The new ELMS season 2016 started with a very promising result for Swiss team Race Performance started at the 4 hours of Silverstone. Two sixth places in LMP2 as well as on LMP3 where a well deserved reward for the hard working squad around team principal Urs Meier. With this result the team again confirmed its already well-known reliability, which was proven in the past by finishing five out of five times racing at the classical 24 hours of Le Mans and also during the last winter, ending the four races of the Asian Le Mans Championship 2015/2016 without any retirement. A larger staff, an additional engineer, new drivers and a new car in LMP3 made it possible to withstand the very challenging conditions at Silverstone, where the nasty cold and wet weather made it quite difficult to find a decent set-up.
Qualifying did not go perfectly well, so Niki Leutwiler had to start from ninth on the grid, but from then on the teams could built on its experience in long distance racing. A clever strategy and hard effort from everybody made it possible to rise through the field. “Sixth place is a good result, which for sure we had taken, had somebody offered it to us before the start of the race”, said Leutwiler. “Nevertheless even fifth position probably would have been possible, hadn´t we dropped quite far back due to the turmoil at the start, where additionally somebody hit us from behind, which cost us even more time. And there was one situation where we most likely would have been better off by changing Franck´s tyres again. But under the given circumstances it was a nearly perfect race for us, no mistakes. This is what counts most in long distance racing and which always is a point where Race Performance really excels.”
Franck Mailleux, second in the car, could rely and his large experience, putting in an exceptional stint, but in the end he was not able to enjoy the common success together with the team. He immediately had to leave for Nürburgring, where on Sunday he took part in the qualifying race for the 24 hours of Nürburging for Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus. “I was very happy to be back with Race Performance for this first round of the ELMS”, he stated and already set higher goals for the future: “Of course, P6 is not what we are aiming for but for a first race, considering the package we have, this result is reasonable. For sure there is still a lot of room for improvement and we should be able to fight for a top five finish or even a podium very soon.”
James Winslow safely took the Race Performance Oreca over the finish line in sixth position: “It was my first race with the team in ELMS and I really had a lot of fun”, the Brit commented. “The team is working very hard, the car was quite easy to drive, the set-up was good, nobody made any mistakes. After a difficult qualifying in the wet we had a very good race – I am already looking forward to the next one at Imola.”
Team manager Michel Frey was “very happy with the team result. Sixth place in LMP2 was about were we expected to be with a car, which by now is not really new any more. This is about what we can aim for, as the competition is very strong. Unfortunately our car got slightly damaged at the incident at the start, which maybe cost us a few tenth in performance.”
#8 Race Performance – MOMO Megatron Ligier JS P3 LMP3
Giorgi Maggi, racing at Silverstone for the first time at all, was handed the huge responsibility of doing the start with the Race Performance Ligier number eight. Not an easy task at all in a field of 44 cars, from 15th in LMP3 category, in the middle of the mess. But the 18-year-old youngster managed his job in great style. While a few crashes happened at the front rows of the grid and the first lap in general saw quite a bit of chaotic action, he succeeded in staying out of all kinds of trouble and set the ground for sixth place in the field of 19 LMP3 cars. “It was my first time at Silverstone and the rain during practice of course did not make things easier. In qualifying our car was still not perfect and I was actually quite nervous before the start. And there was definitely a lot of action immediately, somebody spun in front of me at the start-finish-straight, but luckily I managed to get through without any damage. In the middle of my stint I had to fight with some understeer, but towards the end the car got better again. And then my teammates also did a great job.
Well experienced Bert Longin turned back the compliments: “Giorgio did a great job, as well as Marcello. So in the end we managed to finish sixth even with the difficulties we faced over the weekend. We know now where our problems are and what we still have to work on”, the Belgian is adamant. “But the atmosphere within the team is great, we had a lot of fun – that´s something not to be forgotten. The team is really good and professional, so I am really happy.”
Marcello Maratteoto was also happy: “At the beginning we had quite a few set-up problems with the new car and also with the tyres. But we then found a reasonable solution and after all that happened we have to be very content with the result of the race. I am really glad that we finished within the front half of the field and l am already looking forward to Imola.”
Michel Frey was also very content with his team: “It was a difficult weekend in LMP3, a real challenge to find a reasonable set-up of the car for all our three drivers. But in the race everything worked very well from the beginning, our drivers were highly motivated and could do the times of the top cars in all stints. We have a very equal driver line-up which should help us to confirm this good result in the next races. With a bit more testing and experience we will probably be able to aim for even better results in the future.
The next ELMS race will take place at 15th of May at Imola/Italy, before Race Performance will continue at the biggest race event at all, the 24 hours of Le Mans at 18th/19th of June in France.
Press release Wolgang Koep/Race Performance
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