Featured

Group C Racing - Le Mans Report

© Planetlemans - Marcel ten Caat

The second race weekend of the 2008 Group C Racing Series took place at Le Mans during the 76th Le Mans 24 Hours week. Thirty-three Group C cars were gathered together at the French track in their first appearance since 2004. Two 30-minute qualifying sessions and a 10 lap race on Saturday morning were scheduled for this weekend.

After two qualifying sessions on Wednesday and Thursday night it was the Jaguar XJR12 of Justin Law on pole position. The Silk Cut liveried Jaguar, wearing the number 3 of its sister car that won at Le Mans in 1990, lapped the 13.629 kilometers long track in 3:50.646. Andy Purdie’s Nissan R90-CK was second fastest after two sessions, just over 4 seconds behind Justin Law. Third quickest after the qualifying sessions was Mark Sumpter in the FATurbo-Express colored Porsche 962C.

At around 10:15 on Saturday June 14th the cars were released for their 10 laps and Law immediately got rid of the field behind him, with only Sumpter able to keep up with the Jaguar driver early on in the race. Despite being close to Law Sumpter was unable to catch up and towards the end of the race Sumpter realised this. He would finish in second place, 18.5 seconds behind Law. Twenty-years after Jaguar had won at Le Mans with the Jaguar XJR9 and 18 yeras since the XJR12s victory it was on top of the podium again

Behind Law and Sumpter the battle for third place was an interesting one. Andy Purdie retired his Nissan R90-CK, while Rob Sherrard (Sauber C9), Henry Pearman (Porsche 962), Wayne Park (Porsche 962C) and Oliver Maierhofer/Stephen Hepworth (Porsche 962C) who had started on the third and fourth row dropped back. Coming from the ninth place on the grid it was Oliver Mathai who worked his Porsche 962C up to the front, but even more impressive was Gary Pearson in the number 4 Jaguar XJR11. Pearson had started the race from a fifteenth place on the grid and would soon be fighting with Mathai and Fredy Kumschick in the Spice SE GTP.

As the laps went by Kumschick kept his Spice in third place. But with the chequered flag coming up it was Pearson who had completely closed the gap on the German. After a great fight with Mathai throughout the entire race he now went for Kumschick. Pearson’s Jaguar touched with the Spice as the two cars went into the final set of corners. Kumschick went wide and a happy Oliver Mathai took advantage of the coming together of his opponents by taking third place. Pearson crossed the line in fourth place, just over 2 seconds behind Mathai with Kumschick 3.5 seconds behind in fifth place overall.

Justin Law set the fastest lap of the race. His 3:45.915 was just over half a second quicker than Mark Sumpters fastest lap. Third fastest car in the race was Gary Pearson in 3:49.936.

The next round of the Group C Racing Series will take place during the Silverstone Classic n July 25, 26 and 27.