GT1
Yann Clairay – Luc Alphand Aventures Corvette C6.R #72 – 1st GT1 : “The team’s work must me praised because the crew prepared a perfect car. Regarding tires, Dunlop made a good step forward after Spa so we could improve our performance and our consistency. We dedicate this victory to Luc, who probably had a hard time to watch the race on TV. We will go to Nürburgring to try to clinch the title, hopefully after a tough fight.”
GT2
Rob Bell – JMW Motorsport Ferrari F430 GT #92 – 1st GT2 : “We’re thrilled to have finally taken victory this season, we have been so close and this is well deserved for the whole team. It was a really hard race, as the track has so many blind corners, so when the fastest cars are around you have to be very aware of them. It’s very easy to make mistakes too, as you have to move off line for these cars and it’s a very technical track. The Porsche was catching us and if there had been three or four more laps we might have started worrying. Ultimately, because it was such a hard race it made winning even more satisfying.”
Raymond Narac – IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3 RSR #76 – 2nd GT2 : “Since the start of this year’s Le Mans Series, I think we have proven that we are capable of fighting for victory. Unfortunately, in Barcelona, Spa and again here, we have suffered a minor hick-up which affected our race while leading! We should have won this! There are regulations and the ACO marshalls made sure they were applied as they judged that we needed to make necessary repairs during the second pit stop. Unfortunately, those consequences have proven very important to the overall result as we lost a lot of time. When I rejoined the track, I was very cautious not to make any mistakes as it is very easy to make one here. The track is so demanding. The car was very good, especially on the tighter parts of the circuit. It is clear that with Porsche, we have a car which is at least as competitive as the Ferrari. Porsche have also been unflinching in their efforts and I would like to thank them for that. The team has also put in a very good performance today as well as Patrick, who continues to impress me race after race. Between the mistake of a competitor at the start and the consequent ACO decision, there was nothing more we could have done. We did everything we could but we just needed a bit more luck.”
Patrick Pilet – IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3 RSR #76 – 2nd GT2 : “I was hit at the first corner whilst on the inside. I must say that I did not really understand what that guy was trying to do! He was driving a Porsche and only succeeded in hitting two more Porsches ahead of him! I thought that the car was damaged but that was not the case. Immediately I began to attack and I quickly found myself overtaking rivals. Then, I gave absolutely everything and it was not easy. I even wondered if I would have to hand over the car to Raymond at the end of the first stint. But we had agreed on a strategy and I told myself that we should not change it. With the tiredness and what can happen in traffic, I was cautious not to commit any mistakes before handing over to Raymond. He did a superb job! In two stints, I think he only lost 25 seconds! Then, at the end, we rejoined knowing that we could run to the finish without refuelling. Unfortunately, we just lacked five seconds, which is really frustrating. I am still happy for the team as it has deserved a result like this since the beginning of the season. Hopefully we can go one better next time. We have a car and team which are highly competitive and it is up to us to prove it. All we now need is a little luck on our side!”
Franck Rava – Team Manager IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 997 GT3 RSR #76 – 2nd GT2 : “I thought the decision of the marshalls was a bit harsh because we only had one part of the wing missing. It is their decision however and I respect it. They must not forget that teams like ours make a lot of effort to be here where we intended to win. In a case like this one, where we are the victims of the rash behaviour of another driver, it is important to remember that we didn’t gain any advantage. To the contrary in fact, I think it’s sad to destroy all the work of a team and its drivers, especially as safety wasn’t an issue. Regardless, everybody has done an exceptional job and I am delighted to be at the Nürburgring with them in three weeks.”
Leo Mansell – Team Modena Ferrari F430 GT #84 – 3rd GT2 : “It was a very challenging race on what is a tough track – especially in the dark. It was a good team performance, once again we showed our potential and it was good to get on the podium.”
Graham Schultz – Team Modena Team Principal – 3rd GT2 : “That was easily our hardest race of the season. We had lots of issues to overcome, so taking third almost feels like a win today.”
Richard Lietz – Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997 GT3 RSR #77 – 7th GT2 : “Francisco came and apologised to me, he is completely devastated about his driving error. Today Marc and I are disappointed, but at the same time we are confident because we know we have a winning car and we can still clinch the championship. Our goal is to reclaim the championship lead in three weeks at the Nürburgring.”
Peter van Erp – Managing Director Spyker Squadron – Retired : “This is really disappointing. It is one of these weekends… First we replaced the gearbox on Thursday and then the engine on Friday and now we are forced to withdraw the car with another engine failure. The car was great in the race and in his second stint Tom was the quickest GT2 driver on the track. The drivers were very happy with the competitiveness of car and had full confidence in driving the car close to the limits. We have worked very hard to put a fast car on the grid. I wish reliability was better and am very anxious to find out what the exact cause of the problem is”.
Jonny Cocker – Drayson Racing Aston Martin Vantage #87 – Retired : “This was the best run that we’ve had in terms of pace to the leaders during a race run. We were running P4 [position four] when I unfortunately lost a bit of time as one of the Orecas went to pass me on the last turn and pushed me out wide. We lost time to the P3 Ferrari which kept us from gaining the position. If that hadn’t happened, after the pit stops Paul would have come out leading the race. Up until the problem we were really looking good. Big shame but very promising progress.”
From teams press release,
Cécile Bonardel