Saturday's first ever race in the category open to LMP3 and similar cars was short and wet, but not without drama. On Sunday, however, the second of the two scheduled races took place in the form of endurance to the end. And it all culminated with successes achieved only in the finale.
Race 1
On Saturday, the prototypes were the unluckiest of the three categories in action at Estoril. The afternoon was characterized by a brief period of heavy rain which hit the track just as the PWS race was about to begin.
Kevin Rabin and the ANS Motorsport team were also unlucky. The 16-year-old was at the wheel of the only Nova NP02 taking on the LMP3 machinery in Portugal, finding himself leading the race when the red flag waved after just two laps completed.
The reason for the interruption was an accident between the two riders who were in front of him. Danny Soufi (Konrad Motorsport Ligier) was very close to Sandro Holzem (Rinaldi Racing Ligier) when he hit a huge puddle of water while braking at Turn 1.
The American lost control while aquaplaning resulting in a spin, without finding a way to slow down and hitting the rear of Holzem, who had led the race from pole position.
With both cars damaged and stuck in the gravel, Rabin inherited the lead for a few moments. But given the cleanup work and the conditions, the red flag was inevitable. The results, of course, are declared at the end of the previous round, meaning that Holzem was declared the winner despite being knocked out.
Soufi was demoted for causing the red flag, so Rabin could at least celebrate second place. And if anyone could count themselves lucky, it was clearly Holzem. It's not often that you win even if you've been knocked off the track, and even half points for two laps run is a rare occasion in motorsport.
Photo by: Gedlich Racing
Tom Van Rompuy, DKR Engineering, Duqueine
Race 2
Soufi was able to make up for it on Sunday, when the second enduro race covered the entire 50-minute distance without the safety car interrupting the contest. It was therefore the first opportunity to see how the handicap system would evolve, under which the times of mandatory pit stops vary depending on the skills of the drivers.
The rain was still present and its intensity varied over the course of the race, but conditions never approached the unrideable levels of the previous day.
Another element that made Soufi's task easier was the absence of the Rinaldi Racing car. Unable to start the formation lap, the Ligier was removed from pole position after the rear axle broke during the grid formation lap. The problem was traced back to residual damage from the previous day's accident.
Driving alone, Soufi was actually able to lead a consistent race all the way to victory. Daniel Keilwitz (in Rinaldi's other Ligier) and Laurents Horr (DKR Engineering Duqueine) held him off until the pit stops, five seconds ahead of the trio when the pit window opened.
The system required Soufi to spend a longer time in the pits as a solo “Silver” driver, not to mention the battery problem that cost him a few extra seconds. But his “Gold” rivals relied on the slower “Bronze” teammates, which made the difference.
Soufi closed the 29″ deficit left after the stops, overtaking Tom Van Rompuy (DKR) and Steve Parrow (Rinaldi) in one go, as the trio raced down the main straight with around seven minutes to go.
Van Rompuy could have aimed for victory had he not lost several seconds in a spin at turn four shortly after taking control of the car. Unfortunately for the Belgian, he won't have the chance to try and make up for his mistake in Portimao next weekend. Van Rompuy was only present at Estoril to replace Jon Brownson, who was injured during the week's testing.
Fourth behind the cars of Konrad, DKR and Rinaldi came Rabin, who showed remarkable consistency in changeable weather, but lacked the pace to match the leading trio over the race distance.
Photo by: Gedlich Racing
Danny Soufi, Konrad Motorsport
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