The ORECA 05 clinches a new win on its way to the 24 Hours of Le Mans!

ORECA’s chassis have shone at the 4 Hours of Imola, last race before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After Dragon Speed’s pole position, the fourth one in the season for the ORECA 05, Thiriet by TDS Racing claimed a new win, twelve months after the French prototype’s first success which had also been achieved on an Italian track. A week before, two cars designed by ORECA Technology had been successful too: Signatech Alpine’s Alpine A460, LM P2 winner of the 6 Hours of Spa, and Rebellion Racing’s R-One which climbed on the third step of the overall podium, behind Audi and Porsche. Despite the many obstacles on the way, the journey to Le Mans has been positive so far. ORECA’s prototypes have shown both good performance and reliability.

2 wins and 4 poles before the 24 Hours of Le Mans…
Five races in since the beginning of the season and ORECA’s chassis have already clinched two wins, two other podiums and no less than four poles in LM P2. A positive outcome before moving onto the 24 Hours of Le Mans where the ORECA 05 will be defending its title acquired last year.
Thanks to Signatech-Alpine in Spa with the Alpine A460, and Thiriet by TDS Racing in Imola with the ORECA 05, ORECA now counts 34 wins in LM P2 as manufacturer! Plus two new podiums achieved by G-Drive Racing’s and Manor’s ORECA 05 respectively in Silverstone and Spa.
The ORECA 05 proved to be the fastest one in four out of five qualifying sessions: in Silverstone and Spa as part of the FIA WEC, with G-Drive Racing and in Silverstone and Imola as part of the ELMS with Thiriet by TDS Racing and Dragon Speed. That means that ORECA got the pole position 26 times in LM P2. All of these figures are the result of various teams delivering successful performances.

Thiriet by TDS Racing wins again in Imola…
A year ago, Thiriet by TDS Racing offered the ORECA 05 its first win. The French team repeated that performance once again this season with a new success at the 4 Hours of Imola, second round of the ELMS. Having started from the first row, the trio of drivers Pierre Thiriet/ Mathias Beche/ Ryo Hirakama took control of the race during the second hour and never let go of the lead, despite pouring rain in the last hour of the race.
After a keenly contested qualifying session, with the top four cars gathered within 44 thousandths of a second and the first seven cars within three tenths, Dragon Speed got its first pole position in LM P2, thanks to Nicolas Lapierre. The American team then went on clinching its first podium in class following on a flawless performance delivered by Nicolas Lapierre, Henrik Hedman and Ben Hanley.
“It was important to quickly pick ourselves up after having withdrawn in Silverstone. That’s now done with this win” Thiriet by TDS Racing Director Xavier Combet confirms. “We missed the point from the pole position by a couple of thousandths only but we delivered a strong race. The drivers’ performance was flawless, particularly Pierre’s first stint during which he maintained an excellent pace. The team worked well between the practice sessions and qualifying in order to get the best set-up. They did a great job during pit stops, it was the right strategy… We’d shown how competitive we were and had to confirm it now. That box is now ticked, all the more since we had a big lead before the race was neutralized and the safety car came out. It’s positive before the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”  

Alpine A460, first win in Spa!
After four successes with the Alpine A450 and A450b within the past three seasons, having clinched two titles in the European Le Mans Series, it was not long before Signatech-Alpine won with the Alpine A460 – a car also designed and manufactured by ORECA Technology. The French team came first in the LM P2 class at the 6 Hours of Spa as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship, thanks to Nicolas Lapierre who managed to overtake in the very last minutes of the race. The French driver and his teammates Gustavo Menezes and Stéphane Richelmi currently share the top of the Drivers’ rankings, with the same amount of points.
“Each time we have delivered a great performance and we’ve shown consistency, thus it’s a good start of the season” Nicolas Lapierre explains. “In Sebring we fought for victory up until the end of the race. With Signatech-Alpine we won right from the second round with the Alpine A460, and with Dragon Speed we clinched a first podium in the third entry of the team in LM P2. I’m satisfied. Overall the ORECA 05 is even better than last year: We’re more familiar with it and therefore make better use of it. It’s interesting before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I’m looking forward to be there and to defend this title!”    

REBELLION Racing amongst Audi, Porsche and Toyota!
With the Rebellion R-One, REBELLION Racing got off to an excellent start of the season! Third in the 6 Hours of Silverstone, behind Porsche Team and Toyota Gazoo Racing, third in the 6 Hours of Spa behind Audi Sport and Porsche Team, the Swiss squad managed to play its cards right facing the hybrid LM P1 and currently ranks second in the Drivers’ championship with its crew: Domonik Kraihamer/Alexandre Imperatori/Mathéo Tuscher. The team could be leading the Manufacturers’ championship of the FIA WEC if it scored points in those rankings.
With two double wins with the prototype designed by ORECA Technology, REBELLION Racing prevails in the Trophy for private teams only in LM P1. Plenty enough for the Helvetian team to approach the 24 Hours of Le Mans with ambition – they finished just off the podium back in 2014 when the R-One entered the challenge for the first time.

Nine ORECA LM P2 chassis will be at the start of the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. Two Rebellion R-One will also take to the track in LM P1.