The arrival of WRT, the Belgian team of Vincent Vosse, well known in GT3 but also in DTM, was clearly the pleasant surprise of the start of the season. It does little to say that this arrival can be explained by the entry into play of the LMDh and the return of Audi in the premier category. WRT is very close to the rings, and before aiming high in Endurance, cutting your teeth in LMP2 is far from silly.
For the Belgians, the first attempt was a master stroke, we must not kid ourselves. The crew of the Oreca n ° 41 left little doubt about the team’s intentions with Louis Delétraz, Robert Kubica and Yinfei Ye, and from the tests, the Oreca n ° 41 was placed among the faster. In the race, it was a perfect match for the team, with an excellent start from Louis Delétraz: “It means a lot to us, the team did a great job. You can’t believe that it was easy, but indeed, we had good qualifying, a good start, a good race. It’s a great way to start the season. “
Because if the WRT was fast, it was also the case of the Aurus n ° 26 of G-Drive (De Vries-Rusinov-Colapinto). Starting from pole, the crew made more mistakes, such as during the starting procedure, refueling, and a spin. The crew finished fifth, but proved that in a high field like that of 2021, mistakes are not allowed. Nicolas Jamin, spinning from the first corner, will not be able to deny it.
Panis Racing confirms
Another team did particularly well, Panis Racing, with Stevens-Canal and last-minute interim Gabriel Aubry. The French car kept pace, made no mistakes, and a second place at the start of the season confirms the momentum seen last year, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a podium.
The Bretons of Ultimate Racing also managed a masterstroke. The Lahaye brothers, with François Heriau, place their Oreca n ° 29 in 5th place, but also the victory in the Pro-Am trophy, which rewards the crews with a Bronze driver. François Heriau did not hide his satisfaction: “It’s nice for a first race. Especially since last year we didn’t run at all. We’re coming back as an LMP2 team, and we immediately win this Pro-Am trophy, so it’s like a dream for us. “ The Sarthois Capillaire-Robin-Robin, finished in 14th position.
In LMP3, Cool Racing won with the Ligier entrusted to Bell-Mullini-Kruetten. In GTE, the Ferrari 488 Iron Linx of Cressoni-Mastronardi-Molina offers the victory. Also worth noting is the 34th place overall in the Oreca n ° 84 of the SRT 41, a car adapted for two drivers with disabilities (Bailly and Aoki). They are actively preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Next race in Austria on May 16th.
The full ranking can be found here.
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