The 6th and final ELMS event held on Portuguese soil at the famous Portimao circuit. Qualifying 11th, the Oreca #30 of DUQUEINE Team was unfortunately forced to retire only 30 minutes after the start.
Portimao or Roller Coster is a circuit that is both magnificent and technical. The first corner is downhill and very bumpy which makes braking complicated, especially if there is a battle.
The collective tests on Thursday took place under the magnificent weather with strong heat. The team of engineers, mechanics and drivers worked hand in hand to set the car up for the free practices. The two free practice sessions on Friday and Saturday morning went well. We were able to work on the car, find the setting that best suited the layout of Portimao and the drivers.
René Binder, the Austrian driver of the team, once again had the mission to get the best time in qualifying.
The Oreca #30 saw 3 laps canceled due to a track limit at turn #1. But that did not disturb René Binder, who remained focused on his qualifications and the objective of getting the best possible lap times. He managed to qualify the Alésienne team in 11th place on the grid. This is not the expected result in view of the good free practices sessions.
As each start, Memo Rojas begins the 4 hours of racing. At 1 p.m. the lights go out and the race begins. The first 3 corners are very tense with a succession of hooking up, rubbing the wheels and going off the track, but Memo manages to gain 2 places and is therefore 9th. Unfortunately for us, this good ascent was quickly stopped with the accident 30 minutes after the start. The Mexican then in the last corner lost his left rear wheel and spun off in succession. Unfortunately, another car was hit, but the most important thing is that both drivers are doing well.
It is not the end hoped for us but that is the way. Motorsport is sometimes hard.
Despite everything, the DUQUEINE Team finished 5th in the championship. This is satisfactory in view of the very high level of the championship this year. We look forward to seeing you in 2022.
René BINDER : "A big dissappointment and a shocking moment to end our 2021 ELMS season here in Portimao: Having started 11th on the grid my team mate, Memo Rojas, lost his wheel in the fast right hander leading into the start finish straight. His four-fold spin caused a brutal accident of LMP3 driver, Andreas Laskaratos, who crashed into the pitwall but, thank god, survived that crash almost unjured. We all know that our DUQUEINE Team was defeated far below our true potential this weekend but in this moment I have no idea, why our package was not competitive here."
Tristan GOMMENDY : "The race did not go as expected. However, everything had started well. Memo gained 2 positions. But we quickly realized that the race pace was not what we hoped for, however we continued to fight. Unfortunately after 15 laps, Memo lost his wheel and spun around which signaled the end of the race.
While we could fight for the 2nd place in the championship, this retirement puts us in 5th place. We can still be proud of this 5th place because this year, the championship was very tough. "
Memo ROJAS : “So we are P5 in the championship, I'm happy with that, but today we could have fought for second place in the championship. Unfortunately, 30min after the start, I lost a wheel and the race ended for us. We were lucky enough to get away with it almost unscathed.
I would like to thank my whole team and my teammates René and Tristan."
