After a serious accident in testing, GEBHARDT Motorsport strikes back with points at the Michelin Le Mans Cup in Silverstone.
The fifth race weekend of the Michelin Le Mans Cup took place in Silverstone. GEBHARDT Motorsport fielded a Duqueine D09, which was driven by the two LMP3 aces Valentino Catalano and Oscar Tunjo. The racing series made its debut at the historic British circuit.
The race weekend got off to a difficult start when Tunjo crashed heavily at the fast Copse Corner during Thursday's test. The French LMP3 car was badly damaged. However, thanks to a strong performance by the entire GEBHARDT Motorsport team, the car returned to the track on Friday.
‘The GEBHARDT Motorsport family never gives up! The team worked flat out and even Valentino Catalano's grandfather helped out,’ said Oscar Tunjo. ‘Thanks to the incredible work of Fritz Gebhardt, William Hood and Karl David Jennings, as well as every single team member, we were able to compete in Friday's practice sessions.’
Valentino Catalano started the race from twelfth on the grid. In the race at the Home of British Motor Racing, the Sinsheim-based team's car moved up two positions and finished the race in tenth place. This secured the team an important point.
‘After such a difficult start to the race weekend, everyone worked hard and were rewarded with points in the end,’ summarised Fritz Gebhardt. "I am proud of what my team achieved at Silverstone and that we were able to continue the weekend. Thank you all for your hard work. We were also able to collect more important data with the Duqueine D09 and will do everything we can to finish the season on a high note in Portimão."
The season finale on the rollercoaster track on the Algarve coast will take place on the third weekend in October. GEBHARDT Motorsport wants to end what has been a rather difficult season in the Michelin Le Mans Cup with another good result in Portimão. The team is confident that its speed has been improving steadily over the last few races, even though bad luck, as at Spa-Francorchamps, prevented better race results.
