3H Endurance Protos: A lively race and a suspenseful finale

In qualifying, it was the n°8 of TFT which won ahead of the n°1 of CD sport; We therefore find the leaders of the championship on this first row. Next come the #28 of JD Racing Tean Begins, the #7 of TFT and the #12 of Tatuus Racing. There will therefore be a fight between the Norma and the Tatuus in this 4th round of the season. The flying start is given at 15 p.m., still with pleasant sunshine which brings ideal track conditions. The No. 76 of RLR Motorsport withdrew and did not appear on the grid. After the start, the first lap is already lively since the two leading Normas, 1 and 8, make a small touch without gravity. It is Delafosse on the n°1 who takes the advantage. Patrice Lafargue on No. 17 gets trapped and spins. Fights at all levels in the peloton, and some team managers have already been called to race management in order to calm the enthusiasm of certain drivers. Nothing serious though, since the pilots of this Endurance Proto do not take unnecessary risks in the first minutes of a three-hour round.

After 7 laps, the top 5 is as follows: Norma n°1 (CD Sport) / Norma n°8 (TFT) / Norma n°41 (Palmyr) / Tatuus n°12 (Tatuus Racing) / Norma n°3 ( CD Sport). Unfortunately the latter, driven by Marc-Antoine Dannielou, is already returning to the box with a problem with the accelerator; problem quickly resolved, but many places lost. The #44 from Palmyr with the Borga family started in last place on the grid (30th) and after 10 laps, it is already 10th! Concern about the Radical SR 5 n°71, which is racing outside the classification, but which wanted to be present at this meeting in Dijon. She is slowing down and returns to her box. On the side of the 41, then third, it ends in the gravel trap at the end of the straight after 35 minutes. She will manage to restart with the help of the commissioners, but very far in the ranking. It was then the turn of the No. 42, and therefore still at Palmyr, to be caught in a collision. She must return for a wing change and a check of the rear axle.

40 minutes of racing, and exit from the Safety Car! The Tatuus n°7 of Philippe Illiano made a mistake and found itself stuck in a bad position. Rush to the pits for many teams who will modify their strategy by taking advantage of the safety car to refuel earlier than planned. Little scare on No. 44 (again at Palmyr) with the start of a fire when refueling. It is quickly mastered, and has no impact on Norma.

We leave a few minutes before the first hour of the race. After this intervention and the various stops, the ranking is as follows: n°1 and n°8 are still fighting at the front, followed by the Wolf n°45 of Avelon Formula, the n°12 of Tatuus Racing and the Norma n°40 by Philippe Mondolot. An exceptional top 5 when we know the value of these drivers who are not going to give up in the remaining two hours. The official Tatuus did not take long to attack the Wolf of Avelon Formula. No. 12 heads to the pits for refueling.

After 1h30, we witness a new dance of cars in the pitlane, but above all it is an opportunity to make driver changes, since we are halfway through the race. In the lead, the n°18 is 41 seconds ahead of the n°45. Great performance from Ines Taittinger who hands over the wheel of the No. 4 Norma CD Sport to her teammate Kévin Bole Besançon after 1 hour 40 minutes of racing. She was in 6th place. Almost the second hour of racing and the Wolf n°45 is in front. The chase is led by the 1, the 8 and the 40. The Avelon Formula car has to refuel and Thomas Accary regains the leading position at the wheel of the Norma n°1. The No. 8 of Vincent Capillaire is 23 seconds behind the leading car, but the driver achieves very good times. The official Tatuus n°12 is in slow motion; she will give up because of a broken suspension. When it comes to pit stops, the #40 can aim for a good place at the end of the race with David Zollinger at the wheel.
Dramatic turn of events 35 minutes from the checkered flag! Yann Le Calvez's Norma n°9 violently leaves the track; the safety car enters the track again. The safety car remains on the track for a quarter of an hour while the medical team can treat the JMP Racing driver. The restart is going to be very hot because everyone has gathered together and we are going to witness a real 20-minute sprint for the end of the weekend! In order 1 / 8 / 40 / 45? Accary achieves a perfect takeoff and quickly takes a lead over the No. 8. He even sets the fastest lap on the track. The big duel takes place between the 40 of Zollinger and the 45 of Bellarosa; it's very, very heated at times between the two cars. David Zollinger succeeds in countering the attacks of his pursuer and retains this fine third place obtained with Philippe Mondolot author of a very fine first stint.

Victory for the Norma CD Sport n°1 from Accary/Delafosse, ahead of the Norma TFT n°8 from Capillaire/Cavailhes. The two cars dominated this Dijon event, even if the competition was tough throughout these three hours. The number 40 of the Palmyr team achieved a very good third place.
The Wolf Avelon Formula finished 4th, but we especially noticed the 5th place of the No. 44 which started last on the grid.

See you at the start of the school year, on August 30, 31 and September 1, for a unique event in the season, the 12H of Motorland Aragon in Spain, an endurance event which will bring together the GT/Touring and sport prototype categories.