2H Endurance VHC: The old ones liven up a sunny end to the day.

Following Friday evening's qualifying, two prototypes in the S2000 category are on the front row, the March 81S n°51 of Hottinguer/Kubryk and the Lola T492 n°52 of the German team Biehl Racing with the crew Schmeyer / Hug. Followed by Yann Le Calvez and his efficient Elva MK8 n°3, and the De Tomaso Pantera n°12 of Karl Pedraza and Lionel Robert, which was making its entry into the V de V Endurance Series in Dijon.

The No. 19 Chevron B17 from Châteaux Sport Auto did not take part in qualifying, but we know the full potential of the car driven by Patrice Lafargue and Frédéric Da Rocha, even if it will start in last position for the race.

Saturday at 16:50 p.m., the VHC peloton begins its warm-up lap to close the second day of this Dijon meeting. The small event of this late afternoon is already the arrival of the sun which brings a smile to the entire paddock, and to the spectators present around this Dijon-Prenois circuit. The flying start went off without any problem, and from the first loop we saw the forces present take the direction of operations. The Elva MK8 of Yann Le Calvez is positioned in the lead, but among the prototypes, it is the No. 17 from Châteaux Sport Auto that attracts all eyes. We knew the Chevron B19 was effective, but not necessarily to this extent! In 6 laps, Patrice Lafargue went from last position on the grid to the race lead! On the GT side, the De Tomaso of Méca Matériaux, which had performed well in qualifying, made a quiet start and let Serge Kriknoff take the lead in his no. 2.8 66 RSR. Three duels are organized at the front. No. 17 and No. 3 (SP3 category), No. 52 and No. 51 (S2000 category), No. 66 and No. 15 (Group 4). These six cars are in the same order overall at the start of the race. In the peloton, the No. 83 Tiga SC54, the other car from the German Biehl Racing team, made a good comeback.
We are approaching the first hour of the race, and the pit stops begin. Fuel, tires and driver changes depending on the planned relays, this first series leaves on the track those who have planned to bet everything on the end of the race. We are talking in particular about drivers who are the only ones driving their car, but who will, in any case, have to make their obligatory stop before the checkered flag. First important event of the race, when Patrice Lafargue comes in to refuel and hand over the wheel to Frédéric Da Rocha. Chevron B19 refuses to restart; she will spend more than 7 minutes in the box before managing to get back on the track. Disappointment after a fantastic first half of the race, especially since the car was running without any problems. The beautiful #2800 BMW 70CS (Guy Burnichon / Xavier Du Castel) has already stopped, but must return to the pits to change its tires again; a large flat spot on one of the tires causes severe vibrations in the car. New passage through the box of the #70 BMW after only a few minutes, this time it is the hood which no longer closes; the TransConcept crew is definitely lacking luck this weekend! First significant incident on the track, the Chevron B36 of Nigel Greensall and Richard Bryan was stopped at the edge of the circuit and smoke emerged from the engine hood.

The No. 76 will be brought back to the box to try to repair, but the verdict is in: it is the abandonment for the Chevron which was nevertheless well placed.

In the meantime, Yann Le Calvez, who was also riding alone in his Elva MK8, made his stop and left without incident while retaining the race lead. He is soon imitated by Serge Kriknoff who decides to return with his 2.8 RSR, an express stop, but which respects the minimum 2 minutes imposed by the regulations. The No. 77 Mustang returns in slow motion; engine overheating problem. The mechanics examine the block of the American, but it is also the abandonment for the Ford of Benton Bryan and Jonathan Coleman. Only one car did not pass through the boxes, it was the Lola T492 n°52. The Germans will really wait until the last moment to make their only stop after 1h50 of racing. After their return to the track, they are 3rd and we will witness one of the most beautiful “hunts” of this VHC endurance. After the problems during refueling, the Chevron B19 of Châteaux Sport Auto has been fighting since mid-race to move up the rankings. Frédéric Da Rocha now finds himself 4th with a gap of 32 seconds 6 minutes from the end of the race. It runs 5 to 6 seconds faster than the Lola! Only one question: will he succeed in getting the third step on the podium? Da Rocha excels at the wheel of this Chevron and he is in the wake of the No. 52 on the penultimate lap. He leaves no chance to the German driver and wins under braking before attacking the last loop. On the track, the No. 12 De Tomaso, which leads Group 3, is driving slowly with a burst rear tire. She will succeed in reaching the finish line while maintaining the leading position in her class. Less chance for Porsche 3.0 RS n°10 from LD Racing which finished the event in its box.
For the top 5, we therefore have the Elva MK8 (n°3), the March 81S (n°51), the Chevron B19 (n°17), the Lola T492 (n°52) and the Porsche 2.8 RSR ( No. 66). It was the No. 17 of Lafargue/Da Rocha which unsurprisingly took the best lap in the race after this real festival during the 2 hours of racing.

Winners by category:
SP 3: Elva MK8 (#3? Engine Mech)
Group 2: Alfa Romeo Giulia Super (n°22? Blue Fox Racing)
Gr 3: De Tomaso Pantera (n°12? Meca Engine)
Gr 4: Porsche 2.8 RSR (n°66? Team Cubana)
GTS11: Porsche 911 (n°19? Henrique Gemperle)
S2000: March 81S (n°51? Palmyr)

See you at the start of the school year, with the major event of this VHC season. On September 6, 7 and 8, the 2 Clock Towers will take place, a unique event in the world since it is still the only one to offer 24-hour endurance for historic competition vehicles. The setting: the magnificent Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet.