The number 30 climbed on the podium this weekend during the second race of the ELMS season at the Paul Ricard circuit, at Le Castellet alongside Nicolas Pino, Rene Binder and Neel Jani.
After a week of intense preparation and conclusive tests, the Alesian team was ready to fight on the Paul Ricard circuit. On Saturday, the talented driver René Binder took the wheel in qualifying, placing the car in 6th position on the starting grid for the next day's race.
On Sunday, Nicolas Pino did a fantastic first stint under a blinding sun, exceeding 30°C. From the first corner, he manages to pass the Inter Europol n°43, and will continue his excellent momentum by climbing to third position at the end of the first third of the race. René Binder then took the wheel and showed exemplary control by retaining third place despite persistent attacks from Panis Racing and IDEC Sport. He also brilliantly avoided the impressive crash involving the LMGTEs at the halfway mark. Finally, it was Neel Jani who crossed the finish line after a long battle with IDEC Sport and Racing Team Turkey for the lead of the race. He managed to climb on the second step of the overall podium, just 1 second behind the #25 Algarve Pro Racing car. Thanks to this exceptional performance, the #30 DUQUEINE Team car retains its place at the top of the LMP2 championship and closes the points gap for first place in the general classification.
RENE 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!"