Prema Take The Win At Paul Ricard After Stellar 2022 ELMS Season Opener

A simply spellbinding finish to the 4 Hours of Paul Ricard, the opening round of the 2022 European Le Mans Series saw two class wins fought over until the flag as 42 cars fought it out for the spoils in the South of France.

The #9 Prema Team Oreca of Louis Deletraz, Ferdinand Habsburg and late team substitute Lorenzo Colombo delivered a near faultless run to emerge from a race that saw multiple interruptions, including three Safety Car interventions in the first 90 minutes, with 11 seconds in hand over the battles behind.

Second place would go to the #19 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca of Sophia Floersch and new team signing Bent Viscaal, the young Dutchman fending off his countryman Job van Uitert in the #65 Panis racing car to secure second place, the best ever finish by APR under their own name in the ELMS and the best ever finish too for a female driver in the Series, this despite the team having to go off strategy to ensure the minimum driver time for a two driver all-Silver squad was served. Viscaal would be released just in front of van Uitert for a sprint to the flag.

Van Uitert would complete the podium together with Nico Jamin, after a very pacy run from the Frenchman, and Julien Canal.

LMP2 Pro-Am saw dramas galore before the win was taken by the #34 Racing Team Turkey car, Charlie Eastwod battling hard to bring home the result after Salih Yoluc started the effort with a stellar middle stint from new signing Jack Aitken, this the team’s second ELMS class win.

The hard charging #88 AF Corse trio of Francis Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen and Alessio Rovera would be disappointed with second in class after a fine drive back up the order, the opening interruptions not kind to their fortunes.

The debuting #31 TDS Racing x Vaillante car of Mathias Beche, Philippe Cimadomo and Tijmen van der Helm would complete the class podium.

LMP3 saw real late race drama as the leading #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier JS P320 of Nico Pino, suffered engine difficulties. The car had stayed in the hunt throughout after an excellent early race run from Charles Crews with Guilherme Oliviera putting in a fine middle race effort.

Pino though would be powerless to resist a simply amazing last 12 minutes from Malthe Jakobsen in the #17 Cool Racing Ligier, the young Dane passing Pino with a lap to spare having pulled back over 20 seconds in around 5 laps.

The #17 after opening efforts from the Bronze (and bronzed) pairing of Mo Smith and Mike Benham, would take a fine win with the #2 United Autosports Ligier completing the podium.

GTE would barely be less dramatic at the finish with the #32 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GTE Evo 2020 of Nicolas Varrone just fending off a storming final run from Gianmaria Bruni – the gap at the flag just 0.120 of a second.

Pierre Ehret started the #32 with Memo Gidley proving his credentials as something of a shiny Bronze to put the car into real contention.

Varrone had pace, incredible considering a significant medical emergency for the young Argentinian earlier in the week, dehydration requiring an emergency response.

Post race the result though is under investigation though with the manner of the defence of the lead understood to be the subject of some concern.

For the moment though Bruni, together with Christian Ried and Lorenzo Ferrari are classified second in the #77 Proton Competition Porsche with the sister #93 car completing the podium after Zach Robichon pass in the closing stages by Bruni but making the podium on his ELMS debut together with Richard Lietz and Michael Fassbender, that pairing’s second consecutive LMS podium after second place in the season finale last year at Portimao.

In the mix for much of the race was the pair of Iron Lynx Ferraris, the #60 car though dropped back with a late driver change, another squad that had their strategy ruined by Safety Cars. That left the #83 Iron Dames effort in fourth, the car having run at the sharp end in the first half of the race after an excellent effort from Sarah Bovy.

There were early and terminal dramas for the #69 Oman Racing with TF Sport Aston Martin, Sam de Haan the luckless victim of a loss of control by the #14 Inter Europol Ligier, the Vantage out almost on the spot with broken steering.

The much fancied efforts of the #27 Cool Racing Ligier came to nought after significant damage followed an off at Signed after a brush with the #24 Nielsen racing Oreca.

And the #15 RLR MSport was another in the early bath after Horst Felbermayr Jr almost, but not quite, caught a wayward moment after taking too much kerb the car running onto the infield a slapping a wall hard.

RLR did have one good news story after team truckie John Eaton proposed to his no doubt significantly better half Kate live on ELMS TV – She said yes!

2022 ELMS Paul Ricard Prov result

More to follow…

The post Prema Take The Win At Paul Ricard After Stellar 2022 ELMS Season Opener first appeared on dailysportscar.com.