3H Imola : The next step for Team Endurance Challenge…
After victory at Silverstone in the LM PC class for Soheil Ayari and Anthony Pons, Team Endurance Challenge heads to Enzo and Dino Ferrari d’Imola Circuit. For the second round of the European Le Mans Series, three ORECA-FLM 09 will be on track : the No. 47 in the hands of Andorran driver Alex Loan and Frenchman Matthieu Lecuyer, the No. 48 driven by Soheil Ayari and Anthony Pons, as well as the No. 49 shared by Paul-Loup Chatain and Gary Hirsch. It’s another step for Team Endurance Challenge allowing five of its six drivers to discover the discipline with a future participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the primary target. The team’s mentor, Nicolas Minassian, will also be present.
#47 – Alex Loan/Matthieu Lecuyer
Forced to retire after an off track excursion in the opening minutes of the race at Silverstone, the No. 47 driving squad will be looking to shine in Italy, especially now that Alex Loan and Matthieu Lecuyer no longer have a joker to play for the title. « After a complicated first meeting, where I was unable to get my chance under race condition, I’ll be arriving at Imola with the bit between my teeth » admitted Matthieu. « Even though, once again, I don’t have the advantage of knowing the race track like my teammates, I’ve trained well in the simulator. Nevertheless, I’ll have to learn the track very quickly in order to focus on performance and car setup with our new engineer. My teammate Alex knows the track well and we’ll be able to share information. Imola is a legendary place with lots of emotions and history. I’m excited to be there and discover it for myself ! »
#48 – Soheil Ayari/Anthony Pons
For the pair in the No. 48, the start of the season was more than positive. Taking advantage of track conditions, the duo were positioned in the top 5 overall for a long time, in the middle of the LM P2 competitors, before taking honors in the LM PC class despite Anthony Pons’ injured ribs. Now fully healthy, the French driver will continue to have Soheil Ayari’s experience to back him.
#49 – Paul-Loup Chatain/Gary Hirsch
For their first experience in endurance racing, Paul-Loup Chatain and Gary Hirsch showed quite a bit of potential at Silverstone. The pair showed their talents during the free practice sessions and qualifying, before having an interesting first part of the race. Second in England, the two will be looking to do one better in Italy. « I really like Imola, a track where I’ve run before in a Ferrari » explains Gary Hirsch. « Silverstone was a good first step. That first round gave me confidence. The team has worked a lot since and the goal is for everyone to take it to the next level. With Paul-Loup, the objective is to prove again that we are in the fight and to confirm our speed. We’re aiming for the LM PC win, and why not a good finish overall depending on the race’s outcome. Imola is one of the toughest tracks. It will be an important test, but also an opportunity to show that we’re up to the challenge. »
Note that Paul-Loup Chatain will be pulling double duty. Racing at Imola with Team Endurance Challenge, he will then head to Pau to take part in the second round of the Porsche Carrera Cup France !
At Imola, two practice sessions are scheduled on Friday, May 18 (Noon and 4 :40pm.) After qualifying on Saturday, May 19 at 10 :30am, the start of the race, to last three hours, will be given at 4pm.
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