24 Hours of Le Mans: Tristan Gommendy, a fifth place in LMP2 worthy of a victory

“Because of the heavy shower that fell at the start the 60 cars in the race set off behind the safety car,” explains Gommendy who was at the wheel at the time. “During this period electrical problems caused by the amount of water on the track forced me to pit twice. The first time because one of the accelerator sensors had been flooded; and the second because the steering wheel connection was affected and we had to fit a new steering wheel. We were two laps behind when the start was given after around fifty minutes behind the safety car.”

“The team’s strategy worked perfectly and it helped me to move up the time sheets. When night fell I focused on being consistent knowing the many traps on the 24-Hours circuit. We put on a solid performance and we pulled back another three places’’. The Frenchman’s team-mates also drove good stints at nighttime and kept the car in seventh place. The early hours of the morning at Le Mans are known to be a challenging time for drivers and there was a number of offs. Tristan was pushing hard while keeping a weather eye open in the traffic and brought the car up into fifth place in LM P2 three laps behind the leader. “At that moment we’d achieved the aim we set ourselves before the race, namely: to be in fifth place in our category. From 8:00 till 15:00 my team-mates and I respected our strategy setting a steady pace and not taking any unnecessary risks. The result was that we crossed the finishing line in fifth place in LM P2 and ninth overall. It was a superb performance by the LeSports by Eurasia team, which was taking place in the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time with two rookies in its driver line-up who didn’t make the slightest mistake on the track. I’m very proud of my team-mates and the whole team! It was my seventh outing in the Le Mans 24 Hours. On four occasions I shared the joy of being at the finish, but this year will have a particular flavour for me as there were a lot of unknowns before the race. I’d like to congratulate and to thank the whole LeSports by Eurasia team for doing an incredible job, and for putting its trust in me in this adventure. Thanks to the experience we accumulated during the Le Mans weekend, we can look forward to the remaining rounds of the European Le Mans Series with fresh ambitions. The excellent collaboration between the team, Oreca and Dunlop also bodes well for the rest of the season.”