With Pecom Racing’s LMP2 class win, a second place for Team Signatech-Nissan and the fastest lap of the race for ADR-Delta, the ORECA 03 chassis once again shined during the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship!
After several appearances on the podium, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pecom Racing took its first win in the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of Bahrain.
Luis Perez Companc, Pierre Kaffer and Nicolas Minassian had a flawless race to take the spoils in the No. 49 ORECA finishing ahead of the No. 23 Team Signatech-Nissan, with Franck Mailleux, Olivier Lombard and Jordan Tresson giving the prototype built in Signes, France a 1-2 finish.
The second Signatech-Nissan ORECA 03 was also in the fight for a podium finish before a problem with the number lighting system held up Roman Rusinov, Nelson Panciatici and Pierre Ragues, coming home in fifth place. Finishing in eighth, ADR-Delta had the fastest lap of the race.
“Since the start of the season, the teams running the ORECA 03 have been accumulating podium finishes and once again had a very good race at Bahrain » underlines Hugues de Chaunac, President of Groupe ORECA.
We are very happy to see ORECA chassis finish 1-2. This result gives twice the satisfaction. First of all, it’s a confirmation of the success we had at Silverstone a month ago.
And secondly, it’s the engines prepared by ORECA at Magny-Cours which power these cars. Bravo to Pecom Racing for this first win, and to Team Signatech-Nissan for the good performance from both of their cars.
As always, ADR-Delta performed well and I don’t doubt for a second that all of these teams have solid chances for success at the next round in Fuji. ”
After taking the start in fifth place, Pecom Racing continued to run in the top positions. Fourth after the first lap and third after an hour of racing, the Argentine team took over the lead in the second hour.
Luis Perez Companc, Pierre Kaffer and Nicolas Minassian then consistently exchanged the lead with the Starworks team. Despite a safety car period that lost the team a few seconds, the Pecom Racing trio crossed the finish line first after a race run at a scorching pace.
“It’s the first win for the team and it’s a very good one at that » explains Nicolas Minassian. We went and got it ! The team did an extraordinary job during the weekend : we progressed during each session and we were relatively confident for the race.
Qualifying didn’t show our level of performance : we knew we had a very competitive car and we managed tire wear, which was a determining factor. The pit stops were perfectly executed and Luis was perfect as well as Pierre, who was as quick as usual.
It was really a perfect race from both the team and my teammates. The ORECA 03 was excellent during the entire weekend. I really enjoyed myself and I’m very happy to have participated in Pecom Racing’s first success.”
Podium finishers at Silverstone but unlucky at Sao Paolo, Team Signatech-Nissan shined at Bahrain. Driving the No. 23 ORECA, Franck Mailleux, Olivier Lombard and Jordan Tresson gradually worked their way to the top positions despite a rear light issue.
Consistent, the three men reached third place slightly after half way. They continued on the same pace and avoided any problems to finish on the podium, with a second place.
” I’m absolutely thrilled” said Franck Mailleux. “It’s so nice to reach the LMP2 podium for the first time this year. We’ve known for some time that we were capable, working very hard, and here we are.
The car was very competitive and we proved that at the end of the race when I was defending second place. To finish second in class and seventh overall, with our sister car in tenth place, is a superb reward for our team. Let’s continue this good form in Japan !”
The second Team Signatech-Nissan ORECA 03 was also in a position to fight for the podium. After taking several positions during the first hour of racing, Roman Rusinov, Nelson Panciatici and Pierre Ragues reached second place at half way.
However, shortly after, they were forced to stop after a problem developed with the number illuminating system. The trio never gave up and after working hard, finished in fifth place in class, showing that they were among the quickest on track.
On the first row after qualifying, ADR-Delta was also one of the fastest cars at Bahrain. John Martin and Tor Graves were in the right rhythm during the opening minutes, racing in the top four, before encountering a mechanical issue at the end of the first hour.
The duo then rejoined the race to begin its comeback to a hard fought eighth place, scoring precious points for the championship. In the process, John Martin scored the fastest lap of the race in an LMP2 class always so hotly contested !
In the FIA Endurance Trophy classification, Pecom Racing is now in second place (117 pts) and is only 23 points behind the leaders. ADR-Delta conserves its position in the top three (104 pts), while Team Signatech-Nissan is sixth (44pts).
The next round for the ORECA 03 chassis competiting in the FIA World Endurance Championship will be at Fuji, on October 14.
Source: Oreca