Clichés are clichés because they are true and the famous motor sport saying that ‘to finish first, you must first finish’ was cruelly proven for the Kaspersky Motorsport team this weekend. Racing in the third round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup at the Paul Ricard 1000 kilometres, our Ferrari 458 Italia failed to make it to the chequered flag after stopping on track while leading the AM Cup category for 4 hours.
Kaspersky Motorsport driver Alex Moiseev and the MD of Kaspersky Lab Europe had teamed up with the very experienced and talented Belgian driver Stephane Lemeret and had high hopes of a podium finish in the race, the second longest on the endurance race calendar. For a race of that length, preparation of the drivers is as important as that of the car itself, especially as this was a typically hot night on the beautiful French Riviera, so staying hydrated and concentrated would be key to success.
With Stephane Lemeret joining the Kaspersky Motorsport team for the first time, the AF Corse crew who run the car had plenty of work to do during practice to ensure the driving position would suit the Belgian. “For sure we needed to find a driving position that suits both drivers as it cannot be modified during the race,” explained Jacopo Fedele, the race engineer. “We worked on this in practice and it involves lots of small details. Stephane had to get used to the car, because every cockpit has small differences. We had to make sure the drink system for example works for both. Stephane is an experienced driver and he knows the Ferrari 458 Italia very well, so it was more a case of him settling in with the team. But he has a completely different driving style to Alex therefore there was an element of compromise needed between the two.”
In qualifying, the team was sixth fastest among the AM Cup competitors which gave them an interesting start to the race. With the early evening sun still beating down at the start, Alex opted to drive the first stint and was soon leading the battle for AM Cup honours, running in the top twenty. Stephane took over for his first stint just under an hour in and spent most of the time unable to do much other than maintain the lead position because of an extended Full Course Yellow, while the track barriers had to be repaired after an earlier accident. But it was still looking good for Kaspersky Motorsport when Alex took over behind the wheel for the third hour. Our Ferrari 458 Italia was leading the AM Cup runners when Stephane was back behind the wheel for what should have been a double stint. Then, after 120 laps…nothing. The car simply stopped – the fault was later traced to the engine – and the was race over.
Therefore, it wasn’t exactly the best of debuts for Stephane Lemeret, but the Belgian wasn’t too disheartened at the end of the night. “It wasn’t the best day for us,” admitted the Belgian. “But, looking at the weekend as a whole, the team did a really good job from practice right the way through to the race and we were very well-prepared. Alex did a brilliant job! We discovered a lot about the direction we want to go with the car and I think we can build on this and be even more competitive next time”.
Paul Ricard is a fantastic circuit and both Alex and Stephane enjoyed its unique challenges. It is famous for the massively long Mistral straight where these GT cars hit speeds of 280 km/h, although actually the twists and turns of the first sector are more technically demanding.
As for Alex Moiseev, he’s already looking forward to the next outing for the team. “It was a difficult race for our team and I have mixed feelings, because as a team we didn’t achieve the results we’d hoped for. However, it’s clear that we have made a step forward in terms of our level of performance. Let’s see how much we can improve for Spa-Francorchamps. I am sure it will be a big step forward and put us back in the fight at the front. I’d like to thank the whole team for their efforts and I’m sure we’ll come back stronger for the next event, the 24 hour race in Spa, which should be the highlight of our season.”