Larbre Competition successfully completed the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours and rose through the field following a steady qualifying to finish 17th overall on board the Ligier JS P217.
The French team also rounded out the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season, collecting the fourth-place points which are given as 1.5x the usual amount for the twice-around-the-clock event. The result means Larbre secures fifth in the LMP2 Teams’ Championship.
Starting from 28th overall, American Nicholas Boulle took the start and began making up places during his triple stint before a puncture brought him into the pits slightly ahead of schedule to hand over to Romano Ricci.
The Frenchman put in a solid drive and his countryman Erwin Creed took over. He received a five-second time penalty for making contact with a backmarker at Mulsanne corner but otherwise ran strong in 25th. A well-timed safety car gave Creed the opportunity to give the car back to Boulle, who safely navigated a sudden downpour during his stint and was 21st when he stopped as night fell.
An issue with the engine cover, which came off the car during the night, as well as a slow puncture, hindered progress but did not cost the team in terms of position.
A hard charge by the drivers during the early hours of Sunday morning pushed Larbre up to 19th, utilising the Val de Vienne-based squad’s 25 years of Le Mans knowledge to gain two more places in the closing stages. Ricci brought the car home to conclude the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship Super Season.
Jack Leconte, Team Manager: “26 entries at Le Mans and 24 finishes says a lot about the quality of the team and the preparation of cars by Larbre Competition. We have raced twice here during the Super Season – last year was harder as Romano and Erwin were rookies and struggled to grasp the approach needed for this event. But this year they were agreeing with the programmes we prepared for them straightaway, including additional physical training which made doing triple stints possible to match the capacity of the tyres, improving our strategy. There was just one technical issue during the race when we lost the engine cover, costing us two laps which is not a lot in a 24-hour race. But there was not a single issue with the engine, gearbox, brakes or suspension, everything went according to plan. This Le Mans 24 Hours has been very enjoyable, it was a pleasure to put together this programme.”
Nicholas Boulle: “We got off to a good start, made up a few places and then throughout the stints progressively moved forward which was good. I expected the track to come to the car a bit more and sadly it didn’t, so it was a bit of a struggle but I’m really glad we finished. LMP2 is super competitive, it seems like there’s always a battle. Nowadays you don’t get to take a breath, you drive flat-out like it’s a 24-hour sprint race. I got to drive when it was getting dark and I really like that time, because that’s what gives you the perspective that it’s actually a 24-hour race. As you head into the Porsche Curves in sixth gear and turn into the apex, you can’t see – there isn’t anywhere else like that.”
Romano Ricci: “We produced a strong race and the three drivers were solid, we were homogenous which I think was our strength. There was not a driver who was flying and two others slowing down, we posted similar lap times. There was no major mistake, like a spin, we avoided all the traps and this is how we finished 12th in the LMP2 class. I said before the race that if we finished in the top 10 of the class it would be like a victory for us and we are not that far off. Maybe it’s like finishing on the podium! To drive at the finish was amazing with all these flags and all the marshals, it’s a great moment when you realise how many people work on the track during the event. I found the last lap to be very romantic. I’m an exhausted, but happy man.”
Erwin Creed: “I’m pleased with the work done by my team-mates, who always returned the car in good condition. Yesterday was difficult for me, I put pressure on myself and it took some time before I could find the right pace. But from this morning onwards it went much better and I was a lot more satisfied with my lap times. The race conditions were not always easy, especially the restarts after safety car periods, you have to be cautious with those. As Jack advised us, I preferred being cautious and safe rather than taking silly risks. You lose less time when you sit back and choose your moment than when you spin off the track.”
Source. Larbre Compétition/Photo. © MPS Agency
Comments
