Pescarolo wins last Le Mans race
The race got off to a flying start after the number 13 car of Rebellion Racing snatched second place from the Pescarolo-Judd. Unfortunately, with its cars in first and second place, the leading car, number 12, being driven by Neel Jani was pushed into the garage due to gearbox problems.
With two hours down, the remaining Rebellion Racing car lost the lead to Emmanuel Collard of Pescarolo after the second round of pit stops Once in the lead he immediately upped his pace, setting a new fastest lap.
By hour three, the battle between Pescarolo and Rebellion Racing continued. After the third pit stop Rebellion Racing got back in front but only held a slim two-second lead over Manu Collard in the Pescarolo car. The gap between the two rival teams was opened up to about 15 seconds in hour four, with things starting to favor Pescarolo.
By the end of the fifth hour Pescarolo was in a strong position to win the race. The team had opened up a small lead and then proceeded to make a lightning fast pit stop to rejoin the race over a minute ahead of their rivals.
In the final hour Rebellion was unable to match the pace of Pescarolo due to excessive tire wear. Pescarolo took this opportunity to open up the gap further, on their way to their second win of the season and the driver’s title.
In the LM P2 class, Oreca 03-Nissan scored a double win, but the title was won by Greaves Motorsport who finished in third. In the LM GTE Pro class it was the Ferrari 459 of JMW Motorport that was victorious, after a race long battle the Porsche 997 of Felbermayr-Proton.
Le Mans Series Estoril results
1. Collard/Tinseau/Jousse Pescarolo 6:00:24.815
2. Belicchi/Boullion Rebellion Racing + 1 lap
3. Beche/Thiriet.Firth TDS Racing + 6 laps
4. Ojjeh/Lombard/Kimber Greaves Motorsport + 8 laps
5. Rosier/Mello/Mello Extreme Limite + 15 laps
6. Bell/Walker JMW motorsport + 16 laps