Pegasus Racing in the good pace!

The team started the weekend with two free practice sessions without any worries. Léo Roussel, David Cheng and Jonathan Coleman focused on the set-up of the car and signed the 5th fastest time. On Saturday morning, Léo set the 7th time in the qualifying session and put the Morgan-Nissan on the fourth row of the starting grid. 

Jonathan Coleman was in charge of the start. The English driver kept his place but at the second corner, the #34 AF Corse Oreca spun in front of him. To avoid him, he swerved to the left and went on the synthetic grass. Unfortunately, the car slipped and bumped into the # 34 which was getting back on the track. 

Jonathan stopped and got out of the car. He removed the front bonnet to fit the front left wheel back in its axis. Thanks to his abnegation, he succeeded in coming back to the pit where the mechanics were waiting for him. But the verdict was quickly given: half of the front axle and a part of the front bodywork had to be changed. 

After only 30 minutes spent in the box, the technical staff sent the car back on track but very quickly, the driver had to come back again. Following the crash, the throttle got stuck and only delivered 40 % of the engine power. Second repairs had to be done so the car stayed some extra 45 minutes into the pit. 

Leo Roussel went back on track at the last place. He did his stint by setting amazing fast laps, stuck behind the leaders of the race. Then he handed over to David Cheng. The Chinese driver, who discovered Silverstone track as well as the European series and proved he was in the right pace. Then Jonathan Coleman ended the work and did the last stint. 

Even if line-up is not classified, the assessment of this first round is far from being negative for Julien Schell’s men. First, the team has shown all its cohesion and efficiency in the pits and managed to put the car back on track. Then, the #29 Morgan Nissan and its three drivers have confirmed that the potential was there. It has confirmed promising perspectives for the following rounds. 

The team is now focusing on preparing the second round which will take place in Italy, at Imola, on May 17th. 

Julien Schell, team manager : “ I can draw positive conclusions from this first round of the European Le Mans Series. First, I am satisfied with the choice of our line-up as it reveals to be the right one. Then, we have decided to trust Michelin and once again this was the right choice. I am happy about the quality of the tyres provided. Even if we started with an unfortunate crash, we have shown the performance was there. I would like to thank all our partners who trust us. We are going in the right direction, it is good omen for the rest of the season and the whole team is looking forward to being at Imola for the next round!”