Race Performance claims victory at 4 Hours of Fuji
By winning the the 4 Hours of Fuji (JP), the second round of the Asian Le Mans Series 2016/17, the Swiss Race Performance Team proved it is back to form after the disappointment of retiring at the previous round at Zhuhai. The victory has ensured the team is still a serious contender in the Championship and in the race for the ever so valuable 2017 Le Mans 24 hours invitation.
Having qualified in third place in LMP2, the Race Performance Oreca Judd HK V8 was in the fight for victory right from the start of the race. Giorgio Maggi managed to stay close to leader Ho-Pin Tung, driving the Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca Nissan, while the pole sitting Algarve Pro Racing Ligier Nissan had already lost out due to a bad start and getting caught in traffic. After the first driver changes Race Performance newcomer Fabian Schiller managed to take the lead in a hard fight with Jackie Chan driver Thomas Laurent and kept the position for most of the race. Struan Moore brought the car home and took the win for the team.
Giorgio Maggi was happy about his stint and the final result: “It was quite good. I struggled a bit with the front tyres to keep them warm behind the safety car, but the rest was just driving,” said the Swiss youngster.
Fabian Schiller, the 19-year old German from Bonn, who raced in the Renault Sport Trophy in 2016, had the best possible start into his LMP2 career with Race Performance: “I did the second stint. It was quite okay. We did good lap times and the car was really good. I managed to pull a gap. Giorgio did a good first stint. He had a lot of safety cars, so it wasn’t that interesting, but for me I had two proper stints and it was really fun out there. I think everyone did a really good job. The car worked perfectly and Struan just finished it off with really good laptimes. I think it’s fully deserved.”
Struan Moore could not agree more with his teammate: “Exactly what Fabian just said, I just finished it off. These guys did everything they needed to do. Giorgio made a good start, did a good move in the first corner, first lap. He pretty much controlled his stint. Fabian overtook when he needed to and pulled a gap. Then it was relatively straightforward for me. Just keep driving on the track.”
Team principal Urs Meier was very happy with the result as well as with the performance of his team: “At Fuji really everything went right. The three drivers are a really good combination, they are fast, use their heads and stay away from unnecessary fights. Giorgio Maggi did a very strong first stint until the driver change, Struan Moore and Fabian Schiller then took the lead for our car number 8. With an advantage of nearly two minutes after four hours of racing we made it clear how strong the combination of team and drivers is at Race Performance. Now we have got the chance to defend our Asian Le Mans title from last season, if everything continues to go as well as it did at Fuji. Thanks to everybody!“ Meier is already looking forward to round number three, which will take place at Buriram/Thailand from 6th to 8th of January 2017, “where we will race with the same driver line-up again.“
Race Performance – Wolfgang Koepp
David Porter wins the Sebring classic 12 hours
David Porter & team mate Richard Bradley, driving their Pescarolo Judd GV 5.5 V10, scored an emphatic victory at the famous Sebring circuit in Florida. The car was fast and reliable throughout the event, starting from pole position and winning the race by 2 laps, beating a pair of Audi R8 turbos in the process!
This particular Pescarolo Judd has a long and successful history in sportscar racing. Originally campaigned by the British Rollcentre racing team, it finished in a sensational 4th place overall at the 2007 Le Mans 24 hours, beating many factory cars in the process. The car was then purchased by David Porter who has since scored multiple victories in the US based Historic Sportscar championship.