Le Mans, H+18 : KCMG’s ORECA 05 is still in the lead of LM P2!

The new ORECA 05 has not let go of the LM P2 leading place once since the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans! With a pole position, KCMG Team and its drivers Richard Bradley, Matt Howson and Nicolas Lapierre took control of the race right from hour two. In second position not far from the leader, and having raced in first position throughout the first hour, Thiriet by TDS Racing had to withdraw after having been hit by another contender. Though Signatech-Alpine gave up after having gone off the track, Murphy Prototypes is still fighting for the podium with the ORECA 03R. As for Ibanez Racing, the team is currently within the Top 10.

What they’ve said.

 “My quadruple stint very early in the morning went under difficult conditions, but everything is going well for us as we haven’t let go of the first place” explains Matt Howson (ORECA 05 No. 47/KCMG). “The track was dirty, with quite a lot of gravels on it, some traffic as well and several GTs encountering problems. However, the car’s behaviour remained consistent, still very reliable. We’re sticking with the same strategy: we’re trying to keep our race as clean as possible, not going over the crest so that the car remains in a good condition. We’re cautious and we know that we can pick up the pace.”

“We’re very disappointed to withdraw, all the more in those circumstances” admits Thiriet by TDS Racing Director Xavier Combet (ORECA 05 No. 46). “A GT that had just changed its brakes hit us. We’re wondering why us, we’re clearly really unlucky. But we have no other choice than accepting it. The team did its best to repair. We had managed to catch up with KCMG which was racing at a faster pace at the time, and we tried to put pressure on them. After having changed the chassis we had an outsider’s role. The team had not slept for two days and an hour later, there we were in the lead: that was fantastic, almost surreal actually considering the circumstances. The race was unravelling smoothly: the car wasn’t suffering from any damage, drivers were doing a good job. It’s frustrating. But that’s it. Le Mans is the project of the year, but now we’re already thinking about what’s coming next. We want to do great things in the ELMS.”

“We’re currently fighting for the podium so that’s positive” confides Murphy Prototypes Team Principal Greg Murphy (ORECA 03R No. 48). “We haven’t encountered any major issues, we’ve simply lost a little bit of time during one pit stop and behind the safety car. We’re keeping with our strategy, managing the tyres and the fuel consumption. We’ve saved one pit stop compared to our opponents. Our drivers are doing a great job, just like the team is, and the car is doing well. We’re satisfied with our position so far: we’re still hoping for a spot within the leading trio.”

Race report.
Having started from the pole, the ORECA 05/KCMG has only let go of the LM P2 first position for a couple of minutes, between the end of hour one and the beginning of hour two. Since then Richard Bradley, Matt Howson and Nicolas Lapierre have been in control. Now coming into the last quarter of the race, they are one lap ahead of the car directly following them, the Ligier No. 26. Apart from a drive-through because of an infraction during a pit-stop and a repair of the regulatory number illumination, the No. 47 has been avoiding all obstacles since the start.
Sixth on the grid, the ORECA 05/Thiriet by TDS Racing has moved up to the first position at the beginning of the race. Second behind KCMG from hour two, Pierre Thiriet, Ludovic Badey and Tristan Gommendy did not make the slightest mistake, and even raced less than one minute away from the leaders during the night. Unfortunately, the No. 46 got hit by a GT in hour 14. Though the car was able to go back into the pit, damage was too important and made it impossible to take to the track again under satisfying safety conditions.
Since the 24 Hours of Le Mans have started, Murphy Prototypes have relied on wisdom so far. Focusing on tyre management and achieving a better fuel consumption, the Irish team kept on moving up progressively and has now reached the Top 3. At the wheel of the ORECA 03 R No. 48, Nathanaël Berthon, Karun Chandhok and Mark Patterson are still battling for the third position which they regularly exchange and share with the Gibson No.38
José Ibanez, Pierre Perret, Ivan bellarosa continued their race on board of the Ibanez Racing’s ORECA 3R. The three men went through the night with no incident and are currently ranked ninth in the LM P2 class.
Well settled within the leading trio after having picked up the pace during the first hours of the race, Signatech Alpine’s Alpine A450b entrusted to Paul-Loup Chatin, Nelson Panciatici and Vincent Capillaire, had to withdraw in hour eight, having gone off the track at Mulsanne.