Thanks to a strong team performance, but more especially the enormous progression and a great race put in by François Perrodo, the ProSpeed Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #75 took the chequered flag in fifth spot as best Porsche in the highly contested LM GTE class of the third round of the European Le Mans Series. On Saturday afternoon the beautiful location of the Red Bull Ring in the Austrian Alps was definitely not a tourist location, but more a battle scene between the best LM GT teams in Europe, with an additional problem for cars and drivers, namely the intense summer temperatures. Emmanuel Collard and François Perrodo showed their worth and were once more able to prove that a perfect interaction between an experienced professional and a strong gentleman driver can produce a great result.
Even after the 24 Hours of Le Mans the European Le Mans Series remains a strong championship. The competing teams continue the fight and for the first time this year the European Le Mans Series and the World Series by Renault combined their forces, which resulted in well-filled grandstands and a great atmosphere in the paddock. The start of the three hour long race was given on Saturday afternoon at 16.30hrs and a faultless race from the team and the drivers resulted in a fifth place at the finish and the best ranked Porsche of all the present Porsche teams.
Rudi Penders (ProSpeed Competition Team Principal): “I’m proud of François (Perrodo, ed) after this race. I think it’s important that we take a close look at some of the compositions of the teams present and then notice that a fair amount of the other gentlemen drivers in our highly contested LM GTE class retain far more experience than our French driver. He has delivered exceptional work and the progress that has been delivered since the beginning of the season in Silverstone is enormous. The hours at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in Le Mans obviously did not do him any harm and the podium is now within reach.”
François Perrodo (Driver – Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #75 – LM GTE): “Our test session earlier this season at the Red Bull Ring was definitely a good idea. I took the start and soon found the right pace. I concentrated on driving a faultless stint and that succeeded. At the end of my stint my drink was empty sooner than planned, whereby I was obliged to hand over the drive to Manu earlier than scheduled. As usual Manu then carried out his work perfectly and this fifth place and ranking as best Porsche truly feels like a minor victory. I would only be too pleased to produce the same progress during the two forthcoming races!”
Emmanuel Collard (Driver – Porsche 911 GT3 RSR #75 – LM GTE): “Everything clicked, the work in the pit lane was great and I was able to complete my race. During my extra long stint I tried to conserve my tyres, but after 1,5 hours in this heat I couldn’t do any better than a fifth place. François had already done the lion’s share of the work, because the foundation of a good result in this competition is laid by the gentleman driver!”
Source : ProSpeed Competition