Le Mans – Oreca finally makes it happen

For a first, the test is transformed. After the failures of the 03 on the route of 24 Hours of Le Mans, its descendant 05 only needed one attempt to reach the top step of the podium in the LM P2 category. An achievement for the Hugues de Chaunac firm which has been chasing such success since its arrival in LM P2 in 2011.

The credit also goes to the KCMG team, and to the trio Nicolas lapierre ? Matt Howson? Richard Bradley, author of an almost perfect race. After pole position, it was at the end of an event carried out almost from start to finish (349 laps completed in the lead) that the No. 05 Oreca 47 crossed the finish line, ahead of the JOTA Sport Gibson 015S and the G-Drive Racing's Ligier JS P2, despite a few alerts at the end of the race, following gearbox problems (reverse). “I honestly didn’t believe it, admitted Hugues de Chaunac. It’s a superb victory because the car was put on the ground two months before Le Mans. She never entered the stand. I am very happy. »

This is an incident with theAston Martin #99 of Fernando Rees which, however, prevented the Thiriet by TDS Racing sister car from finishing the race, even though it was at the front. Now crowned at Le Mans, the 05 will aim to continue its momentum from the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring at the end of August, where the Ligier JS P2s will be in force to regain control.

Find our full report and analysis of the 24 2015 Hours of Le Mans, in the 2016 issue of AUTOhebdo, available in digital version and on newsstands.