ELMS – Chatin and Hirsch win at the Red Bull Ring

If Paul-Loup Chatin lost the LMPC pole at Spielberg for having exceeded the limits of the track, the Frenchman quickly regained the advantage in the race by taking advantage of a puncture which occurred on the No. 48 of Soheil Ayari from the first rounds. The reserve pilot ofAlpine adopted a very efficient pace to build up a solid lead before handing over the wheel to his teammate. “My first stint went well: I was quickly able to take the lead, then build up a nice lead. Then, I managed the second stint because we were thinking about doing the whole race with the same tires. Finally, the advance was such that we decided to change them. »

Gary Hirsch managed to resist the return of the #47 which chose to keep its tires throughout the event in an attempt to reduce the gap on the leading car. The strategy almost worked since Nicolas Verdonck came back just seven seconds behind the Swiss. “Victory was more complicated to achieve than at Imola, but we managed it. I didn't know the circuit at all and so I had to learn quickly. Paul-Loup had a good qualification and a very good double relay to open up a nice gap. I had to manage this lead and, despite difficult traffic with fast GTs in a straight line, the mission was accomplished. I am very happy with the weekend: the performance is there and we continue to progress, while increasing our points margin in the Championship. »

With the poor performance of Soheil Ayari and Anthony Pons who missed the podium, Paul-Loup Chatin and Gary Hirsch start again from Red Bull Ring with 15 points ahead of the drivers of the No. 48.