The two 908 HDi FAPs claimed first and second places in today’s Nürburgring 1,000km, with victory going to the N°8 car of Pedro Lamy/Stéphane Sarrazin who enjoyed a practically trouble-free run to finish with a two-lap advantage over the sister car of Marc Gene/Nicolas Minassian.
After his team-mate Marc Gene’s quickest lap in yesterday’s qualifying practice, Nicolas Minassian started the race from pole-position ahead of the 908 driven by Stéphane Sarrazin. The latter made his first pit-stop on Lap 27, three laps before Minassian, although the two drivers remained at the wheel of their respective cars. It was during the second stint that Sarrazin took the lead, profiting also from a forced stop for Minassian who needed to top up his engine with oil. Shortly afterwards, the N°7 car was called in again for a ’stop and go’ for overtaking under yellow flags. Following the two pit-stops and the first driver changes, Pedro Lamy led, while Marc Gene passed Gounon to retrieve second place. The two Peugeot drivers stayed in their respective cars for a third stint, totalling some 95 laps in total at the wheel! On Lap 129, it was Pedro Lamy’s turn to be called in for a ’stop and go’, again for overtaking under yellow flags which the driver apparently didn’t see. On Lap 159,, Marc Gene took over from Minassian in the N°7 car and the mechanics profited from the stop to repair slight damage to the rear left wing which was probably caused by a slight off. Both 908 HDi FAPs completed the rest of the race without incident to secure the marque’s first one-two finish in the Le Mans Series.
Stéphane Sarrazin: “At the start of the race, I was a little faster than Nicolas on soft tyres and we decided to pit before him. I pushed hard and was able to pass him before my second stop. After that, we didn’t have any problems all the way to the flag. “
Pedro Lamy: “Apart from a stop and go for overtaking under yellow flags which I didn’t see, it was a trouble-free race for me. “
Nicolas Minassian: “This car is incredibly quick. The chassis is fantastic and I would like to congratulate the technical team who gave us such a competitive car for this race. “
Marc Gene: “I had a slight problem with the steering wheel gearshift paddles. The steering wheel was changed during our second stop and we didn’t have any other problems after that. ”
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