There were to be no podium celebrations for the current ELMS LMGTE champions on their debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but they can celebrate the fact that they crossed the line at the end of the world’s toughest sportscar race as the flag fell at 3.00pm in France.
When the #52 LMGTE Pro class Ferrari 458 Italia car of Matt Griffin, Alvaro Parente and Federico Leo were forced to retire from the race in the 17th hour, the disappointment was felt throughout the whole two-car team.
But they can now enjoy finishing the 82nd running of the world’s most famous international sports car race. The #53 LMGTE Am entry of Johnny Mowlem, Mark Patterson, and Archie Hamilton ran strongly without further issue and all were very happy with the progress of their race, the trio taking the chequered flag a respectable 12th in class.
Dan Shufflebottom CEO Ram Racing “After the disappointment of qualifying we knew we had work to do. The team had to work day and night to rebuild the car and have it ready for the race on Saturday. It was a big ask, and as always they delivered. Once the race got underway, we had several issues with both cars, so to come away from this amazing event having crossed the line is a great achievement in our first 24 Hours of Le Mans. I would like to say a big thank you to the whole team for all their hard work not only this week but in the build up to this event.”
Mark Patterson “To finish this is quite special. I would say we were lucky we had our damage early on. Mark Webber’s beautiful LMP1 Porsche retired with only two hours to go and they had looked flawless up until that point. We on the other hand had a tough start. It’s been wonderful. I spun it once whilst defending position, but the last two stints, the double stints, were fantastic. The car was stable and a great platform. The track was getting better and better and I kept improving my time which is okay for old people! It’s been a privilege to be here, it’s important to relish every moment. I had two great teammates this weekend, and the Ram Racing team has done a fantastic job. It’s been great to see everyone and have some fun. It feels good.”
Archie Hamilton “It was quite difficult during the race. All the LMP1 Audis and Porsches were battling for position so it was important to stay out of the way. We were starting to lay down some really good times on the soft tyres and starting to feel that we were making progress. To finish the race is something that was important to the team as it’s their first Le Mans. We’ve achieved that so I’m happy to have been part of that. A big thanks to all the team for all the hard work they have put in this week.”