FIA GT – Loeb satisfied with the performance achieved

After winning the Nogaro qualifying race ahead of the Audi R8 LMS ultra of Team WRT driven by René Rast and Niki Mayr-Melnhof, Sébastien Loeb and Alvaro Parente found themselves in the hunted position for the Championship race on a wet track where the Audis had an advantage. After effectively resisting Niki Mayr-Melnhof, Sébastien Loeb handed over the wheel of the McLaren MP4-12C n°9 to his Portuguese teammate who came out of the pits in second place behind the n°12, but the car from the Alsatian team received two penalties for contact by Alvaro Parente on René Rast and a fault in the regulations , the nine-time world champion WRC having come loose before the car came to a complete stop. The No. 10 sister car of Andreas Zuber and Mike Parisy was no luckier as it suffered a drive-through and ultimately finished just outside the top ten.

“We suffered a little on a wet track: at the end of the stint, the car was quite complicated to drive”, recognized the driver boss of the Alsatian team. “Despite everything, I managed to keep first place. After the two penalties, we finished outside the Top 10: it's a shame because we clearly had the potential to win or be on the podium. I only want to remember the positive. We have always been competitive, which proves that the team has worked well. Personally, I am also satisfied. I was waiting for this event as a revelation and it was important for me to be in the mix. I don't forget that this is only the team?s first race at this level in GT. We logically have room for improvement on various points. The performance is there. We will capitalize on this first experience to approach the Zolder meeting (held on April 20 and 21) in the best conditions. »

Team Manager Dominique Heintz is also trying to draw positive points from the Easter Cups even if Sébastien Loeb Racing could hope for a much better result. The Parente-Loeb crew only occupies ninth and tenth place in the Championship while the team is in third place behind Team WRT and HTP Gravity Charouz. “This weekend is rather positive: we are in the match! We are performing well: we won the qualifying race not without reason. I'm happy for the team because everyone is doing a good job. We are all here to learn: I repeat, but we are still young. We have chosen a very tough championship, in which everything depends on the details...Winning the first race is satisfying, but it is up to us to progress even further! »

Click on this link to (re)watch the Nogaro Championship race.

Discover the report on the Nogaro Easter Cups produced by our special correspondents in the new issue of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version for iPad, PC and Mac, and on newsstands tomorrow.