#28 Oreca 07 – Gibson (LMP2)

Co-owners: Xavier Combet and Jacques Morello
Team Manager: Xavier Combet
Technical Director: Jacques Morello
Engineer: Jacques Morello
Location: Saint-Aunès (FRA)
Website: www.tdsracing.fr

2011 LMS classification: 3rd, LMP2 Teams Championship (38 pts)

2012 ELMS classification: 1st, LMP2 Teams Championship (94 pts, 2 wins)

2013 ELMS classification: 2nd, LMP2 Teams Championship (77 pts, 2 wins)

2014 ELMS classification: 7th, LMP2 Teams Championship (35 pts, 1 win)

2015 ELMS classification: 2nd, LMP2 Teams Championship (91 pts, 2 wins)

2016 ELMS classification: 2nd, LMP2 Teams Championship (96 pts, 3 wins)

2017 WEC results

6 Hours of Silverstone: 6th (3rd in LMP2), Collard/Perrodo/Vaxivière (FRA/FRA/FRA), Oreca 07 – Gibson

WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: 15th (9th in LMP2), Collard/Perrodo/Hanley (FRA/FRA/GBR), Oreca 07 – Gibson

TDS Racing (Top Drive Services) was founded in 2004 by two young businessmen, Xavier Combet and Jacques Morello, to enter the 2005 World Series by Renault. Over the following six years in the Renault Eurocup Mégane Trophy, TDS Racing picked up no fewer than six Driver titles and two Team titles.

In 2011, Combet and Morello decided that the time was right for a new, bigger challenge. TDS Racing switched to the Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class with an Oreca 03 chassis powered by a Nissan engine. The strategy paid off as TDS Racing claimed pole position on its first outing at Le Castellet and then trumped that by winning the second round at Spa-Francorchamps, counting towards the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC). The 2011 season proved to be a highly successful one: third overall in the Le Mans Series and top rookie team thanks to its trio of drivers Pierre Thiriet, Mathias Beche and Jody Firth.

TDS Racing and frozen food firm Thiriet Surgelés joined forces in 2012 to create Thiriet by TDS Racing. The twin objective for the season was to win the European Le Mans Series and take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The team kept faith with Beche and Thiriet, and the LMP2-class Oreca 03 – Nissan. Ahead of Le Mans, the outfit lined up at the 6 Hours of Le Castellet where it achieved the hat-trick of pole position (Beche), fastest lap in the race (Beche again) and victory! At Le Mans, Beche and Thiriet were joined by the experienced Christophe Tinseau, who was making his eleventh appearance in the race. The team’s début was outstanding: an overall eighth place and a runner-up spot in the LMP2 standings after giving the winners a good run for their money! The rest of the season was just as remarkable as the team scooped the ELMS Teams and Drivers titles (Beche and Thiriet) after a second place in Donington and a class win at Petit Le Mans (USA), again with the help of Tinseau.

In comparison, 2013 was not such a good year. The team remained in the ELMS spotlight with Thiriet and Hirschi finishing third at Silverstone, before Beche returned to partner Thiriet for the remainder of the season. The pair moved up the standings with wins at Imola and Red Bull Ring, before mechanical issues proved costly in the final two rounds. Thiriet by TDS Racing finished the season in an honourable second position. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Thiriet was joined by BMW works driver Maxime Martin, and Ludovic Badey, making his third appearance in the race. After Thiriet crashed in practice, the team had to battle against the clock to rebuild the Oreca 03 – Nissan in time for the start. The race itself went smoothly until the 23rd hour. A storm surprised several of the racers between Arnage and the Porsche Curves. Badey, lying sixth in the LMP2 class, was one of the drivers to be caught out as he hit the barrier, forcing the team to retire. Alongside its ELMS campaign, TDS Racing competed in the 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series with a BMW Z4 GT3. In its début season, the French outfit finished fifth in the Pro-Am championship with Henry Hassid and Badey. TDS Racing entered the same car in the French GT championship too.

During the close season, the decision was made to join forces with Onroak Automotive. In a bid to reclaim its ELMS crown, Thiriet by TDS Racing began the 2014 season with a Morgan – Nissan, before swapping at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for a brand new Ligier JS P2 – Nissan. The season’s driver line-up of Badey, Thiriet and Tristan Gommendy got off to a tremendous start by winning at Silverstone. They were shaping up for a good result at Imola in the second round of the ELMS season too when brake disc failure put paid to the Morgan – Nissan’s chances. After switching to the Ligier JS P2 – Nissan, the team enjoyed a successful Le Mans. A lightning-fast time from Gommendy in qualifying saw the team start from pole position. Twenty-four hours later, the #46 crossed the finish line in second place in the LMP2 class (sixth overall). The 2014 season went downhill from that point as the Ligier JS P2 was affected by technical issues on several occasions and the team had to settle for seventh place in the final ELMS standings. After its promising opening season, TDS Racing decided to double up in the Blancpain Endurance Series by fielding two BMW Z4 GT3s, one for Hassid and Nick Catsburg, and the other for Nicolas Armindo, Eric Clément and Benjamin Lariche. Two wins – including the season finale at the Nürburgring – took TDS Racing to second place in the championship.

For the 2015 ELMS season, Thiriet by TDS Racing switched from the Ligier JS P2 to the new Oreca 05 – Nissan, but kept to the same driver line-up of Thiriet, Badey and Gommendy. The squad scored its first win at Imola and was in with a chance of the title down to the final race in Estoril where Gommendy was replaced by Nicolas Lapierre. Despite winning the race, the team failed to secure a new ELMS title, finishing just two points behind the champions. At the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, the trio clocked the sixth-fastest time in qualifying but, following an incident on the track, the team had to change the car’s body. The #46 Oreca 05 – Nissan made the starting line after a race against the clock and moved up into the top three in the opening laps. It remained in the podium places until Gommendy was struck by an LM GTE around 5.00 in the morning. The car managed to limp back to the pits but the damage was too great. The race was over. TDS Racing abandoned the Blancpain Endurance Series that year in favour of the ELMS GTC class (in addition to the LMP2 campaign), entering its BMW Z4 GT3 for Dino Lunardi, Eric Dermont and Franck Perrera. With two victories at Silverstone and Le Castellet, the trio won the title with a total of 101 points and the team was rewarded with an invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Plans were made to honour the invitation with an Aston Martin Vantage in the LMGTE Am class, but the project was abandoned.

The 2016 season was one of continuity (same Nissan-powered Oreca 05) and change with a considerably modified driver line-up following Mathias Beche’s return to the fold. Beche and Thiriet were partnered by talented Japanese youngster Ryo Hirakawa who had joined Toyota’s young driver training programme. After a poor start at Silverstone (DNF), the team won three successive races at Imola, Red Bull Ring and Le Castellet. At Spa, Thiriet by TDS Racing could only come third and lost all hope at Estoril with an overall 28th place. The French outfit ended the ELMS Teams championship in second place, seven points behind the winners. Billed as one of the favourites for the LMP2 crown at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the trio of Beche/Hirakawa/Thiriet ran a superb race until Thiriet drove off track on Sunday morning, forcing the team to retire. 

This season, with Pierre Thiriet having joined G-Drive Racing, the team has returned to its original name of TDS Racing. The outfit now fields an Oreca 07 – Gibson (#28) for François Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard (winners of the 2016 FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGTE Am Drivers in FIA WEC) and Matthieu Vaxivière. TDS Racing got its inaugural World Endurance Championship season off to a bright start with a third place in the LMP2 class in the opening round at Silverstone. Three weeks later at Spa, with Ben Hanley in for the injured Vaxivière, the #28 finished ninth in class after Perrodo drove off, requiring the team’s mechanics to change the bonnet. This year will see the sixth 24 Hours of Le Mans appearance for the team from the south of France. Invariably one of the favourites to take the LMP2 title, can it finally come good and win the legendary race? 

Photo: Pascal Saivet, Vision Sport Agency