Oreca misses the boat

With two cars in the first three positions on the starting grid, Oreca could hope for a good race. But a long repair in the pits, following a leak at the fuel circuit connection, condemned the Panis crew-Stone, started in pole position. “ We had a car to win, but we lost the
race following a leak on a fitting, confirms Nicolas Lapierre. It's hard because we had a real opportunity to put in a great performance. »

From then on, starting again in 28th position, the crew slowly moved up the peloton to finish in an honorable 4th place. “ But it's annoying to complete 24 hours (at Le Mans) without trouble and encounter one in a 1000km event., adds Lapierre. The positive point is the step performed in pure performance. The qualifications and race pace demonstrated this. » Teammate of Nicolas Lapierre, Olivier Panis confirms that the Var team is close to first place. “ When I got behind the wheel, I had the knife between my teeth and I fought to get back on. It is in these moments that we must stick together. We have come back well and, above all, there are lessons to be learned: we have improved the performance of the Oreca 01 and developments are still to come. It will pay off. »

Ultimately, it was the Monteiro-Senna crew, starting from third position, which achieved the best result within the Var team, finishing in XNUMX. in third place. The Portuguese, who, after the 24 Hours of Le Mans, his second race at the wheel of the Oreca prototype, is delighted with this result. “ It's a great feeling to be on the podium for my first race here in the Algarve. It?s really special, especially since it was my first appearance in the Le Mans Series. The car was very efficient and it only needed a little bit of speed to manage to maintain 2nd place and claim victory. But 3rd place is a great satisfaction. » Bruno Senna, who has been participating in the LMS program since the start of the season, is also enthusiastic after this second podium of the season. “ I already finished 3rd in Barcelona, ​​but the way was not the same. We were more competitive: it is certainly our best weekend in the Le Mans Series. »

For his part, Hugues de Chaunac, boss of Oreca, must admit that 3rd and 4th places are not completely satisfactory, after the potential seen during free practice and qualifying. “ After qualifying, we aimed for the top of the table, that is to say first place. A connection deprives us of fighting for victory, it's a shame. Overall, the course of the weekend was positive: the car reached a new level, as did the team in operating the equipment. This is one of the satisfactions. The other is to see Tiago and Bruno on the podium. » Oreca will be able to test its progress during the Le Mans Series finale, from September 11 to 13, at Silverstone, before leaving for the United States to compete in the American Le Mans Series Petit Le Mans event. (Road Atlanta).