DAMS scores a double and its first victory in the Le Mans Series
Sarthe-based team DAMS scored a telling victory in the Formula Le Mans category in the Algarve 1000 kms near Portimao. It was the team’s first success in the Le Mans Series, and its two 2009 Oreca-FLM prototypes finished first and second. Jody Firth and Warren Hughes in no. 44 led home Andrea Barlesi and Gary Chalandon in no.43, and they saw the flag in sixth and eighth places in the overall general classification won by the Team Oreca-Matmut Peugeot 908 HDI FAP.
The Swiss team Hope PoleVision Racing, which had problems at Spa where it finally won the FLM category, endured a catastrophic start to the Algarve 1000 kms. Nico Verdonck did not even manage to cross the start/finish line, as his no. 48 FLM ground to a halt out on the circuit on the first lap. Things went from bad to worse on lap 3 when Olivier Lombard who had made a great start to the race, fell victim to the fuel feed problem that eliminated both Hope PoleVision Racing entries.
Applewood Seven forced to retire
The no.49 FLM entered by Applewood Seven took the lead at the start of the race helped by Mathias Beche’s performance in qualifying. Warren Hughes went pedal to the metal in his no.44 FLM and caught Damien Toulemonde who was having problems with his tyres after an overtaking manoeuvre on the dirty side of the track. It looked like there would be a superb battle between Applewood Seven and DAMS, but the team from Normandy had to throw in the towel after 50 minutes on lap 27 when the fuel pump failed and Toulemonde parked his car in corner no. 8.
Andrea Barlesi and Gary Chalandon lead the 2010 FLM CUP
The race had just lost two of its main contenders, but DAMS still had to bring home both its cars to the finish without putting a foot wrong. Firth-Hughes were the quicker of the two, and took advantage of a long pit stop by no. 43 to make the break. The Boutsen Energy team, which had started with a 3-minute handicap, was not able to close the gap, and the DAMS drivers coped perfectly with overtaking and traffic management to fill the first two places in the Formula Le Mans category.
Quotes
Jody Firth (GB), no. 44 DAMS driver: “We knew that we made a solid well-honed partnership helped by our experience together in numerous sports car races, so we reckoned we could score a good result. Our main task in practice was to adapt the car to this new circuit. We were greatly helped by DAMS –our choice because of the team’s successful results in racing. I really wanted this win, but in motor racing things can go wrong very quickly. I think we deserve this success. I’d advise any young drivers, and not just my fellow-countrymen, to have this experience: to find yourself in the thick of GTs in a night race in the middle of other prototypes is a unique experience and can only help you improve. I can’t wait for Hungary where I’ll have a new team-mate (Darren Manning is a possibility).”
Warren Hughes (GB) no. 44 DAMS driver: “It’s been a good year so far for me with another win today after that in the Tourist Trophy at Silverstone. I knew I could catch Gary as he had to stop to refuel: we were on different strategies. I really enjoyed the start of the race as after free practice and qualifying we were not quite fast enough because the car was very twitchy. We changed our setup in the warm-up and it was the right way to go. I was able to do a great first stint in the middle of the horde of prototypes and pull away. I’d love to come back for Silverstone with tougher opposition throughout the race as victory would be all the sweeter! This win is also a reward for the whole team whose work was exemplary. It’s great to arrive in the series with a bang!”
Loïc David, DAMS Team Manager for cars nos 44 and 45: “The work’s paid off! It was a great race and we couldn’t have done any better. The fact that there were a lot of retirements helped us to some extent, but we had good top speed. The cars were reliable even if we had to repair the louvres on the bonnets of both machines during pit stops because of the debris they picked up due to the state of the track. We decided to go for different strategies, and we could have finished sixth and seventh in the overall classification. It was only due to niggling problems that the winning GT2 Ferrari managed to get in front of no. 43. But let’s savour our success! The cars were reliable and the drivers did a great job in the race without making any mistakes. Budapest is the same type of circuit, and we’re really motivated to be as competitive there. Our rivals were hit by problems, but that’s all part of the game. We had our own problems in the Le Castellet 8 Hours. Today was our day and it was perfect. Our only regret is that we weren’t able to give Alessandro Cicognani a stint behind the wheel, as the Portuguese doctors told him he couldn’t race because of a virus he picked up the previous day.”
Andrea Barlesi: no. 43 FLM driver: “It’s really a pity that Alessandro wasn’t able to drive as it was a great experience on a great circuit. In the first stint, I really buckled down to being consistent and our car was well set up. The night stint was fabulous. This podium is really fantastic for me, and after what happened to us at Spa (collision in the Raidillon) we couldn’t have hoped for better. It gives you a small glimpse of what Le Mans is like even if the circuit is very different and very twisty. The straight is very bumpy and you can’t relax on it. But it helps your eyes get used to the speed at night, and also to overtake the GTs.
Gary Chalandon: no. 43 FLM driver: “It was a very selective race from a mechanical point of view because of the circuit layout. The tyres picked up a lot of rubber, and it took several laps before they started working properly. My Le Mans experience helped me to keep a cool head in a situation like the one we had today. Looking back, the race is always very different to qualifying and it’s not enough just to be quick over a lap. You only see the result after six hours’ racing.”
Olivier Lainé (BEL) Team manager of the no. 45 Boutsen Energy Racing 3rd-placed FLM :“We had to do a lot of work to enable us to do battle with the quickest cars. But we should be happy with this result as it gives us another podium finish. We have to improve. The penalty that we were given in practice should be forgotten. I prefer to look ahead. We’ve scored points for the second time on the trot, but that’s not the way I want to rack up results. This time we took advantage of our rivals’ retirements.”
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