Le Mans – A successful first for Sébastien Loeb Racing at Le Mans

2014 will mark the first time that a car from the team of the nine-time world rally champion and current Citroën WTCC driver has set foot on the track. 24 Hours of Le Mans. A goal always acknowledged by the boss himself and Dominique Heintz, the team's Team Principal, which finally came to fruition this weekend with a happy ending at the finish. Fourth place in LM P2, eighth overall, the results of the No. 03 Oreca 24R exceed expectations. “I am proud of the whole team, says Sébastien Loeb, present in Sarthe, to admire the work of its troops. “We are happy because we achieved our goal. Realistically, we weren't necessarily hoping for better than a Top 5. In fact, we simply followed our guideline: we told the drivers not to try to do more than they knew how to do. And that?s what they did. We didn?t make any big mistakes. There are a few details but that?s normal for such a young team. The team managed the stops well and everyone did a good job. It’s a great debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. »

A good start made possible in particular by an Oreca 03R with a Nissan engine which did not encounter any major problems during the race, apart from a stop after passing through the gravel following a keel passing under the car, and a top-up of oil around midnight . A performance that is generally satisfactory and devoid of any accidents or serious breakdowns, but which can be further improved as noted by the pilots. “Above all, we tried to avoid trouble and we followed our guideline: patience and wisdom. My pace was good, I had very pleasant stints, others less with vibrations. » explains Vincent Capillaire. “In the night the car behaved really well. » adds René Rast who had the privilege of crossing the finish line on Sunday at 15 p.m. Before a new participation next year, why not have a podium in sight?

Discover the report and analysis of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, produced by our special correspondents in Sarthe, in the 1965 issue of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday in kiosks.