United Autosports concludes the season with success in Portugal

Philip Albuquerque therefore triumphed on his land for the last test of European Le Mans TV Shows 2018 in Portugal on the Portimão track. The Portuguese, associated with Phil Hanson on the No. 217 Ligier JS P22 – United Autosports won the four-hour race this Sunday, after regularly playing at the front.

The start of the race had however seen the Oreca 07 n°29 – Duqueine Engineering of Pierre Ragues – Nico Jamin – Nelson Panciatici rise to the lead of the race after having battled with Timothé Buret (Ligier JS P217 n°23 – Panis-Barthez Compétition ) in the first moments. But the car from the team led by Yann Belhomme will have to lower its flag, slowed down by a suspension problem at the left rear wheel.

And following the penalty of the Dallara P217 n°47 – Cetilar Villorba Corse de Nasr – Lacorte – Sernagiotto, for contact with a Porsche 911 RSR is a group of four cars made up of the two Ligier JS P217 – United Autosports, the No. 07 Oreca 26 – G-Drive Racing and the No. 217 Ligier JS P23 – Panis-Barthez Competition which will take place compete for victory.

If for a time, Jean-Eric Vergne seemed in a position to regain the lead of the race, a ten-second penalty for having taken an advantage outside the limits of the track, will cut the momentum of the No. 26 Oreca, which will not be able to prevent a 100% Ligier podium with the n°22 – United Autosports of Albuquerque – Hanson, winner ahead of the n°23 – Panis Barthez Compétition of Stevens – Canal – Buret and the n°32 – United Autosports of Boyd – Owen – by Sadeleer.

This is the second consecutive success for the No. 22 after its victory at Spa. The trio Pizzitola – Vergne – Rusinov failed at the foot of the podium in front of the No. 07 Oreca 24 – Racing Engineering of Pla – Nato – Petit.

In LM P3, victory went to the No. 3 Ligier JS P13 – Inter Europol Competition of Hippe – Smiechowski, the first victory for the team. The podium in the category is completed by the Ligier JS P3 n°7 – Ecurie Scotland/Nielsen de Noble – Kapadia – Stubbe Olsen. The title goes to the drivers of the #3 Ligier JS P15 – RLR MSport John Farano – Job van Utiert – Robert Garofall.

Porsche wins in GTE with the 911 RSR n°77 – Proton Competition from Dienst – Olsen – Ried ahead of the Ferrari 488 GTE n°66 – JMW Motorsport of Molina – Griffin – MacDowall and the Porsche 911 RSR n°88 – Proton Competition of Cairoli – Roda – Roda, the two Italians securing the crown.

Race ranking

Discover the full report of the final of theELMS in Portugal, in AUTO n°2189hebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.