April 5, Barcelona – The R-ace GP squad, which entered three Duqueine D09s, got off to a rocky start this weekend at the first Michelin Le Mans Cup meeting of the season. Despite good progress and encouraging qualifying, a podium finish slipped through the team’s fingers. The #86 and #85 finished 5th and 8th overall, while the #88 finished 6th in the PRO/AM category.
Free practice and qualifying
On Friday April 4, the #85, #86 and #88 showed a clear progression after the results from official testing earlier in the week. The #85 and #86 finished in the top 6 overall, and the #88 in the top 3 of the PRO/AM category.
This progress was confirmed in qualifying the following day, with Hadrien David (#85) securing 3rd place and Joel Granfors (#86) 5th. On the PRO/AM side, Romano Ricci (#88) achieved the best qualifying result of his career with 6th place. The three LMP3s were therefore serious contenders for the podium, both overall and in the PRO/AM category.
The race
At the start, Hugo Schwarze in the #85 took the lead. But his manoeuvre resulted in a contact with a competitor which led to a drive-through penalty, relegating him to the top 15. In the #86, Joel Granfors maintained his position in the top 5. Romano Ricci in the #88 climbed up to third place in the PRO/AM category.
After more than an hour of racing and the mandatory pit stop, the race was interrupted by a red flag. On the restart, Fabien Lavergne (#88) was 4th in the PRO/AM category. In the overall standings, Edgar Pierre (#86) continued to defend his 4th place, while Hadrien David (#85) was 8th.
The #86 finally crossed the finish line in 5th place, ahead of the #85, still 8th. In the PRO/AM category, the #88 finished 5th but a penalty dropped it back to 6th place.
A fightback expected at Paul Ricard
More work needs to be done before the new Duqueine D09 reaches its full potential. That’s the conclusion of the R-ace GP team after this first weekend. ‘We’re now focused on the upcoming tests at Paul Ricard, where we’ll have to assess and develop our performance as a team,’ commented R-ace GP boss Thibaut de Mérindol.
The second round of the season will take place at Le Castellet on May 3.
To watch the race, click here.