2017 Le Mans Cup title-winning team DKR Engineering returned to winning ways in the 2018 season opener at Paul Ricard today, its new driver line-up of Leonard Hoogenboom and Jens Petersen proving to be the class of the field, leading most of the race.
But, just when it all seemed settled, there was a scare on the last lap of the race, Petersen having an off into the tyres at Turn 1, briefly putting the win in doubt. Luckily, the German got going again, retained the lead, and crossed the line 2.1 seconds ahead of the hard-charging Colin Noble in the #79 Ecurie Ecosse Ligier.
“It was a difficult race. We had no radio comms at all,” said Petersen. “I had problems with steering due to a pad on my knee, and I didn’t know where I was, I was fighting all sorts of guys. I tried to speed up at the end, and made a mistake at Turn 1 and couldn’t correct it because of the steering issue caused by the pad.
“Luckily we won. There were two stars here, DKR and young Leonard.”
The result marks the Luxembourg-based team’s fifth win in the series with the Norma M30, and hands its duo an early championship lead heading into Round 2 at Monza next month.
Hoogenboom started the race fifth, and starred in the opening laps, slaloming through the field, taking the lead off of Tony Wells’ #2 Ecurie Ecosse Ligier in the first five minutes.
Wells led the opening lap, but only after he came into contact with the pole-sitting Graff Norma of Eric Trouillet, which ended up spinning and falling down the order.
From there it was a truly miserable race for the #39 Graff crew, Trouillet fighting his way back to fifth spot from outside the top 10, only to hit the DB Autosport Norma, damaging the front corner, forcing him to pit for a nose change. The car then later received a drive through penalty, and finished a lowly 17th overall.
Second, after a very consistent performance, was the #79 Ecurie Ecosse Ligier, Colin Noble having a very strong second half to the race after Alasdair McCaig’s run in the opening hour, battling in the top five before pitting in fourth.
Noble then emerged from the round of stops third, and clawed back a margin of over a minute in the final hour, taking second off the DB Autosport Norma with 13 minutes remaining, finishing just behind the winning car after its late off.
Petersen’s off into the tyres aside, the DB Autosport machine represented the only real challenge that the DKR Norma faced in the second half. The team, with Nicolas Schatz at the wheel early, was the only car in touching distance at the halfway mark. The team opted to pit late, resulting in Schatz’s teammate Jacques Wolff rejoining in the overall lead.
Wolff though, was unable to lap as quickly as those around him, and quickly relinquished the lead to Petersen, and eventually finished fourth after being overtaken late on by Noble, and James Littlejohn in the #2 Ecurie Ecosse Ligier, who made it a double podium for the team.
Fifth, after a good run early on from Anthony Pons was the CD Sport crew, its #30 Norma making it three M30s in the top five. Sixth was the RLR MSport Ligier of Job Van Uitert and John Farano. Van Uitert, in his first LMP3 weekend appears to already be a real star, the Dutchman starting his stint P10, and making up four places before the end of the race.
The GT3 race was far less drama-filled. The #8 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Sergio Pianezzola and Giacomo Piccini took the win, from pole, though it wasn’t quite a lights-to-flag victory, the #71 AF Corse Ferrari taking the lead early on before suffering mechanical issues that forced it into the pits after 20 minutes.
Second was eventually the #51 Spirit of Race Ferrari, with Kessel’s other two Ferrari 488s, the #77 leading the #50 taking third and fourth place.
The only non-Ferrari in the class, the Ebimotors Porsche, came home a distant fifth, despite fighting for a podium spot shortly after the pit stops.
Next up for the Le Mans is the round at Monza on the 12th of May.
Photos courtesy of Le Mans Cup
