A technical issue prevented the 18-year-old Belgian from shining in qualifying, and a penalty cost the duo a few points in Race 1. Fortunately, the tenacity of the crew and Saintéloc Racing enabled the #26 Audi to secure third place in the Silver Cup in Race 2.
Two weeks after Misano, the GT World Challenge Europe returned to the Circuit de Magny-Cours this weekend. The world's most competitive GT championship confirmed its status with two exciting 60-minute races... which did not really go the right way for Lorens Lecertua and his teammate Ivan Klymenko.
The two drivers of the Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II never gave up, but the vagaries of racing caught up with them several times in France. “It was a really tough weekend,” said Lorens. “It had started well in free practice. I set the fastest time in Silver and also finished an impressive seventh overall, surrounded by professional drivers. But then everything went wrong... We managed to salvage a podium finish despite everything, and even though we lost points and dropped to fourth place, we still have a slight chance of winning the Silver Cup title at the end of the season.”
On Saturday, his teammate Ivan Klymenko could only manage eighth place in his class during qualifying for the first race. A strong comeback during the night race could have ended with a fourth place finish in the Silver Cup, the class for young drivers and semi-professionals. “Unfortunately, I pushed the speed limiter button a little too early after a Full Course Yellow procedure,” Lorens continued. “It was a matter of tenths of a second, but I was speeding and we were given a 10-second penalty, which dropped us back to seventh place in the class. It was an unfortunate mistake, but I will learn from it!”
On Sunday morning, Lorens was determined to shine in his qualifying session. But it turned into a nightmare... “There was a red flag during our 10-minute qualifying session just as I was about to start,” Lorens recalls. “Like the other competitors, I had to return to the pits and our mechanics put the tyres back in the tyre warmer. When I set off again, one wheel was loose... The car was unpredictable and it was impossible to set a time in those conditions.”
Only eighth in the Silver Cup, the 18-year-old Belgian was back in the fight right from the start of the second race. “Thanks to a penalty imposed on another team, we finished third in the class and saved a podium,” said Lorens. “That is what you call damage control! In the championship, we have dropped from second to fourth place. I am very disappointed because I had high hopes for this weekend at Magny-Cours, a circuit I love. But that is racing... I do not blame my mechanics at all, they were just as disappointed as I was. We win together and we lose together. We are now 14.5 points behind the leaders and will need a perfect weekend at the Sprint Cup final in Valencia to finish the season on a high note.”
Before that, Lorens and the entire Saintéloc Racing team will be at the Nürburgring from 29 to 31 August for a three-hour race, the penultimate round of the Endurance Cup. Just a few kilometres from the Belgian-German border and on a track he will be visiting for the first time, the driver from Assesse is determined to rediscover the success that eluded him at Misano and Magny-Cours.
