Pagenaud: “A good operation”

Arriving at Mid-Ohio for the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series, the crew of the HPD ARX-01c n°1 aimed to increase its lead at the top of the championship over Klaus Graf, well recovered thanks to his victory obtained two weeks ago at Lime Rock. Saturday evening, at the end of the race, the objective was achieved. But simon pagenaud and David Brabham would certainly have preferred to have dug it in a completely different way. In fact, the Porsche RS-Spyder, with Greg Pickett at the wheel, was the victim of a big off-track during the last free practice session on Friday. The package was therefore inevitable.

With the Cytosport team car absent, the race was not insipid, however, the Highcroft Racing duo finding on their route a Dyson Racing Lola-Mazda in dazzling form, and much superior in top speed. Finally, the latter, driven by Guy Smith and Chris Dyson, will be the first to take the checkered flag, ahead of the car of the reigning champion team by five tenths.

“It was a great race, declared Simon Pagenaud upon arrival. We end the weekend on a very good note. David was exceptional at the start of the race, keeping pace with the more powerful cars. The team brought me out of the pits in second position, but the Mazda (the victorious Lola Dyson, editor's note), was too fast in a straight line and overtook me. I continued to attack. I had more and more grip and the car was very pleasant to drive. I thought I had an opportunity at the end, but there weren't enough laps. We are not disappointed today. It's a good operation in the championship and we always knew that this weekend would be a challenge for us. We have three races left to go and it will be important to maintain this points advantage, and to continue to be as fast as possible. »

The next round will take place at the Road America circuit on August 22. Simon Pagenaud and his sidekick David Brabham will try to get even closer to the title and return to the top step of the podium. But Lola Dyson proved to now have a say in victory. As for the Porsche Cytosport, it should be back. If Greg Pickett is convalescent, Klaus Graf will be supported by a driver whose identity has not yet been revealed. But it's a safe bet that he will have a teammate whose talent is no longer in doubt, in order to tease the crew of the HPD Highcroft until the final round of the season: Petit Le Mans at the beginning of October.