24h Le Mans
It was on a dry track the 44 competitors took on the 4 Hours of Silverstone, opening round of the 2016 European Le Mans Series season, and in the end the dreaded rain did not disrupt the race.
The race was about to begin when Léo Roussel, surprised by the car braking in front of him, hit the pit wall, damaging Pegasus Racing's No. 29 Morgan, losing the advantage of his third position on the grid and facilitating things for Harry Tincknell who gained a spot.
Despite very cold weather (7°C), the British driver, who will drive a Ford GT at the 24 Hours in June, dazzled Silverstone thanks to a stunning stint. Though the winner in the LM P2 class at Le Mans in 2014 quickly took the lead, he nearly had to start back from zero after the presence of the safety car which intervened following an incident for poleman Pierre Thiriet and Thiriet by TDS Racing's No. 46 Oreca. A mere formality for the venerable Gibson, now sporting G-Drive Racing colours as a result of the partnership between the Russian team and Jota Sport and Harry Tincknell, whose teammates, Simon Dolan and Giedo van der Garde, were able to keep their lead all the way to the checkered flag.
Like its new compatriot, SMP Racing's race was relatively calm, the trio Stefano Coletti, Julian Leal Covelli and Andreas Wirth having managed to hold on to second place from the starting grid to the finish line. Wirth was helpless at the beginning of the race against Harry Tincknell and it was with a delay of 1:35 that the No. 32 BR01, the only car in the same lap as the day's winners, passed under the checkered flag, ahead of the So24! by Lombard Racing team.
Though a newcomer, the French outfit managed to do well thanks to Vincent Capillaire, Olivier Lombard and Jonathan Coleman in the No. 22 Ligier JS P2-Judd. The same cannot be said for Eurasia Motorsport's No. 33 Oreca 05-Nissan as Tristan Gommendy was forced to stop his car along the track following a mechanical problem, and Panis-Barthez Compétition's No. 23 Ligier JS P2-Nissan experienced electronic problems. The latter was able to rally and finish in ninth place, just ahead of the Algarve Pro Racing and Sir Chris Hoy's No. 25 Ligier JS P2-Nissan. Hoy, the six-time Olympic gold medal winner in track cycling, who will make his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, got stuck in a gravel trap, causing the second and final appearance of the safety car.
The cars of the three driver line-ups who claimed podium finishes in the LM P2 class were all equipped with Dunlop tyres, Michelin ending up in fourth with Krohn Racing's No. 40 Ligier JS P2-Nissan. Only LM P1 offers open competition in terms of tyres since the competitors in LM GTE utilize Dunlop and their LM P3 colleagues use Michelin.
In that last class, the American outfit United Autosports scored a one-two with its Ligier JS P3s, the model used by the entire field with one exception. Like his fellow countryman Harry Tincknell, Alex Brundle pulled off an exceptional stint, allowing his teammates Mike Guasch, winner in the Prototype Challenge class at Petit Le Mans in 2015, and Christian England, to go on to the finish. The No. 2 Ligier JS P3 finished a lap ahead on the No. 3 sister car of Mark Patterson, Matthew Bell and Wayne Boyd despite an additional stop compared to the No. 9 Ligier JS P3 of Graff, third. The French outfit did well in its debut in the class thanks to Eric Trouillet, Paul Petit and Enzo Guibbert.
Experience level won out in the LM GTE class with a 100% British podium after AF Corse's two Ferrari 458 Italias cancelled each other out by colliding. It was another Ferrari, JMW Motorsport's No. 66 that did well thanks to Andrea Bertolini, winner in the LM GTE Am at last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rory Butcher and Robert Smith, ahead of the two official Aston Martin Vantages. Andrew Howard, Darren Turner, who will also take the start at the 6 Hours of Silverstone in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) next year, and Alex MacDowall, came in ahead of their teammates Roald Goethe, Stuart Hall and Richie Stanaway. They snatched the third step on the podium by a thread from AT Racing's Ferrari following a manœuver by Richie Stanaway under investigation by the marshals.
JMW Motorsports Ferrari was excluded following post-race scrutineering.
Next for the competitors, Imola in Italy on May 15, 2016 for the second round of this six-race season.
Cécile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
PHOTO: TOWCESTER (NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, UK), SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT, ELMS, 4 HOURS OF SILVERSTONE, FRIDAY APRIL 15 2016. G-Drive Racing's Gibson won at the opening round of the season.
