Castellet, France, July 18th 2023 - The European Le Mans Series had a meeting in the stifling heat of the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet for its second event of the year.
It was practically a home race for the French team Panis Racing, carrying the colors of the ELF brand, which is also represented by the beloved COOL Racing team led by Nicolas Lapierre. These two teams wasted no time in showcasing their skills, as evidenced by the absolute pole position secured by COOL Racing with the Oreca 07 number 47 driven by Pechito Lopez, Reshad de Gerus, and Vlad Lomko, while the trio Van Uitert-Maldonado-Van Der Helm from Panis Racing qualified in third place. The race followed a similar pattern, with the COOL Racing's #47 prototype leading at one point but ultimately finishing fourth, just a few seconds away from the podium in the LMP2 category. Panis Racing also joined the fight for victory before unfortunately losing all chances due to a puncture.
"Without that cursed puncture," regretted Olivier Panis, Team Principal of the eponymous team, "we were certain to win the race, but that's the harsh reality of this sport. Everything was in place: the car had been perfectly set up by the engineers, our mechanics lived up to their reputation as the best pit-stoppers on the grid, and our drivers performed excellently. Despite the disappointment, I'm proud of our team, whose every member consistently shows their talent. We will roll up our sleeves to continue fighting in the upcoming races. We deserve to be rewarded. See you in Spain next month!" In the end, it was COOL Racing that shone the colors of ELF under the checkered flag, thanks to the second place in LMP2 Pro-Am with the Oreca 07 #37 driven by Alexandre Coigny, Nicolas Lapierre, and Malthe Jakobsen. This achievement was also complemented by the LMP3 podium finish (3rd place) with the Ligier JSP320 #17 driven by Adrien Chila, Marcos Siebert, and Alex Garcia. The next rendezvous is now set for August 26th in Aragon, Spain.
Panis Racing and COOL Racing, as well as their LMP2 drivers, now sit tied for third in the teams’ and drivers’ championships, right behind the leaders. COOL Racing also hold third place in the LMP2 Pro Am championship, but currently top the standings in the LMP3 class.
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