Le Mans Series

Dream return for Pescarolo Team at Le Castellet

© Planetlemans – Marcel ten Caat

What was destined to be an exciting race turned into a big mess right at the start. As two cars had already spun on the warm-up lap the safety car stayed out on the track and several drivers heard there would be another lap behind the safety car. But instead of that the lights went to green as the pack got onto the straight.

At the front the first rows of LMP cars halted, but behind them the GTE cars went for it, only to realize something went terribly wrong and braked. As a result several cars hit each other and were seen spinning all over the straight and smoke plummeted over the track.

When the smoke had disappeared there were a lot of casualties on the straight. The Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 GT3 RSR #77, IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3 RSR #76 and ProSpeed Competition Porsche 997 GT3 RSR #75 were out on the spot. Jota’s Aston Martin Vantage #79 and the IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3 RSR #67 made it back to the pit with significant damage.

The second attempt to get the race underway was a bit more successful and we we’re finally really going. Unfortunately it didn’t last long for Rebellion Racing. First the #13 Lola B10/60 Toyota spun after one of its doors opened suddenly.
Not much later the Quifel-ASM Team Zytek suffered a puncture on the Mistral Straight. With parts flying into the air the race director couldn’t do anything other than to send out the safety car again.

30 minutes into the ‘race’ Neel Jani was on his own – 35 seconds clear of the rest of the field, but suddenly he slowed down and even the GTE-Am cars were reeling in the #12 Rebellion Racing Lola Toyota. Soon after he pitted and was pushed into the box. Christophe Tinseau had done enough and needed just half an hour of real racing to take the lead of the race.

As the Pescarolo started to get away from the rest of the field the gaps between the various LMP2 cars also started to grow. In GTE Pro however the gaps between first and second as well as third and fourth were just one second and two nice battles position were fought out on the track. Unfortunately the #71 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia hit trouble as well just after the one hour mark and was pushed back into its box – replacing a toe link at the rear of the car – dropping out of the fight for the podium positions.

One hour into the race the Pescarolo Team was leading, with the Strakka Racing HPD ARX-01d in second place and the Boutsen Energy Racing Oreca 03 Nissan in third place. The two LMP2 cars were around a minute behind the Pescarolo though.

In LM GTE Pro AF Corse was in the lead with their #51 Ferrari F458 Italia (Bruni/Fisichella), followed by Hankook Team Farnbacher and JMW Motorsport.

Early into the second hour several cars involved in the start crash returned to the track. IMSA Performance Matmut repaired its two cars – and sent them out again to collect as many points as possible. Several LMP cars spun, the Pegasus Racing car going wide twice – losing a lot of time in the second off at the final corner.

After the Strakka Racing car had pitted the lead in LMP2 went back to the two Oreca 03 Nissans. Both cars battled it out until they had to stop as well. As Thiriet took over from Beche the TDS Racing car wasn’t sent out onto the track again but pushed backwards into the box and the mechanics scrambled onto the car. Beche explained that there was a suspected problem with the steering rack.

Apart from several other pit stops – with teams like Jota and Rebellion Racing checking their cars and/or fixing problems not much happened and especially not for Pescarolo Team, who were lapping consistently and moved from the back of the field to take the lead just over half an hour into the race and had lapped the complete field after two hours.

Standings after two hours overall: Pescarolo Team – Boutsen Energy Racing – Greaves Motorsport. AF Corse leading Hankook Team Farnbacher and JMW Motorsport.

Fisichella suddenly lost his lead over Farnbacher and on lap 63 the Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari moved into the lead of the GTE Pro category. Bruni and Simonsen took over in the scheduled pit stops, with Bruni taking the lead in the class again, but not much later the Hankook car was back in front again.

Unfortunately for Simonsen the battle was then interrupted by the race director as the #89 Hankook Team Farnbacher car was given a 1-minute stop and go penalty for having too many people working on the car in its pit stop. The Ferrari driver quickly served his penalty, but dropped back behind the JMW Motorsport Ferrari.

Three hours into the race the Pescarolo was still one lap ahead of the second placed Rebellion Racing Lola Toyota, with the Boutsen Energy Racing Oreca 03 Nissan in third place another lap down.

The start of the fourth hour wasn’t one to remember for the Oreca teams.

One of the quickest LMP2 cars of the weekend, the TDS Racing Oreca 03 Nissan then went off at turn 3 and Thiriet got out of the car. It was however in a rather dangerous position. Yellow flags were waved initially but a few minutes later the safety car went out again. Meanwhile the Boutsen Energy Racing Oreca 03 Nissan had been pushed into the box and Luca Moro had been spotted on the track in a very slow #91 Hope Racing Oreca FLM09.

As the Oreca had been taken away on a flatbed transporter the green flag was waved again and racing resumed. Pit stops meant that in GTE Pro the JMW Motorsport Ferrari F458 Italia had taken the lead and was now more or less out of sync pitting.

At the front Emmanuel Collard had Jean-Christophe Boullion all over the back of his Pescarolo, the Rebellion Racing driver doing everything to get back a lap.
As soon as Boullion had gone by the Pescarolo he went for it and started putting in fast lap times. Collard did respond and as the clock showed there were two hours left he had just completed his 121st lap. Boullion was now 1 minute and 40 seconds behind. Danny Watts in the Strakka Racing was over three laps down in third place.

Gianmarina Bruni (AF Corse) had a big lead over the JMW Motorsport Ferrari of James Walker after four hours. Young Driver AMR was in third.

In what looked like another mistake at race control the official timing screens showed full course yellow all of a sudden, then quickly followed by green flag. At the exact same moment the Neil Garner Motorsport Oreca FLM09 had spun – so it might have been that they wanted to put a local yellow instead.

With just over one hour and forty minutes to go in the race the #51 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia suddenly slowed halfway the Mistral straight. The car went to the side of the road, lights were seen going off and on and then it got back on track and returned to the pit. Bruni returned to the pit – got out of the car and after Fisichella had returned, fuel was added and things were checked the Ferrari returned to the track – now in third place.
Rebellion Racing lost its reclaimed lap when the #13 spun at turn 2.

The story of the weekend for the HPD cars was once again summarized when the Strakka Racing and RML cars were on the straight with the Zytek Z11SN of Tom Kimber-Smith just behind them – albeit one lap down on the #42 Strakka Racing car. On the Mistral the Zytek passed the HPDs as if they were parked on the side of the road. Danny Watts pitted immediately after being passed and handed the car over to Leventis. At the front Boullion was all over Collard – but still over a lap down.

Coming out of the pits Leventis had dropped behind Kimber Smith and soon after the Pecom Racing Lola also passed the Strakka Racing HPD ARX-01d and moved into fourth overall.

In GTE Am Team Felbermayr Proton’s #88 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR was leading the CRS Racing Ferrari. But with Klaas Hummel behind the wheel of the Ferrari there was no pressure on the Porsche from behind. Hummel was however under pressure as his lap times were not quick enough to keep in second.

Into the final hour only LMP1 seemed to be decided, with the gaps between leaders in the other classes still small. In the GTE Pro category the JMW Motorsport and AF Corse cars made their final pit stops and Giancarlo Fisichella returned just in front of Rob Bell. The two then went on to fight for the class lead, lapping the 5.8 kilometres long circuit bumper to bumper for several laps.

With just 36 minutes left on the clock Rob Bell managed to pass the AF Corse Ferrari for the lead. Into the first corner Bell moved to the inside and was the first to reach the corner. Fisichella was unable to defend and dropped to second. He then returned to the pit and handed over the car to Gianmaria Bruni.
The pit stop meant AF Corse had a quicker driver in the car now but the gap had also grown considerably.

In GTE Am the battle for second and third was still open. Hummel briefly moved into second after pit stops, but shortly after his own pit stop he was passed by Philipp Peter and pushed down into fourth place.

With twenty minutes left on the clock Emmanuel Collard was still in the lead – one lap ahead of the Rebellion Lola. The Rebellion Racing had however done 3 more pit stops. Tom Kimber-Smith was leading the LMP2 class and third overall.

The final minutes saw no big changes. Jaime Melo suffered a left rear puncture, but having already lost a lot of time in the pit meant this additional pit stop did not cost him a position. Race Performance lost a position when they came in late to get a headlight fixed, a position they had just gained a lap before.

After six hours of racing and completing 185 laps Collard crossed the line, winning the 6 Hours of Le Castellet for Pescarolo Team. A very special win for the team that seemed to have been lost for racing just 11 months ago and was saved by amongst others Jacques Nicolet. On its first race after this ‘pause’ Henri Pescarolo and his team could celebrate again.

Andrea Belicchi secured second place for Rebellion Racing. A position that will probably not be considered a happy ending to a race that was full of drama for the Swiss team. Greaves Motorsport won the LMP2 class and finished third overall in the Zytek Z11SN. Pecom Racing and Strakka Racing finished second and third in the class.

In GTE Pro Rob Bell and James Walker took JMW Motorsport to the podium. The team returned to Ferrari again for this season and the choice paid off immediately. AF Corse’s #51 Ferrari finished second and the Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari took third. Due to the start incident the Porsches and Astons did not play any part in this race.

To ease some of the pain for Porsche the Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 GT3 RSR of Horst Felbermayr Sr and Jr and Christian Ried won the GTE Am class. The AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT2 #61 took second and the Kessel Racing Ferrari clinched a third place.

Pegasus Racing won the FLM category – despite lots of problems. Elton Julian’s late pit stop meant he was unable to close the gap to the Pegasus car and his Genoa Racing car finished just 18 seconds behind the winner. Neil Garner Motorsport was third – 13 laps down.