With apologies for late posting of this report
The Hockenheim entry list last weekend featured 25 cars including 9 LMP3s and 16 Nova Proto NP02s. That is nine fewer than at Portimão as multiple teams (DKR Engineering, Racing Spirit of Leman, Inter Europol Competition and DB Autosport) had clashing commitments with either the European Le Mans Series or the Tourisme Endurance Trophy.
There was one fewer Ginetta G61 on the entry too as CMR only fielded a single car (#12) for the German round of the European Endurance Prototype Cup with Nicolas Prost at the wheel. The car though would not race, leaving the circuit after some laps in the test session.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that Nerguti Competition has not returned to competition this weekend. The French team’s #99 Nova Proto NP02, was effectively destroyed after the horrific crash of Stéphane Ortelli at Portimão, a few weeks ago.
There will be two new entrants in the LMP3 class:
ARC Bratislava joins the European Endurance Prototype Cup with the #6 Ligier JSP320. The car will be driven by Miroslav Konopka – the owner of the Slovak team – and Balazs Volenter.
Finally, Haegeli by T2 Racing – a full season contender in the Michelin Le Mans Cup – enters the Championship with the #68 Duqueine D08. That car will be shared by Marcel Oosenbrugh, Dominik Shraml and Sebastian Schmitt.
Rémy Deguffroy subs for injured Louis Rossi
Graff Racing driver Louis Rossi is still recovering from an accident at the Circuit de la Sarthe. During one of last month’s Road To Le Mans races, the Frenchman violently hit an Armco barrier. He was able to step from his car on his own but was later diagnosed with a broken foot.
Driver is ok but it’s Red flag for Race 1.
Join us LIVE now: https://t.co/w4gQ9rLd00#LMC #Michelin #RoadToLeMans pic.twitter.com/TrU8DZaO98
— Le Mans Cup (@LeMansCup) June 13, 2024
He was replaced in the #8 Graff Racing Nova Proto NP02 by Rémy Deguffroy, a driver who has prior LMP3 experience with Graff Racing.
Watch for a new Nova Proto car in 2024
“The (current) car works very well and keeps on improving. It’s a great source of satisfaction” said Nova Proto’s Engineer in Chief Guillem Roux. “The cost per km is very competitive. (…) The car is light with 840 kg while you have less power than an LMP3. That prevents excessive tyre wear. It’s an easy car to drive. (…) We’ll be presenting a new car by the end of the year”.
Reduced performance expected for the Norma Proto NP02s
The European Ultimate Cup Series organization has taken measures to reduce the performance of the Nova Proto NP02 and hence give a greater advantage to the LMP3 field. Adjustments include a significant ground clearance increase to 50mm and a fuel tank capacity reduction to 85 liters.
Variable track conditions impacted free practice sessions
On Thursday morning, the #154 Cogemo Racing Nova Proto NP02 shared by Jesse Bouhet, Antoine Lacoste and Yohan Rossell was fastest overall in the wet (1:52.470). In LMP3 meanwhile, the #88 Team Virage Ligier JSP320 driven by Raphael Narac, Jacek Zielonka and Daniel Macia topped the time sheets (1:52.470).
That car led the Thursday afternoon and Friday practice sessions on dry track (1:35.694) while the quickest in the Nova Proto class was the #27 MV2S Racing shared by Christophe Cresp and Pierre-Alexandre Provost (1:36.274).
On Saturday morning, the #71 ANS Motorsport Nova Proto NP02 driven by Marc Faggionato, Karen Gaillard and Iko Segret topped the time sheets (1:36.001), half a second ahead of the #24 TS Sport Duqueine D08 shared by Nathan Kumar, George King and Danial Frost (1:36.551). The #88 clocked a lap of 1:36.736 and finished third overall.
Rain Returned During Qualifying Sessions, Lamo Racing on Pole
Rain poured heavily on track to the point when one of the three fifteen-minute qualifying sessions was cancelled.
The #17 Lamo Racing Nova Proto NP02 driven by Danny Buntschu and Frédéric Morel snatched pole (Average Best Lap: 1:54.436). They would sit on the front row of the grid with another Nova Proto NP02 – the #5 CD Sport – shared by Thomas Imbourg and Jonathan Thomas (Average Best Lap: 1:55.609).
The leaders of the Championship – the #1 Team Virage Ligier JSP320 driven by Georgios Kolovos, Sacha Lehman and Alex Gnos – did not qualify. They would start from the back of the grid. The sister car, the #88, was the fastest in the LMP3 class. It would start from the third row, in fifth position (Average Best Lap: 1:56.571).
Further down in the ranks, the #61 MG-Sound Ginetta G61 and the #154 Cogemo Racing Nova Proto 02 also started the race from the back of the grid as they did not clock any lap times during the two sessions.
The first session was red flagged twice. Only minutes after the green light was lit, the #84 driven by Clément Moreno went off in the gravel trap at Turn 12. Once the session resumed, Miroslav Konopka in the #6 ARC Bratislava Ligier JSP320 spun off at Turn 6 and hit Philippe Mondolot’s #72 AMS Motorsport Nova Proto NP02. Both cars suffered minor rear body work damages. They would both start the race from the back of the grid.
Qualifying sessions video:
CD Sport and Team Virage Take a Dominant Win at the 4h of Hockenheim
The #5 CD Sport Nova Proto NP02 (pictured top) driven by Thomas Imbourg and Jonathan Thomas claimed victory in the European Endurance Prototype Cup, some 41 seconds ahead of the LMP3 championship leading car – the #1 Team Virage Ligier JSP320 – shared by Georgios Kolovos, Sacha Lehmann and Alex Gnos.
It is the second overall win of a Nova Proto NP02 car this season.
“We had to save fuel quite a lot” said Thomas Imbourg after the race “(…) it was hard as tyres started to cool down and I had less and less grip”.
“We had so much reliability problems and bad luck (this season). Having it done is a monkey off our back” added Jonathan Thomas.
The third consecutive class victory for the #1 was a pleasant surprise for the Polish team given that they failed to qualify and started from the very back of the grid.
The Ligier had an overnight engine change. “Yesterday, we had a mechanical issue. We thought it was a small problem. But it was bigger than we thought,” said driver Alex Gnos. “Mechanics worked on the car from 10am on Saturday to 3am today. We had to swap engine (…). I am relieved and happy we made it to the race.”
The #154 Cogemo Racing Nova Proto NP02 shared by Jesse Bouhet, Antoine Lacoste and Yohan Rossel took third place overall, some 53 seconds behind the winning car. They also landed in second position in the NP02 class.
Just off the podium, the #88 Team Virage Ligier JSP320 shared by Raphael Narac, Jacek Zielonka and Daniel Macia landed in fourth place overall and in second position in the LMP3 class.
James Winslow and John Corbett finished fifth in the #7 Graff Racing. They also took the final podium position in the NP02 category despite a penalizing right rear tyre puncture on the very first lap of the race.
Further down in the ranks, the third spot in the LMP3 class went to the #24 TS Corse Duqueine D08 driven by Nathan Kumar, George King and Danial Frost. “I struggled here last year” said King “(but) I came back with a vengeance.”
The #61 MG Sound Studio suffered a clutch failure and retired on Lap 53 while the #12 CMR did not take part in the race. The latter was at Hockenheim for testing only. “Very positive, (…) very promising pace and new setup directions,” said #12 driver Nicolas Prost on Instagram. “Lots of work ahead this summer but we should be able to come back very strong.”
Finally, it was a disappointing race for the NP02 Championship leading crew. The #9 Graff NP02 Graff Racing retired on track following contact at the Hairpin (Turn 6) with the #6 ARC Bratislava Ligier JSP320 and the #72 ANS Motorsport Nova Proto 02.
Images courtesy of Alexandre Rodrigues, David Delien – European Ultimate Cup Series
