Thiriet by TDS Racing crowned European Le Mans Series champions!
Fresh off another win in the FIA World Endurance Championship thanks to ADR-Delta in the 6 Hours of Fuji, the ORECA 03 tasted success again, this time at Petit Le Mans. Finishing third in the LMP2 class and first among the ELMS competitors, Thiriet by TDS Racing won the European Le Mans Series Teams’ title. Joined by Christophe Tinseau for the event, the regular driving squad of Pierre Thiriet and Mathias Bèche captured the Drivers’ title. As in 2011, ORECA-Nissan was crowned Constructors champions!
Murphy Prototypes was in the hunt in LMP2 class for quite a while, and CORE Autosport dominated the LMPC class with the driving squad of Popow/Dalziel/Wilkins taking an excellent sixth place overall!
A crowning moment for Thiriet by TDS Racing!
Thiriet by TDS Racing finished the season like they started it: with a smile! The French team began the year with an overall victory at the 6 Hours of the Castellet and continued with a podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 6 Hours of Donington. As leaders in the European Le Mans Series championship, Pierre Thiriet et Mathias Bèche were under pressure for the last round, run in conjunction with the American Le Mans Series. With Christophe Tinseau rounding out the driving squad, the trio started the race in seventh place. After a quick jump into the top five, the No. 46 ORECA 03 remained in the hunt for a good finish. Running a flawless race, the Thiriet by TDS Racing team was able to avoid the many incidents in a race marked by numerous safety car periods. At the finish, Thiriet/Bèche/Tinseau came home third in LMP2, first of the European Le Mans Series competitors and fourth overall at Petit Le Mans. Enough to notch the title!
“Bravo to Thiriet by TDS Racing and their drivers who perfectly managed this finale,” said Hugues de Chaunac, president of Groupe ORECA. “The entire team had an excellent race, reflecting their season as a whole, in order to take the title. It’s a great reward and we are proud to have been alongside Thiriet by TDS Racing since their start in endurance racing. Murphy Prototypes was also in the pace. I’d like to congratulate this team, which has been among the quickest in their debut season of 2012. For the ORECA 03, it’s another good weekend. A week after Fuji and a week before Shanghai where ADR-Delta, Pecom Racing and Signatech-Nissan will all be present.”
Also entered in the LMP2 class at Petit Le Mans, Murphy Prototypes qualified in fourth place for the race and the Irish team took little time to reach the top three, driven by Jody Firth, Warren Hughes and Brendon Hartley. Still running third in the ninth hour, the team fell victim to an electrical problem and the No. 118 finished in sixth place in class.
LMPC : CORE Autosport celebrates the title with a win…
Already crowned Teams and Drivers champions, CORE Autosport had one goal in mind: finish on a high note. The American team did just that as Alex Popow, Ryan Dalziel and Mark Wilkins took victory in the LMPC class in their ORECA-FLM 09.
The trio took a remarkable sixth place overall. “This was a phenomenal second season for CORE autosport.” explains Morgan Brady, team manager. “Today’s win was even more special because we were able to do it in honor of Ralph Brown (member of the team who survived a brain aneurism last month). To have won eight races out of ten this season and clinched the ALMS PC team and driver championships in advance is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved with CORE autosport.”
At the chequered flag, CORE Autosport finished ahead of the Junqueira/Drissi/Vera squad driving for RSR Racing, second in the Teams championship. PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports complete the podium with Junco/Dobson/Julian, ahead of the second CORE Autosport, driven by Bennett/Braun/Gonzalez, and the ORECA-FLM 09 of Merchant Services Racing.
“The LMPC season was fantastic,” adds Hugues de Chaunac. “The field was composed of nearly ten cars this year, with highly contested races. This gives even more credit to CORE autosport’s titles, who were truly impressive. The competition is fierce with qualifying lap record being broken, and with four ORECA-FLM 09 in the top 10 overall. LMPC is fulfilling its role as feeder series perfectly in the United States. We are very happy.”