The European Le Mans series competitors performed well at the 88th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend with two teams on the LMP2 podium.
Here are the drivers’ first reactions, after this eventful weekend!
Phil Hanson – n°22 United Autosports Oreca 07 – LMP2 winners
“It sounds crazy and it hasn’t really sunk in yet. It feels like such a relief as I thought we had thrown it away in the last 30 minutes with everything kicking off with the safety car and the slow zones, so it's so rewarding to get it done and to win the championship (FIA WEC) as well. These are the two goals we set out to achieve at the start of the year and you are never 100% confident that you can achieve them as the grid is so competitive and anything can go wrong at Le Mans, especially in the style we did it in too – pitting right at the end and not knowing if we would make it out in the lead again of if the other car had to pit. It makes it even more of a rewarding feeling. I’m speechless.”
Nico Jamin – n°31 Panis Racing Oreca 07 – 3rd LMP2
“What a great way to end my second participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, by being on the podium! I knew before arriving that we had the line-up, the technical team that we needed to accomplish good things and score a good result. We worked a lot in the days before the race to put everything in place. During the race, the three of us had a good pace and the mechanics and engineers did not make any mistakes during those 24 hours. Before the start, we knew that the key to be at the top was to not make any mistakes. The work, the dedication and the performance of every member of the team paid off; our ambition came true with this podium. It will bring to Panis Racing a good energy to end the ELMS season. To live this with all the team and my two friends Matthieu (Vaxivière) and Julien (Canal) was exceptional and it is, for now, the best day of my career!”
Antonin Borga – n°42 Cool Racing Oreca 07 – 8th LMP2
“It went by much quicker than I expected! You think it will last forever but everything happened so fast. Nico and I did strong stints during the night, the car felt great. There was a lot of pressure on us to make the finish, but the team did an extraordinary job and it’s fantastic to see the culmination of all our hard work. Crossing the line is a success in itself and finishing eight out of 24 cars is amazing. I’ve made some great memories that will stay with me forever."
Garett Grist – n°24 Nielsen Racing Oreca 07 – 16th LMP2
“That was absolute mega! I loved it! My first time to race in a 24-hour race, first LMP2 race - so a lot of firsts! There wasn’t much testing due to COVID and we’re not an LMP2 team and this is so different to an LMP3 car. It’s more of a race car: faster, more downforce - it’s just a better version of an LMP3. A lot of work has gone into this and the fact that we finished the race just shows how good of a job the boys did. We had a couple of issues through the race that cost us - potentially a top 10 result, but they weren't issues from the team. The antenna has nothing to do with them. It was things that were outside our control that hurt us.
Our pace was on it too, especially compared to some of the gold and platinum drivers out there. I’d do it again in a heartbeat - it was incredible - so a huge thank you to Tony (Wells) for this opportunity and to Nielsen for giving us a mega car with no issues. I’m off to sleep for a week now.”
Kuba Smiechowski – n°34 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P217 – 17st LMP2
“Obviously a tougher race than we hoped for but we did finish and that is important to me. All of us never gave up. The mechanics, and everybody else in the team. We knew we would not have a good result but we kept on pushing. I am very proud of the crew and very thankful for all the work they did. They prepared the car, they work long hours, I sleep, but they keep on working. I have a lot of respect for their stamina and their dedication.”
