheel of a Mercedes C11.[43]
It was announced in November 2025 that Lendoudis would race a wingless Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar in the 2026–27 Asian Le Mans Series season after acquiring one of the cars.[44] He also signed on for a season in the 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series, partnering Quinn and Cem Bölükbaşı at Nielsen Racing.[45]
Business career and personal life
Lendoudis is the owner of Evalend Shipping, having inherited the company upon his father Evangelos's death in 1984.[46][47] At the 2023 Greek Shipping Awards, Lendoudis was named the "Newsmaker of the Year" thanks to his high amount of newbuilding contracts.[48] As of 2024, his company owned 21 vessels worth a combined $2.1bn USD.[49]
As part of his personal fortune, Lendoudis owns a collection of expensive cars worth approximately 15 million euros in 2013. This includes the Mercedes 300 D driven by Pope Paul VI, a Ferrari F40 (built for Lendoudis's son Agnieli; it is the only F40 built without a clutch), and ten different Lamborghini models including an award-winning Lamborghini Miura SV.[50][51]
Racing record
Racing career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Group C Racing Championship Class 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 18th | |
| Ferrari Challenge Europe - Coppa Shell | Motor Piacenza | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23rd | |
| Finali Mondiali - Coppa Shell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | ||
| 2015 | Ferrari Challenge Europe - Coppa Shell | AF Corse | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 17th |
| Finali Mondiali - Coppa Shell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th | ||
| Group C Racing Championship Class 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 3rd | ||
| Salvadori Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 17th | ||
| 2016 | Ferrari Challenge Europe - Coppa Shell | Motor Service | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 11th |
| Finali Mondiali - Coppa Shell | EU GTL Motor Service | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 13th | |
| Group C Racing Series Class 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 21st | ||
| 24H Series - SP3 | JR Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| 24H Series - 991 | Tsunami RT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC† | |
| 2017 | Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Pro-Am | Team Zakspeed | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| Group C Racing - C1 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 328 | 1st | ||
| Classic Endurance Racing - GT2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 19th | ||
| 2018 | Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Pro-Am | Black Falcon | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 5th |
| 24H GT Series - Championship of the Continents - A6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | ||
| 24H Proto Series - Championship of the Continents - P3 | Spirit of Race | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 3rd | |
| Group C Racing - C1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 56 | 15th | ||
| Masters Endurance Legends | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | NC† | ||
| 2019 | Le Mans Cup - GT3 | Spirit of Race | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| Blancpain GT Sports Club | AF Corse | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23rd | |
| Endurance Racing Legends GT1B | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 7th | ||
| Group C Racing - C1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 93 | 6th | ||
| 2021 | Le Mans Cup - LMP3 | AF Corse | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 25th |
| 2022 | Le Mans Cup - LMP3 | AF Corse | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2023 | European Le Mans Series - LMGTE | AF Corse | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 8th |
| Gulf 12 Hours - Am | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | ||
| Endurance Racing Legends - GT1B | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 100 | 4th | ||
| 2024 | European Le Mans Series - LMP2 | Algarve Pro Racing | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 96 | 2nd |
| Endurance Racing Legends - GT1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 88 | 6th | ||
| Group C Racing - C1a | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 43 | 2nd | ||
| 2024-25 | Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 | Algarve Pro Racing | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 83 | 4th |
| 2025 | European Le Mans Series - LMP2 | Algarve Pro Racing | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 95 | 2nd |
| Endurance Racing Legends - Group C | 4 | 1 | ? | ? | ? | 95 | 4th | ||
| 2025–26 | Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 | Nielsen Racing | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 9th |
| 2026 | European Le Mans Series - LMP2 | Nielsen Racing | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25* | 6th* |
| Legends of Le Mans Series - LMP1 | BBM Sport |
† As Lendoudis was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points. * Season still in progress.
Complete Le Mans Cup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete European Le Mans Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | AF Corse | LMGTE | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | LEC 6 |
IMO 11 |
MNZ 10 |
CAT 4 |
SPA 6 |
ALG 7 |
8th | 35 |
| 2024 | Algarve Pro Racing | LMP2 Pro-Am | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT 4 |
LEC 6 |
IMO 1 |
SPA 3 |
MUG 2 |
ALG 2 |
2nd | 96 |
| 2025 | Algarve Pro Racing | LMP2 Pro-Am | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT 2 |
LEC 6 |
IMO 3 |
SPA 1 |
SIL 1 |
ALG 8 |
2nd | 95 |
| 2026 | Nielsen Racing | LMP2 Pro-Am | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT Ret |
LEC 1 |
IMO 11 |
SPA |
SIL |
ALG |
6th* | 25* |
* Season still in progress.
Complete Asian Le Mans Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)