The Silverstone 1000kms was the final round of the 2009 Le Mans Series Championship. The G.A.C. Racing Team came fifth in England, and also finished fifth in the LM P2 Category Classification with a total of 15 points in the 5 rounds on the 2009 calendar. The highlight of the Swiss team’s season was their third place in the Algarve 1000kms.
The G.A.C Racing Team was determined to finish the final race of the 2009 Le Mans Series at Silverstone, the home of British motorsport, with a good result. With a total of 11 points, a finish in the top 3 in the English event was synonymous with a place in the top 3 in the final LM P2 Category Classification. During the 3 practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, the technical team and the 3 drivers worked hard together to find the best possible setup for the race. On Saturday, Philipp Peter was given the job of qualifying the Zytek S07. At the end of this session, which requires a lot of concentration and a little bit of luck, the Austrian set the fourth-quickest time in LM P2, a position with which Karim Ojjeh was not completely satisfied. “Qualifying didn’t go off as planned and we’re a bit disappointed with the result in the light of our previous performances.”
On Sunday, at 11h35 sharp, Philip took the first stint of the race. He got through the first corner without problems and reeled off a series of consistent laps. He then handed over to Karim who rejoined on new tyres. The car was lying fourth at this moment and during his double stint Karim got up into second place. He came in and swapped seats with Claude-Yves Gosselin. But after 20 laps, another car rear-ended the Frenchman who was obliged him to pit for repairs and change tyres. Despite quick pit work by the team, no.41 dropped back to eighth in the LM P2 classification.
Philipp Peter then relayed Gosselin and drove a stunning end-of-race stint crossing the line in fifth place in his category. “It was a fairly satisfactory result given the race incidents we had to cope with,” Karim acknowledged. “In the championship we’ve finished in an honourable fifth place in LM P2. All the teams in front of us are in their rightful positions. We’ won’t forget our superb third place in Portugal. Concerning the future, we haven’t yet decided what we’re going to do. But one thing’s sure, we’ll do everything possible to continue this great adventure under the banner of the Gstaad Automobile Club in Switzerland.”
The whole of the G.A.C Racing Team would like to thank all their partners and friends who have supported them throughout the 2009 season. The team will announce their plans for the 2010 season in the near future.
Source : G.A.C Racing Team