Having made a good race, Ludovic Badey, Pierre Thiriet and Tristan Gommendy finished second, only a few seconds behind the winner! The Thiriet by TDS Racing team is still fighting for the championship.
After a good performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans a month ago, the Thiriet by TDS Racing team was back in the European Le Mans Series. In Austria, the team arrived as the leader of the championship after its victory at the 4 Hours of Imola.
After an alternator issue during the first free practice session, the #46 Oreca 05 set the fastest time at the second session. On Sunday, Tristan Gommendy placed the car on the second row of the starting grid.
Ludovic Badey, in charge of the start, secured his fourth position at the first corner. He maintained it throughout his stint without losing any ground with his most serious competitors. Fifty-five minutes after the start, when the #46 Oreca was 2nd, he handed over to Pierre Thiriet This latter went back on track at the 7th position. Immediately in the right pace, he overtook several cars and regained the second position. Then he double stinted and fought with the leader but did not manage to overtake him because of the traffic.
Then, Tristan Gommendy got in the car to finish the race. Back second on track, he narrowed the gap with the leader lap after lap even if he was slowed down by several safety cars. Benefiting from a last neutralisation, he went back to the pits for refuelling. When he left the pit, he did not see the red light at the end of the pit lane. A few laps later, he received a stop and go penalty. After having done his penalty, he was still a few seconds behind the leader but it was too late. He crossed the finishing line at the second position.
The victory was within easy reach but the most important thing is the scored points for the championship. With this result, Thiriet by TDS Racing is second, only a few points behind the leader. Moreover, the next round will be at home, in France, at Le Castellet on Sunday, September 6th. Meanwhile, the team is going to have a well-deserved summer break!
Ludovic Badey: “It is a good result today. The Jota Sport team was so quick and the fight was very tight today. Sometimes we win, sometimes, they win. But the safety car was too much here, I think, but that’s the way it is, this is the new regulation. We are still learning about the car. We won at Imola but it was different then. We still have things to find out in order to improve the car but the basis of the Oreca 05 is very good. Anyway, we scored many points again and it is a good thing for the rest of the championship.”
Pierre Thiriet: “I really felt fine in the car. Simon (Dolan) was very fast today, I had a good fight with him and it was hard to overtake him. At the end of my stint, my tyres were worn out so everything was tough especially with the traffic. It was a nice race. Today, the Jota Sport did the perfect race, so I want to congratulate them. But we are here to win races. Sometimes, we win together, sometimes we lose together. However, even if I am a little disappointed, we scored many points for the championship.”
Tristan Gommendy: “It was a tough race. I really pushed hard all throughout my two stints. I fought a bit with the car, a bit more than in Imola. Regarding the penalty, I don’t know exactly what happened but what I can say is that after this penalty, the race was over for us. We scored big points for the championship, it is more than nothing and the next race will be at home, in France. We are still fighting for the championship. But when you have the victory nearly in the pocket, I must admit it is a bit difficult to finish second. The two last rounds will be tough with our main competitors but it is going to be interesting.”