Silverstone is a must for motor sport fans and this weekend it was the theatre of the first round of the European Le Mans Series. Among the 44 cars entered, the OAK Racing team with its two Ligier JS P3-Nissan-Michelins, nos. 4 and 24, had a very constructive weekend. In the hands of Erik Maris, Jean-Marc Merlin, Jacques and Pierre Nicolet they scored their first points after four-hours racing.

OAK Racing had to cope with very varied and often difficult track conditions on its first outing in the ELMS with the Ligier JS P3s, as rain and snow finally gave way to a few bright spells for the race. The 100% gentlemen driver line-ups consisting of Erik Maris and Jean-Marc Merlin in No. 4 and Jacques and Pierre Nicolet in no. 24 also had to adapt to the very heavy traffic conditions out on the track.

Despite these difficulties the drivers never put a foot wrong from the start of the first practice session to the chequered flag. The nos. 24 and 4 Ligier JS P3s crossed the finishing line in 9th and 12th places out of the 19 LM P3s entered for the race.

After this very intense and rich debut the team and drivers can’t wait for the next event on the Imola circuit where they are determined to make use the experience they gained in England to score more points.

The snow that fell on Saturday morning didn’t discourage spectators who flocked to the circuit in large numbers. OAK Racing welcomed guests invited by its partner, the Ingenico Group, and gave them the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes in racing as well as the team’s passion for endurance events.

The second round of the European Le Mans Series, the Imola 4 Hours, will take place on 15th May in Italy and should be run in much more pleasant weather conditions.

Jérôme Boespflug, Team Manager OAK Racing: “This ELMS season in the LM P3 category is a new challenge. There are a lot of technical and sporting innovations to be taken into account with a very rich field and heavy traffic out on the track. In addition, the conditions we had to cope with over the weekend were particularly tricky for our first outing. It’s all very motivating and we’re working on optimising our organisation. The preparatory work during the winter break and the test sessions meant that we were well prepared, but there’s nothing better than to be thrown into the thick of the race action to improve.”