Thiriet by TDS Racing dominated the 4 Hours of Le Castellet last weekend. After grabbing the pole position, the French team did a perfect race with a final victory. The team is now leading the championship.
DOMINANT FROM THE FIRST PRACTICES
Everything went well all throughout this “home” meeting for the squad. The three drivers, Mathias Beche, Pierre Thiriet and Mike Conway, replacing Ryo Hirakawa running a Super GT race in Japan, were immediately in the pace. The #46 Thiriet by TDS Racing Oreca 05 – Nissan set the second fastest lap in the Free Practice 1 on Friday and then grabbed the fastest time in the following morning.
At the qualifying session, Mathias Beche dominated and did not give any hope to the other competitors.The Swiss driver set the pole position with nearly half a second ahead of Nicolas Lapierre, driving an Oreca 05 too.
A RACE UNDER CONTROL FROM START TO FINISH
Mike Conway was in charge of the start. The current official Toyota Gazoo Racing driver kept the lead at the first corner. He widened the gap with his most serious competitor. Setting the fastest time of the race, Mike did an amazing stint without making any mistake. After 50 minutes, he gave the wheel to Pierre Thiriet in the best conditions.
First when back on track, Pierre started his two stints under very hot weather conditions. Fast but also cautious, he went on widening the gap with the other cars. At a Full Course Yellow, the team reacted quickly and benefited from this occasion to refuel. It was a good choice that allowed the #46 to lead with one lap ahead. Then he handed over to Mathias Beche in charge of finishing the race.
The Swiss driver had to bring the car back home and on the first step of the podium without taking any risk. He perfectly managed the gap with his competitors. 35 minutes before the end, he did a splash and dash, perfectly made by the mechanics. The car remained in the lead of the race and he crossed the finishing line victoriously.
With the fastest lap during the race, a pole position and a victory, Thiriet by TDS Racing team dominated the race head and shoulders, letting no hope to the other opponents. After this fourth round, the team has already set two pole positions and won three times in a row. Thiriet by TDS Racing team is taking the lead of the ELMS championship with 8 points ahead. The squad hopes to continue and looks forward to the next round which will be held on the mythical Spa-Francorchamps track (on September 25th), the first visit for the ELMS at this circuit.
WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT THEIR RACE:
Pierre Thiriet : “The refuelling during the Full Course Yellow was at the right moment. It allowed us to gain a bit of time on our competitors. The car was really good and during my two stints, it was consistent and performing. Moreover Mike had done a great stint and had already widened the gap. Mathias just finished the race perfectly. Winning the French round is what we expect all throughout the year. It is especially good after the summer break. It relaunches the championship, we are now leading and it is very positive before the next round.”
Mike Conway: “The plan was to manage the tyres and to see what I could do with the car. It was working very well all throughout the weekend for us. Everything went fine during my all stint. I managed the gap with the traffic and Nicolas (Lapierre) on my heels. It is a great job on track done by Pierre and Mathias with excellent stints; Thiriet by TDS Racing did a great job too. The transition between the LM P1 and the LM P2 car is not so difficult, the drive is quite similar. I enjoyed a lot driving a LM P2 again. It is also my first race here; I tested so many times on this track.”
Mathias Beche: “Pierre gave me a good lead; I just had to bring the car home. The team asked me to take no risks in the traffic and it is just what I did. I tried to have a good pace. It is great to have a win here because the team had not won on this track anymore since 2012. It is a hat trick and we are very proud of that. There are just few races left. We keep focused on the next rounds.”
Xavier Combet : « We have just experienced a great weekend. We knew we would be efficient here but we could not imagine how efficient we could be… We would like to thank Toyota Gazoo Racing for its trust this season by providing Ryo Hirakawa. To replace him this weekend, Toyota Gazoo Racing made us honour of suggesting Mike Conway, one of the best LM P1 drivers. Mike immediately fitted in the team, his expertise and his talent associated to Mathias and Pierre’s qualities, were a great boost for the team. We are looking forward to rely on Ryo again for the next rounds to keep on this momentum. »