Picture © europeanlemansseries
NewBlood by Morand Racing wrap up runner-up spot in race and third position in standings
ELMS - 19/10/2014
Team Info
Benoit Morand and his “guys” ended the 2014 ELMS on a very high note: their second position in Portugal secured the team's third position in the final standings of the LM P2 category.
For NewBlood by Morand Racing, 2014 started and ended on the podium, with the third-place finish at Silverstone (Great Britain) in April and second position in Portugal, a month after the long-awaited first overall victory at the Paul Ricard circuit (France). The #43 Morgan-Judd BMW with Dunlop tyres was one of the most regular competitors in the overall top 5, and the final round in Estoril was no exception. The three drivers Christian Klien, Pierre Ragues and Gary Hirsch had a trouble-free race regarding the car's reliability and the engineers and mechanics delivered a flawless job. The reliability of the drivers, crew and car were enough to be in the final top 3 of the 2014 European Le Mans Series.
Pierre Ragues up to third position – The French driver started the race from the fifth position on the grid under a warm and sunny weather. He drove a consistent double stint, maintaining the car in the top 5, battling for fourth and even climbing up to third. The French driver was fourth after 60 laps when handed out to Gary Hirsch. “I had a good start and I was quite happy with my first stint. During the second one heat increased and we could have made better adjustments for tyre pressure, since there were big temperature changes between practice, qualifying and race. I did my best and was quite pleased when I handed over to Gary. Once again we could fight for the win but everyone in LM P2 had some trouble, with the exception of the winning car. The mechanics had a difficult season so it was good to score such results in the two final rounds. We were regular contenders for victory through the whole season and I had great moments in this team. Now the next stage is to win the championship.”
Gary Hirsch keeps pace – The #43 Morgan-Judd BMW with Dunlop held the fifth position at mid-race and even battled for fourth. After maintaining the #43 Morgan-Judd BMW with Dunlop tyres in the top 5, Hirsch came back to the pits and Christian Klien took the wheel. “I came back on the track with new tyres and the car was very good in the early laps of my stint. Unfortunately I had an unexpected pit stop to re-fasten my seat belts and after that I had some traffic in race. But in the end the car was quite good and I would like to thank the team for all their effort that enabled us to get where we are now and we intend to come back even stronger next year. This year I had many things to learn so it was a great surprise to be in contention for the title in the last race. My thoughts also go to Jules Bianchi, with whom I drove in Formula Renault not so long ago.”
Christian Klien grabs the runner-up spot –“It was a difficult race, because the track is very narrow so it was difficult to overtake the GT cars. There is only on line because there were marbles outside the racing line. I was very pleased of the car anyway, we had a good balance. Every lap of my last stint was a qualifying lap, I was just pushing to the maximum. I am very happy to get another podium finish for the team for the last race of the season and to reach the final top 3 of the ELMS. We were unlucky at Imola because of a technical failure while leading the race. We could have been the 2014 champions but that's the way it goes in motor sports. It was a big battle with many different winners through the season but we can be proud of ourselves because in every race we were competitive for the win.” Klien rapidly started the battle to gain positions and reached P2 after the leading car was held in the pits by a 3-minute stop-and-go penalty. Klien had the lead before his last pit stop and came back on the track in third position. The final 40 minutes of racing saw the Austrian driver climb up to second position under the chequered flag.
Benoit Morand “end-of-season” word: “We had a good race. Pierre drove perfectly in his double stint. We were blocked by another competitor for quite a time and he did not lose his temper at the wheel. Gary's seatbelt issue cost us 45 seconds but the team was very efficient during the pits stop which went great. When Christian came on the track everything could happen, notably when the leading car suffered a penalty, and he was absolutely fantastic. The team did an excellent job and we have a good car. This year we demonstrated that we could be in contention for the win in every race, and I am very proud of that. I also would like to thank my wife Gladys, who is an exceptional lady, for her constant support.”
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