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🏆 DUQUEINE Team Confirms LMP2 Leadership with a Second Place at Paul Ricard
This weekend, at the Paul Ricard circuit, the DUQUEINE Team delivered another impressive performance by finishing second in the second race of the 2023 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) season. With drivers Nicolas Pino, René Binder, and Neel Jani, car #30 retains its position as leader in the LMP2 championship.
🏁 A Rigorous Preparation for a Successful Weekend
After a week of intense preparation and promising test sessions, the DUQUEINE Team was ready to battle it out at the Paul Ricard circuit. On Saturday, René Binder took the wheel during qualifying, securing 6th place on the starting grid for Sunday’s race, a solid result for the race ahead.
Under scorching temperatures exceeding 30°C, it was Nicolas Pino who took the wheel for the first stint. He quickly made an impressive move, passing the Inter Europol #43 from the very first corner. By the end of the first third of the race, Pino had climbed to 3rd place.
🔥 An Exemplary Stint from René Binder
When René Binder took over the car, he showed great control, maintaining 3rd place despite relentless attacks from competitors like Panis Racing and IDEC Sport. Binder also brilliantly avoided a spectacular accident involving LMGTE cars halfway through the race, a crucial moment that could have jeopardized the team’s performance.
🏆 The Final Battle and a Well-Deserved Podium for Neel Jani
In the final portion of the race, Neel Jani took the wheel and engaged in a fierce battle for the lead with IDEC Sport and Racing Team Turkey. After several laps of intense fighting, Neel Jani crossed the finish line in second place, just 1 second behind the winning car, Algarve Pro Racing #25.
🚗 DUQUEINE Team Maintains LMP2 Championship Lead
With this outstanding result, the DUQUEINE Team remains in first place in the LMP2 championship. This podium finish helps reduce the points gap to the top spot and demonstrates once again the team’s speed and consistency at the highest level of endurance racing. The #30 car continues to prove its competitiveness, and this performance gives the team a significant boost heading into the next races of the season.
🏆 What’s Next for DUQUEINE Team?
With this second place finish at Paul Ricard, the DUQUEINE Team faces the rest of the championship with confidence. Their consistency and speed this weekend show that they are a force to be reckoned with, and the LMP2 teams will need to keep an eye on their continued competitiveness. With excellent preparation and talented drivers, the DUQUEINE Team is ready to take on new challenges, aiming for more podiums and, possibly, a victory by the end of the season.
René BINDER :
This race was mainly about finding the right balance.
We set up our car a bit less aggressive and also tried to be as smooth as possible on our tyres.
Maybe that didn’t look very spectacular, but in the end, this strategy paid off while others struggled with all sorts of problems.In the end, we crossed the finish line only one second behind the winners and even managed to extend our championship lead.
Neel JANI :
Le Castellet was another good weekend for us as a team with a P2!
We overcame some difficulties in the race and the main target was to look after our front left tyre!
In Barcelona we missed the win by two seconds and now by one second. So if we keep going at this rate we should be hopefully getting that first win under our belt soon!
Nicolas PINO :
Another great weekend for us.
I did a good start and came from 6th to 3rd on my stint. After, my teammates kept progressing and the team did a fantastic job.
We scored valuable points for the championship and must keep working hard to fight for the ELMS title!
