LMP3 was a comparatively simple race to follow.
It came down to three cars contesting the podium places though the #9 Graff Racing Ligier took quite a while to get into the mix, trailing all four Ginettas almost from the start and well into the running.
Drive of the race in this class and arguably as a whole came from 2014 GT Academy winner Gaetan Paletou who, in his first season of racing has impressed, but had not thus far scored a win.
After being relegated to the very back of the grid after a disputed yellow flag infringement from team-mate Mike Simpson, Paletou simply stormed through the field up from 30th to 8th overall inside the first hour, leading the class as Charlie Robertson, in the Championship winning sister #3 LNT Ginetta pitted.
It was a long stint from Paletou that too him into the chaos of the rain storm, and it was his call that left him out in the worst of it, persuading the team that he could stay out on slicks as most of the rest of the field pitted for inters or wets, it was a decisive step and from there on in it would be about who would be second.
At the flag, after Mike Simpson drove a strong second stint to lap the rest of the LMP3 field, it would be a first win for the car, for both drivers (a first career win in Paletou’s case in any racing) and second place in the Teams championship by a single point for the car, and for Paletou in the Drivers standings, a 1,2 for Team LNT’s Ginettas in the inaugural LMP3 Championship.
Behind it looked for quite some time as if it would be an LNT 1,2 with Charlie Robertson again impressing and then Chris Hoy having one of the drives of his season initially in fending off a sustained attack from first Gary Findlay and then the experienced Thomas Accary in the recovering #9 Graff Ligier JS P3, the car having its European racing debut.
The Graff boys made it tougher on themselves after a drive through for a yellow flag infringement and whilst Hoy fended off the challenge for lap after lap, the Ginetta’s Michelins eventually faded, and so too did Hoy’s pace, he brought it home though for a very solid third after problems for both of the customer Ginettas.
One urban myth though can immediately be laid to rest. There is no major difference in pace between the two LMP3s, in fact both LNT Ginettas posted times into the 1:39s, the Ligier never breaking 1:40.
LMP3 has proved itself a worthy addition to the ELMS fold, many more cars, and more variety are promised in 2016.
