Le Mans Series

Epsilon closes season with 6th fastest lap at Silverstone

© Planetlemans – Gabriel Portos

Success for the Spanish team after Adrián Vallés clocked the best “non-factory” lap time in its first season. The Epsilon prototypes were quick but unlucky at the Silverstone 1.000 km and could not round up the weekend with a good race result. Hopes were high for the Adrián Vallés/ Shinji Nakano car that started from the 4th row on the grid. The perspectives were more complicated for the nº 20 drivers Angel Burgueño and Miguel Angel de Castro that had to start from the back of the grid not having been able to participate in the qualifying session.

The race started well for both black cars from the Azkoitia team, Angel Burgueño quickly climbing up positions and Adrián Vallés keeping his 7th place not without a big fight at the start. After lap 29 Adrián came into the pits to refuel, change tyres and check on potential damage after a touch with a Porsche. Here the troubles began as the team saw the starter motor fail and the car had to go into the garage to solve the problem. This delayed Adrián and Shinji who could only fight afterwards for a good lap time. On lap 184, Adrián stopped the clock in 1.34.955, the first “non-factory” car (behind Peugeot, Audi and Aston Martin) and quickest privateer and all this in the team’s first season.

Things also went wrong for the brave Spanish pairing of Angel Burgueño/Miguel Angel de Castro as in lap 66, and when they were climbing up the charts, Miguel Ángel de Castro could not avoid the James Watt Porsche he was lapping. Unfortunately the GT2 car did not respect the priority of the prototype and the disappointed Avila driver could not bring the car back to the pits after severe damage had been suffered.

In the end, the Adrián Vallés/Shinji Nakano car managed to finish on twenty-sixth position, the podium going to Audi, the Lola-Aston Martin and Pescarolo, Peugeot the big absence after accidents from both cars.