ELMS – Iron Lynx claims points finish at Circuit Paul Ricard

Iron Lynx claimed a points finish in the 4 Hours of Castellet, the second round of the European Le Mans Series. The team had a solid run, although attrition and a few penalties compromised the end result.

The day started off in scintillating fashion as the #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx car was able to take off from pole for the second time in as many races. It was once again a superstar last lap in qualifying for Abdulla Al-Khelaifi.

The Qatari racer had to face a few challenges in his stint. A heavy penaltiy for a starting infringement forced him to fight back, and a couple of contacts led to more penalties that eventually jeopardised the race. After a hard-fought stint from Julian Hanses, who was fully in contention for the top 5, Maxime Martin eventually had to retire the car as a steering box issue, probably caused by earlier contact, made it impossible for him to continue.

Driving the #63 car, Ameerh Naran, Rui Andrade and Sergio Sette Camara secured their second consecutive points finish. Naran showed speed from the beginning of the weekend and put up a solid pace in the race despite a couple of early setbacks.

Rui Andrade continued to be solid behind the wheel, while Sétte Câmara, who had to serve an unsafe release penalty at the beginning of his stint, was impressive, coming back even though — due to how safety car situations unfolded — strategy called for a final splash of fuel.

Iron Lynx will be back in a few days for round 2 of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Andrea Piccini – Team Principal and CEO
“It has been a tough race. We knew right from the beginning of the weekend that we were lacking pace, but still, we deserved much more than what we achieved. I think we performed in a solid way as a team. A disproportionate penalty at the start of the race for taking just a small safety margin from LMP3 forced Abdulla onto the back foot and that set him up for a few more tricky situations. The #63 crew was very consistent and, despite a few mistakes from Ameerh due to inexperience, managed to secure a points finish. Overall, we are satisfied with our performance and we look forward to bouncing back as soon as possible.”

Sérgio Sette Câmara – Driver, Car 63
“We were again in the midfield here at Circuit Paul Ricard. Considering the pace we generally had this week, it was not too far from the optimal. We had a few issues with penalties and a strategy that could have gone better with a bit more luck. I’m really happy with how the team worked and the car balance was really good. We always took decisions that made the most sense, but sometimes it depends on external outcomes. What matters is that the car is super reliable, we seem able to keep it in the window, and I’m sure we are going to get a strong result soon.”

Rui Andrade – Driver, Car 63
“It has been a tricky race for us. In general, we were lacking a little bit of pace compared to the others but the team did a really good job. We were pretty spot on with the strategy and the pit-stops were all very solid, so we managed to score good points. P7 is not where we want to be, but today we’ll take it and we look forward to Imola to try and improve even further.”

Iron Lynx ha concluso a punti la 4 Ore di Castellet, seconda tappa della European Le Mans Series, nonostante alcune difficoltà come ritiri e penalità che hanno influenzato i risultati. La vettura numero 62 del Team Qatar by Iron Lynx è partita dalla pole position per la seconda volta, grazie a un ottimo giro in qualifica di Abdulla Al-Khelaifi. Tuttavia, il pilota ha dovuto affrontare delle difficoltà, tra cui una pesante penalità per un’irregolarità in partenza e dei contatti che hanno comportato ulteriori penalità, condizionando la gara.

Julian Hanses ha fatto un ottimo lavoro, ma la vettura, guidata da Maxime Martin, è stata costretta al ritiro a causa di un problema al servosterzo, presumibilmente dovuto a precedenti contatti. Nel frattempo, la vettura numero 63, con Ameerh Naran, Rui Andrade e Sergio Sette Camara al volante, ha conquistato il secondo piazzamento a punti consecutivo. Naran è partito forte nonostante le difficoltà iniziali, Andrade ha dimostrato costanza e Sette Camara ha superato una penalità per partenza pericolosa, continuando a ottenere buoni risultati durante la gara.

Il Team Principal Andrea Piccini ha affermato che la gara è stata difficile, citando la mancanza di ritmo, ma sottolineando la solida prestazione del team. Ha sottolineato la penalità sproporzionata inflitta alla partenza che ha influenzato la gara di Abdulla. Nonostante alcuni errori, l’equipaggio numero 63 è riuscito a conquistare punti.

Il pilota Sergio Sette Câmara ha affermato che il team si trovava a metà classifica, riconoscendo i problemi legati alle penalità e agli aggiustamenti strategici, ma evidenziando anche l’affidabilità della vettura. Rui Andrade ha commentato la natura insidiosa della gara e la costante performance del team ai box, ritenendo che, sebbene il settimo posto non fosse l’ideale, fosse accettabile e che puntassero a migliorare nella prossima gara a Imola. Iron Lynx prevede di tornare presto a gareggiare alla 6 Ore di Spa-Francorchamps, valida per il Campionato del Mondo Endurance FIA.