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Magny Cours

29/07/2001

Race

Report

"This is a tremendous win for all the team and to do it here in the FIA Sportscar Championship and at Magny-Cours is very satisfying indeed," remarked a delighted Henri Pescarolo. He may yet get back his team's win at Estoril two weeks ago, making this the second international win for his équipe: if he doesn't win that Portuguese appeal, this will go down as his team's first win, and the first (proper one) for the C60's manufacturer, Yves Courage....although Cottaz and Policand did win the Jarama Two Hours in a C41 in 1997. The same pair also won the 1997 Coupes d'Automne race on the Le Mans Bugatti circuit, which gave them a bye for the following spring's qualifying date for the 24 Hours.

Jean-Christophe Boullion and Laurent Redon won by a minute, from the Ferrari of Marco Zadra and Christian Pescatori, with John Nielsen's Dome / Judd in third place. This result is almost certainly the first for a turbocharged engine in this series - apart from the first 'pilot' year, 1997.

SR2 was won by the Rowan Racing Pilbeam of Martin O'Connell and Warren Carway, with the SRTS Lola being disqualified from second place. Thed Bjork hauled the Lola to within five seconds of the red and silver Pilbeam at the flag, but Stanley Dickens' car was removed from the results after being push started in the pits.

Werner Lupberger and Ben Collins took fourth place in the results, but after stopping on the reconnaisance lap, it looked as though they may not take the start. They did though, as did Giovanni Lavaggi - from the back, after not setting a Qualifying time. The Italian was fourth after eight laps! By then, Jean-Marc Gounon had set the early pace, getting ahead of Nielsen and Pescatori - these three had been three abreast at the start, the little Audi man ending up on the grass, but still second to Nielsen. 140 mph on the grass! Boullion was a sensible, watching fourth - with a good view of Nielsen running wide at the hairpin, Pescatori being delayed enough for Gounon to lead.

Boullion moved up to second place ahead of the mighty Dane, Pescatori pitting to clear grass out of the radiators - so Lavaggi was fourth, having got ahead of Lammers, and closing rapidly on the other Dome.

Boullion was doing the same to compatriot Gounon, so we had the order Gounon, Boullion, Nielsen, Lavaggi, Lupberger, Zadra, Lammers and Pescatori.

Boullion and Lavaggi were the two to watch at this early stage, each threatening the car ahead of them. But Gounon had a point to make, setting the fastest lap of the race and pulling out a small margin on the green Courage. He was looking good for that first Kremer win in this series, even after his earlyish first pit stop, until a tyre deflated at the Adelaide Hairpin braking zone. He pitted for Sam Hancock to resume, but the tall Briton soon retired with damage to the diff. - a result of the puncture. More awful Kremer-type luck, but perhaps Gounon had been a little too hasty away from the lights (that attempt at passing Nielsen and Pescatori).

It could have been a race-long duel between the developed Lola and the Pescarolo Courage, but that incident left Boullion and Redon to cruise home to a comfortable, fuel-efficient victory. Laurent Redon: "A great victory for the mechanics, the Pescarolo Team, and everybody around us, everything is OK for us, we did a great choice of tyres, and we won the race in the pits too." Jean-Christophe Boullion: "We only half filled the car at the second stop and this worked perfectly. We were able to lap consistently fast all race and there was no problems at all. We know that the car is great in race configuration but not really with the qualification one (on Goodyears)."

Pescatori charged back into contention after his grass-removing pit stop, handing over to Marco Zadra in second place, and then watching his fellow Italian extend his championship lead - now 22 points. The Domes were third (Nielsen / Katoh) and sixth (Lammers / Hillebrand - soft Avons apparently too soft) at the flag, Nielsen's problem which manifested itself at the hairpin lasting throughout the race - a long brake pedal. "I thought I was off to Paris," joked the big man.

The Ascari finished a lonely fourth, that out-lap problem being a fuel leak - which was fixed just in time for the start. Lupberger and Collins were well clear of the second BMS Ferrari. Lavaggi? No Monza repeat, as his fine drive ended with no gears before Christian Vann had a turn.

The Redman Bright Reynard and the R&M R&S both finished behind the SR2 winner after lacklustre efforts. This race needed Gounon and Hancock in a car that could stand up to the Frenchman's charging, Pescatori with a car that could survive a Gounon-inspired trip across the grass, and Nielsen with fully effective brakes. Only the Pescarolo Courage had a perfect run, which was the perfect way to seal that first (or second) win. The GMS for Soheil Ayari? It didn't start.

O'Connell / Carway and Bjork / Oberto were the SR2 stars, these two entries going at it throughout, the only problems hitting the Lola (that push start, plus a spin for Oberto), although with O'Connell at the wheel, the Pilbeam was faster. Five seconds separated them...until the Lola was disqualified. In the last stints, Bjork was faster than Carway, but the Lola dropped back after a late splash, Carway not having to make an extra stop after a clever early one seemed to wrong-foot the Swedish team.

This elevated the Lucchini Alfa of Dr Piergiuseppe Peroni and Jean Bernard Bouvet in to second place ahead of team mates Denny Zardo and Mauro Prospero. Bouvet was happy with third: "A third place, unbelievable." Second must have felt even better. Or it did until this car was excluded for not completing the last lap - the car ground to a halt a kilometre or two too soon, so only three SR2s finished.

Second was enough for Marco Zadra though - and the Ferrari 333SP is on course for another win in this series, which if it happens will make four in a row. Explain that, if you can, at a time when pure 333SPs aren't racing anywhere else.

News gathering by Olivier Beroud.