PREMA Racing has tough Le Mans experience
The 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours was a tough one on PREMA Racing. The team lined up with two cars for the centenary edition of the great race, but crashes put both of them out of contention for the win and podium finishes. The #9 Oreca LMP2 car finished P16 in class, while the #63 had to be retired.
The #63 had a clean start, going up to P3 in the hands of Daniil Kvyat, but it was struck by multiple pieces of debris lost by a Hypercar later on lap 1. Once the air intake and bodywork issues caused by the debris were solved, Kvyat started a powerful comeback from P22, on lap down. As the legendary French track was hit by adverse weather, Doriane Pin managed the conditions to perfection, and continued the recovery. Mirko Bortolotti made more steps in the push, gaining position after position as the race headed into the night despite the treacherous flash rainfalls.
A safety car situation allowed the car to go back to the lead lap, and move to P5 for the re-start, with Bortolotti capping his spirited drive with more hopes for the team. Unfortunately, when chances seemed brighter for a podium battle, Kvyat lost control in the Porsche curves, making multiple impacts with the barriers. The driver emerged from the incident unscathed, but the #63 car didn’t, and was retired with severe damage.
The #9 car had a complicated run as well. After a cautious start by Juan Manuel Correa, a powerful comeback led the Ecuadorian-American and Bent Viscaal to a hard-fought recovery. However, one of the two extreme rainfalls that happened on Saturday jeopardized the team’s result.
As Filip Ugran got stuck in a runoff area after making small contact, he was hit by another car at high speed, which resulted in heavy left-rear damage. The mechanics did a phenomenal job, putting the car back together in little more than 30 minutes, but hopes for a podium finish were long gone.
Nonetheless, the trio continued to punch solid stints throughout the final stages even when a further mechanical issues cost them more laps. While Le Mans Sunday is not over yet, the team is already starting its preparations for Monza.
9 JUAN MANUEL CORREA
“We did it! We finished the race. Honestly, I feel so happy, even if it’s not the result we wanted or deserved. It’s incredible to finish after everything that happened. The mechanics were the stars of the race, repairing the car twice in 20 minutes, it’s incredible. For me it’s all about the experience, I’m really grateful to be here and I hope I can get back.”
9 FILIP UGRAN
“I enjoyed and I think everyone enjoyed the experience, but obviously it’s not the result we wanted. We thought we had the speed for the podium and maybe the win. A small misunderstanding happened, we don’t know exactly what, but I didn’t hear the box message to pit for rain tyres. Maybe it was a radio issue. That compromised the race. I clipped the wall, but I didn’t have big damage, I reversed and was trying to put the first gear in when another LMP2 car hit us from behind. I’m really thankful for how quickly the guys fixed the car. Then we had another issue with the starter, so I guess luck was not on our side. Overall the car was really good, and we had a great pace, both me and Juan as the Silvers and Bent, who was extremely quick. I also want to congratulate Mirko for the amazing job in recovering. I feel for Daniil and especially Doriane, she didn’t get much driving time which she really deserved here at home. We’ll come back stronger next time.”
9 BENT VISCAAL
“The race started really well, after a few hours we were running around P5 and fighting for the top positions. Then unfortunately Filip had an incident which cost us several laps. That really killed our performance. From then on, we tried and tried, but we encountered another issue, and whatever could go wrong went wrong. Obviously, I’m very disappointed with the results but really happy with the performance of the team. I’m still glad we made it to the finish in a race where so many things can happen. We’ll get back for the next.”
63 MIRKO BORTOLOTTI
“It has been a disappointing end to our race, but the main thing is that Daniil is OK after the crash! I’d like to thank every single member of PREMA Racing for their incredible effort, not only here in Le Mans but also in preparation to this event. The boys and girls in the team did a tremendous job and we will come back even stronger next time.”
63 DANIIL KVYAT
“It was an eventful race for all of us. The start was very unlucky. Debris from a Hypercar crash hit us, which forced us to a long early pit stop. From then on it was a recovery road, where Mirko, Doriane and I did our best. We were doing a great job, recovering a lot and going back to the lead lap. Then it was a mistake on my side that came very painfully. I shook hands with everyone in the team. I told them that I will come back stronger from this experience, and they know we will achieve our goals together. Thank you to everyone in the team for the support. I’m looking forward to resetting after this long week in my first Le Mans 24 Hours. I definitely learned a lot. I will recharge my batteries to get back on track stronger and motivated.”
63 DORIANE PIN
“My first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans was an amazing experience and a very formative one for the future. The support I’ve received all week has touched me and given me a lot of strength. Of course, I’m extremely disappointed that the race ended so early for the 3 of us. All the team worked very hard to get ready and after not an easy start, we had begun a strong comeback. But that’s part of the sport and we’ll come back stronger for the next one in Monza in a month. I’m more determined than ever and I’m going to give my all to get the opportunity to come back here next year. this is just the beginning of my story with Le Mans.”
Source | Photo: PREMA Racing