Kessel Racing secured its first win of the season in grand style by storming from 4th on the grid to take victory in the LMGT3 class by over 37 seconds to the runners-up in the fourth European Le Mans Series (ELMS) at Spa-Francorchamps today. Whilst the champagne was the order of the day in the ELMS, the #74 Ferrari 296 GT3 scored its third podium in five races in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, when stepping up onto the podium in third place in yesterday´s race at the famous rollercoaster track in the Ardennes.
European Le Mans Series – Sunday, 25th August 2024
After topping the timing charts in both Free Practice sessions, Takeshi Kimura took behind the wheel of the #57 Ferrari 296 GT3 to qualify the car initially in seventh place for the 4h-Spa. A steward decision later on put the Kessel Racing Ferrari in 4th on the grid.
The double stint of Takeshi Kimura was interrupted by two Safety Cars and one Virtual Safety Car. The Japanese driver did a fantastic job by keeping a cool head, avoiding all incidents around him. On lap 32, he handed over the car from P4 to his team-mate Esteban Masson.
The young Frenchman was chasing down the two leading Aston Martins and didn´t take long to catch them. On lap 48, Esteban Masson did not only overtake the #97 Aston Martin going into Les Combes, he also took the lead from the #59 Aston Martin in a fantastic move at the beginning of lap 49 going into La Source. Within one lap, he had already extended his lead by 5.6 seconds.
After a double-stint and an amazing drive by Esteban Masson, it was now the turn of Daniel Serra to bring it home. Lap by lap, the Brazilian Ferrari driver extended his advantage. When crossing the finishing line, he had put more than 38 seconds between him and the second-placed car, the #86 Ferrari – and securing the first win of the season for Kessel Racing.
Michelin Le Mans Cup – Saturday, 24th August 2024
The Michelin Le Mans Cup was once again the picture of Safety Cars and many incidents, and the two Ferrari 296 GT3 started from P4 (#74) and P10 (#12) into the race.
To avoid a massive pile-up at the start going into La Source, the #74 Ferrari with Albert Gilbert in the car was lucky to avoid involvements, however was down at the back of the field. Frédéric Jousset in the sister car #12 improved by three positions. Once all pitstops were completed, Fran Rueda was running in P7 in the #74 Ferrari, with David Fumanelli in the number 12 car in P10.
Kessel Racing survived a race, which saw a lot of damages and accidents and brought home the third podium of the year for the #74 Ferrari 296 GT3 with Fran Rueda and Albert Gilbert, whilst the #12 finished the race in seventh position.
Team Quote
Ronnie Kessel, Team Principal
“I am extremely proud of the team and the drivers – this was a win in the making and well deserved to everyone. What was yet another very tough ELMS race, we had the perfect strategy and a fantstic car. I am also very happy for the third podium finish in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. It is always tough to race at Spa-Francorchamps, and to end a weekend like this feels very good.”
Driver Quotes – ELMS #57
Takeshi Kimura (JAP)
“I was not happy with my qualifying as I made a mistake and only qualified 7th. The race was perfect, thank you so much Kessel Racing and the whole team for a fantastic weekend.”
Esteban Masson (FRA)
“My double-stint was very hectic, but the car was so good and we could push as much as I wanted and could overtake the three cars ahead of me when I started. The team did a mega job today, we really had a perfect car. Thank you so much.”
Daniel Serra (BRA)
“Thank you to my team-mates! Kimura-san always kept it safe and Esteban drove amazing and super fast. I had a very good margin and I just had to bring it home.”
Driver Quote – Michelin Le Mans Cup #74
Fran Rueda (ESP)
“We are very happy with our race. After the incident on the first lap we were right at the back of the field, so to come back and take P3 was the maximum we could do. As always, there were a lot of incidents with the LMP cars, but we kept it clean and we got a good reward.”
Driver Quote – Michelin Le Mans Cup #12
David Fumanelli (ITA)
“It was a difficult race as the car´s performance was a little bit compromised after a contact at the start and we lost our race pace. We recovered and made up a few positions in the final part of the race and managed to grab some valid points for the championship.”