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settembre 15, 2022 - Richard Mille

Back in the points at Fuji

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

  • The #richardmilleracingteam finishes eighth in the 6 Hours of Fuji 
     
  • The team continues its ascent into the top ten in the championship

For the first time in its history, the #richardmilleracingteam went to #japan, and more precisely to #fuji Speedway, the temple of endurance #racing in the land of the rising sun.
 
Charles Milesi, #lilouwadoux and #paulloupchatin were determined after Monza and made the most of the free practice sessions to get up to speed for qualifying. #charlesmilesi, who was in charge of the exercise, was running out of luck in the ten-minute session and had to settle for tenth place in the LMP2 category. However, the trio could take solace in reducing the gap to the class leaders by finishing within nine-tenths of a second of pole position. 
 
As part of her apprenticeship, #lilouwadoux started the race. She brilliantly took up this new challenge and avoided the opening lap collision caused by one of her pursuers. The Frenchwoman then gradually increased the pace to pass a competitor before handing over to #paulloupchatin. For his second appearance with the #richardmilleracingteam, the latter drove a serious and diligent double stint during which he oscillated between sixth and eighth place. 
 
Halfway through the race, #charlesmilesi took over and immediately extended the offensive led by his teammates by pressuring the #22 United Autosports and placing #paulloupchatin in the best position to attempt an undercut. The team then made a perfect stop to take the lead, but Filipe Albuquerque countered a few laps later in a duel where the two prototypes made contact, sending the No. 1 Oreca-Gibson into a spin. A front left tyre change 30 minutes from the finish compromised the newcomer's triple stint. 
 
Eighth at the chequered flag, the #richardmilleracingteam returned to the points and gained a position in the FIA Endurance LMP2 Trophy ahead of the season finale in Bahrain (12 November).
 
Lilou Wadoux: "There was a bit of trepidation and a bit more pressure at the start as you can easily find yourself in a bad situation, but everything went well, and I avoided lap one incident. My two stints were quite calm, as this race left little room for strategy, and we managed to stay in contact with the other LMP2 cars. So, we have a lot of positive aspects to remember, starting with our solid pace. I'm convinced that we can do better in Bahrain!"
 
Charles Milesi: "It was nice to return to #japan and discover the #fuji circuit in an LMP2 car. We were all hoping for a more eventful race, but all the teams had a similar pace, and the gaps weren't big enough to try anything on track or in the pits. Maybe we were a little too aggressive with the setup before qualifying, but the car is still improving. So, this result doesn't reflect our level, but we have taken another step forward on things that should be important in Bahrain, like tyre degradation."
 
Paul-Loup Chatin: " It's a bit frustrating because the team did an incredible job, and the result doesn't reflect that. The first two-thirds of the race were very good, with a great performance from Lilou and Charles, but we would have liked to go all the way after this positive start. It's up to us to put the work done by the team since Le Mans to good use at the 8 Hours of Bahrain!"
 
Philippe Sinault, Team Principal: "The team and the drivers put in a solid race, which was poorly rewarded. For her first start, Lilou did not make any mistakes, stayed in the pack and even gained a position in a field where the pace is very high, and the gaps are so close that everything is decided by not very much. Overtaking is difficult on this circuit, even more so in this category, as Charles and Paul-Loup were able to see behind the United Autosport. We lost a second and a half when we were blocked by the JOTA exiting the pits when we tried to undercut the United car and that saw us fall away from the lead pack. We think we broke the front left tyre in our last stint as the car suddenly changed dramatically. It is very frustrating as everything went even better in every aspect than at Monza. But we must remember the positives and be proud of the new steps forward taken by the drivers and the technical team. There is no reason why it shouldn't work in Bahrain!"

Further information in the press release to download