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Guillaume Moreau/KTR Driver

Le Mans Series/World Series Formula Renault 3.5

14th and 15th rounds, Estoril, October 20th and 21st 2007

16th and 17th rounds, Barcelona, October 27th and 28th 2007

 Fast and disappointed 

After making it to the podium at Donington and winning at Magny-Cours, Guillaume Moreau proved to be fast again at the wheel of his KTR-entered Formula Renault 3.5 in the Iberic peninsula, but failed to score. 

Estoril : nuts ! 

Guillaume was at the top before incidents on the track required the qualifying session to be red flagged. When qualifying resumed, he found two battling drivers in his way and had to settle for eleventh on the grid. 

In Saturday’s race, a wheel nut put paid to his hopes of scoring points. “I was eighth when I made my mandatory stop but I had to stay one minute and a half in the pits, because of a stubborn wheel nut. I was last when I left the pitlane but I pushed all the same and reduced the gap to the front by 10 seconds.” This figure enlightens what Guillaume could have done had he been given the opportunity to fight in the leading pack. 

On Sunday, Guillaume recovered from 23^rd to 12^th and showed again how fast he and his KTR car were at the Portuguese circuit. “We did a few spectacular moves to get past Hanley, Aleshin and Duran, who touched the back of my car at 270 kph, just like if we were racing karts” he commented. “On an equal tyre basis, I was one of the fastest drivers on the track, and the data analysis proved that I was also consistent. It’s a shame I had to start from the back, but that’s racing.”

Barcelona : it’s in the box 

On the following week at Barcelona, Guillaume was in the pace in the collective tests and set the fourth fastest time. On a wet but drying track in qualifying, he had to be content with ninth. “We expected the track to dry out a bit quicker, so my set-up was not perfect” Guillaume said. Unfortunately his race was ruined by an early clutch problem. “It began in the formation lap, but I could make a good start and maintain a top 10 position. But I soon found it impossible to shift the gears down and I had to retire. It was our first mechanical problem since the beginning of the season.” 

Retiring in race one means starting race two from the back of the grid in World Series FR3.5, and Guillaume was 30^th out of a field of 30 cars on Sunday. He made up eleven places in two laps, but a problem with the electronic management of the gearbox forced him to retire again in lap seven. 

Looking back at 2007, Guillaume has been through highs and lows. The driver from Limoges took part in his first Le Mans 24 Hours race, he achieved one pole and one win in his maiden World Series year, and he is set to race in this category again next year, with the aim to fight for the title.

Guillaume wins on home ground!

Guillaume Moreau took his first WSR pole position in Hungary, scored his first podium finish in England, and recorded his first race win in France.

The driver from Limoges showed good pace during the collective tests on used tyres, which looked promising for the races. The KTR Dallara is the class of the field, but this time, Guillaume struggled a bit on new tyres, and went off and hit the wall coming out from the Imola chicane. “The team had to work till 3 o’clock in the morning to rebuild the car” Moreau said. “In qualifying, the set-up was still not perfect, and I had to face brake and gearbox problems.” Guillaume had to settle for 10th in group B and 19th overall.

This start position was disappointing for Guillaume, who wanted to shine in front of his home crowd. On Saturday afternoon, the sun refused to shine and rain began to fall. The race started on a very wet track. Despite poor visibility, Guillaume did a tremendous start and made up six places from his lowly grid position in the first lap. “I made my mandatory stop quite early, to have a clear track ahead of me and better visibility.” Guillaume made solid progress through the field to take tenth place in the eighteenth lap. “10” is the magic number in World Series Formula Renault 3.5, as its owner not only scores one point, but also gets reverse grid pole for race two. “I ran a conservative pace to avoid aquaplaning. But in what I expected to be the final lap, there were debris scattered on the track and I picked up a puncture in my rear left tyre. I hardly took the flag 13th, but fortunately, the officials realized they had made a mistake regarding the race time limit, and they finally ratified the preceding lap’s results, when I was still tenth!”

On Sunday, Guillaume didn’t have to overtake anyone round the outside, like he did twice at Hungaroring and once at Donington Park. He led from lights to flag, despite an early short safety-car period. When the “SC” boards came out, he extended his lead to a comfortable six seconds. “The pressure was massive because my partners, family and friends were there, but I could move into the lead at the first corner and then pull away. I was careful around the fast corners, and pushing harder under braking for the slower ones. I must admit the race seemed to last forever! I am French, a member of the FFSA National team, so I really wanted to win here at Magny-Cours. I want to thank the team for giving me a fantastic car today and for the hard work they have done throughout the week-end.”

Guillaume is the first French driver to win a WSR race since the beginning of the season. He is now tenth in the championship table, but row 6 is just four points ahead. He will head to the next races in Estoril (October 19th to 21st) on the back of a superb victory, and with the aim to keep going for the gold!

Guillaume Moreau - The well-deserved reward

Guillaume Moreau celebrated his first World Series podium finish last week-end at Donington Park. 13th in qualifying, he recovered 8th in Saturday’s race, and took a well-deserved second place on Sunday.

The KTR driver struggled with the gearbox in the collective tests. Having injured the fifth metacarpus of his left hand at Spa-Francorchamps, he was still suffering from it, but despite that, he managed to set the second fastest time overall, and put himself in contention for pole position. “Unfortunately, when I left the pits for qualifying, I realised that my steering wheel was offset to the left. The team had worked on the heel rests and the steering column had not been reinstalled properly. I was an early third, but it’s easy to make a mistake when the wheel is askew. I went off and damaged my tyres, so I couldn’t improve my lap times by the end of the session, when the grip was at its best. I was really disappointed, because according to the tests, I believe I could have fought for pole position.”

Guillaume was 13th on race one’s grid, and aiming to move up enough to secure a good start position for Sunday’s race, as the top ten in  World Series 3.5 are reversed for race two. When the chequered flag was waved, he was where he wanted to be, in 8th place, having set the second fastest lap.

Sunday’s race was a thriller. Guillaume scored his strongest result so far in the category and confirmed he was not afraid to overtake round the outside when another driver is stuck to the apex to defend his position! “I started in second gear to avoid wheelspin, but it didn’t work as expected, and I lost two places. Then Parente had a problem and I got past Bonanomi round the outside at Goddard’s. It was a risky move but I braked as late as I could and found a way past.” Then the leader Aleshin went off at the end of a safety-car procedure, promoting Guillaume to second place. When the safety-car was called again, Valsecchi was running one lap down between Guillaume and the new leader Walker. “Overtaking Valsecchi after the restart cost me time. Then I could put Walker under pressure, but he is used to racing at Donington and defended his lead efficiently. Second place was in sight, I didn’t want to risk a clash. It is a fantastic result for me and the team. We need to put the lost Hungarian victory, the Spa incidents and a disappointing qualifying here at Donington behind us and move forward. I enjoyed racing on this terrific circuit. The re-education of my hand was a bit difficult because I still have a pin. I was not 100% fit, but my pace was OK, so I am upbeat about the six remaining races.”

The World Series by Renault will resume in Magny-Cours, the French GP venue, on September 22nd and 23rd. On home soil, the KTR driver will target to move into the Top 10 of the championship table.

World Series by Renault, 8^th and 9^th rounds, Spa-Francorchamps, August 18-19 2007

Better to forget it 

One month after his maiden pole position in Hungary, Guillaume Moreau had high hopes on his team’s home soil. But to say the least, the KTR driver suffered a disastrous week-end in Spa-Francorchamps. 

Guillaume set the seventh fastest lap, but put paid to his chances by hitting the wall in the collective tests. The crash led to a broken left hand for the Frenchman. He was allowed to continue to drive his World Series car, but had to give up taking part in the Le Mans Series 1000 Km event. 

Despite that, he drove superbly in qualifying and was second in the group A when the track got dry at the end of the session. Unfortunately, after an extremely promising sector one in the final lap, he found a struggling Ricardo Risatti in his way. Guillaume knocked hard on the door in a bid to get past, but the Argentinian wouldn't open it. “He forced me to brake round Blanchimont, and nearly pushed me off at 260 kph. It’s a shame, I could have taken a front row spot with a broken hand.” Most of the drivers improved in this dry final qualifying lap, and Guillaume dropped down to 22^nd on the grid. Then the officials deleted all his qualifying lap times. “After the chequered flag, at La Source hairpin, I showed Risatti I was unhappy with what happened, without touching him.” Much to Guillaume’s surprise, Risatti’s high speed dangerous manœuvres resulted in no penalty. 

The injured and 29^th-placed Moreau had another bad moment in Saturday’s race. He went well in early stages and made progress in the field. But in Lap 4, he was an innocent victim in a collision between the Fortec team-mates James Walker and Richard Philippe. He couldn’t avoid contact with one of the cars and sprained his right wrist in the process. Guillaume managed to take his Dallara back to the pits but it was game over, and there would be no race two for him. 

He underwent an operation on Monday to have his hand pinned. He expects to be fit in time to take part in the next rounds of the World series by Renault at Donington Park, the « Heart of British Motor Racing », on September 8-9. This track has always brought him good luck in Formula Renault: he took three podium finishes, one front row position and one fastest lap at the Midlands venue. 

Renault World Series 3.5, 6th and 7th rounds, Hungaroring, July 14th and 15th, 2007

Pole, sweet pole

Guillaume Moreau had an incredible week-end in Hungary. On a circuit which was new to him, he set the fastest lap time in free practice, took pole position in his fourth attempt in the category, and despite producing a faultless drive, lost the race that seemed impossible to lose. 

“I immediately felt at home and found the right lines, the right braking and steering points. This helped us a lot to early find a pretty good set-up and to build a technical gap to the rest of the field. On Friday, I was already three tenth faster than anybody else. But the hardest part of the job was still to be done: secure pole position for real! There were drivers in my way on my first set of tyres, but with the second one, I ran really slowly to get a clear lap, and it worked.” On the 14th of July, Bastille Day and French National holiday, the FFSA National Team member set pole position at the Hungaroring, almost half a second faster than the second Group B driver, and more than two tenth faster than Alvaro Barba, who got the other front row spot as a result of topping the Group A sheet. “This is my first pole in a World Series car, and I’m really happy because it’s a strong championship. I have been through difficult times after my Le Mans crash. For the first time, I don’t feel anymore cervical pains.” 

The pole dream came true, but Saturday’s race turned to a complete nightmare for the KTR driver. “I did a good start, and so did Filipe Albuquerque who moved alongside me. I was holding the inside line but he forced me to brake quite late to keep the lead at the first corner. Then I began to pull away.” The gap to the Portuguese was already three seconds when the safety-car came out at the end of lap 2. “Our strategy was to stop early in case of another safety-car procedure. But much to my surprise, the team called me in the pits just when the safety-car entered the pit lane and when the green flag was about to be waved. I came on the radio twice to ask and they confirmed, so I followed the safety-car, at very low speed, into the pitlane. For sure I lost a lot in the process.” Guillaume rejoined the race in sixth, and put pressure on fellow compatriot Julien Jousse. “I passed him on the outside of turn 11. Overtaking there isn’t easy because of dirty air in the fast turn 10. Julien moved to the inside, so I dived the other side.” Guillaume pushed harder to close to Sebastian Vettel, who replaced Robert Kubica in the USA Grand Prix one month ago and finished 8th in his F1 debut. The safety-car was deployed for the second time, and when racing resumed with just two laps to go, Guillaume repeated the Jousse round-the-outside manoeuvre to outbrake Vettel. “I risked it all to exit from turn 10 as close to his rear wing as possible despite the massive loss of downforce, and I nearly lost the car. Like Julien did, he defended the inside line, but I braked even later than in qualifying, according to the data, and found a way past round the outside.” 

Thanks to this brave and spectacular move, Guillaume took fourth place in the provisional classification, but entering the pitlane behind the safety-car is forbidden, and at the team, no one knew it! The race stewards showed no mercy and Guillaume was given a 20-second penalty, so he dropped back to 17th, meaning he would start from this uncomfortable position for race two. “Finishing fourth was very disappointing; we already lost the race and punished ourselves with our poor strategy. I think the penalty is severe, if you consider the race direction also made a big mistake: the safety-car lights were not switched off in Turn 11 like they were supposed to, but only on the approach to the very last corner. They confessed it, but didn’t change their mind concerning my penalty. The team also confessed they made a mistake, but I must admit they were also responsible for this morning’s pole position! The car was just perfect.” 

Guillaume started from pole and drove a faultless race: 17th place is what he got. On Sunday, he started from 17th on a circuit notorious for its lack of overtaking opportunities, and had to cope with technical problems: he managed to recover 9th! At the start, he went to the inside of Turn 1, then stayed on the outside line for the next left-hander and moved up to 11th place! Two drivers in trouble permitted him up to 9th and Guillaume quickly closed to race one’s winner Albuquerque. He lunged past at the end of the straight but ran wide, allowing his rival back ahead. “I was faster, but I was struggling with downshift.” The Frenchman eventually came home four tenth of a second behind the Red Bull driver and scored two points for the championship. 

“We lost 15 points yesterday and I should be 6th in the standings.”

Nürburgring 1000 km, July 1^st 2007

Courage-AER LC70 LMP1 #13 (Gounon/Moreau) 

Mission accomplished 

Two weeks after he retired from the Le Mans 24 Hours with engine failure, Guillaume Moreau returned to Le Mans Series action at the Nürburgring.  During the race he drove a strong double stint at the wheel of the works Courage-AER LC70 to keep the team’s podium hope’s alive. Unfortunately his team-mate, Jean-Marc Gounon, went off with 25 minutes to go dropping the car back to 12^th overall and 8^th in the LMP1 class. 

Jean-Marc Gounon set the sixth fastest time in qualifying. Guillaume only drove the car briefly during the practice session. But he could draw on his F3 and WSR experience of the German venue. Last May, he finished 4^th in a World Series 3.5 round. 

At the beginning of the race, Jean-Marc Gounon quickly moved up into third, behind the Peugeot pair. The former F1 driver was closely chased by four petrol-powered prototypes. The team’s strategy was to race on medium compound tyres, and to run the same set of tyres for a full double stint. After two hours, Guillaume jumped in the car with the mission to save petrol. He held third place during his first stint despite a conservative pace, but Jean-Christophe Boullion’s Pescarolo was closing in. He pitted at 3:01 pm for refuelling but kept his used tyres, so he could extend the gap. This time the team order was to push as hard as possible to keep the Pescarolo behind. Guillaume pushed hard but the Le Mans podium finisher on fresh tyres was faster and Boullion got past at 3:13. Guillaume ended his double stint 45 minutes later in fourth position. Like his young team-mate, Jean-Marc Gounon gained time in the pits, but lost out to Collard’s Pescarolo on the track. He eventually went off less than half an hour before the end of the race, losing fourth place in the process. 

One of the car’s major sponsors is Manitou, but there was no fork-lift truck available in the area so Jean-Marc had to wait for a few minutes before he could escape from the gravel trap! Team and drivers had to be satisfied with scoring a single point on the series table. 

Guillaume Moreau said: “I would have liked to dedicate a good result to the team crew. Since we finished 5^th in Monza earlier this year, there has been a step forward with the car, which allowed us to challenge and that’s good news. I wasn’t asked to drive the car in qualifying, but I think I did a good job and proved to be fast and consistent during my stints. I made no mistake despite heavy traffic. At the beginning, I was told to save petrol, and I did so, while still holding on to third. Then they asked me to push and I set good lap times, but there was nothing we could do with the Pescarolo running on new tyres. Jean-Marc is an experienced driver, but he couldn’t stay close to Collard, and he went off. It’s a shame it happened in this particular corner, but I think the marshals did their best. We just tried too hard! Finally, I would like to thank Peugeot’s team-manager Serge Saulnier. I was still aching from the Le Mans crash, and Peugeot’s osteopath took care of me.” 

Le Mans 24 Hours, June16th & 17^th 2007

Courage-AER LC70 LMP1 #13 (Gounon/Moreau/Johansson)

 Five o’clock, back to the paddock 

Guillaume Moreau was forced to retire from Le Mans 24 Hours after his Courage’s AER engine broke early on Sunday morning. Here is the inside story of the French driver’s Le Mans debut. 

Sunday, June 3^rd: Test day

As a Le Mans rookie, Guillaume had to complete the required mileage of ten laps of the famous 13.629-kilometre circuit. He was close to finishing his eighteenth lap when he went over the inside kerb too early at the karting esses and crashed very heavily at a speed of 200 kph. The 24-year old suffered a 10G deceleration. He felt pain at his shoulder and knee, and had to be taken to the local hospital for observation. Fortunately, it soon became clear that he would be able to enter the race, but the LC70 was destroyed. Courage Competition immediately decided to try to build a new one around a spare tub. 

Tuesday, June 12^th: “le pesage” (scrutineering)

Finally, the team could make it to the scrutineering in time with a brand new number 13 Courage. “The team proved to be solid and determined, as they succeeded in building a new car in only 8 days. I am happy to be fit enough to compete in this great event” Guillaume Moreau said. The FFSA National Team member was also delighted to learn that Stefan Johansson was to join the squad. He could count on two former F1 drivers as team-mates: Jean-Marc Gounon took nine Grand Prix starts in the nineties, and was runner-up to… Stefan Johansson in the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours. The Swedish driver raced Spirit Honda, Tyrrell, Toleman, Ferrari, Mac Laren, Ligier, Onyx and Footwork cars in F1 between 1983 and 1991. 

Wednesday, June 13^th and Thursday, June 14^th: qualifying sessions

Instable weather conditions made it difficult for Jean-Marc Gounon to set the car up. As Stefan Johnasson also needed mileage to get used to the car, Guillaume had to be content with a few night laps during the qualifying sessions, just to comply with the regulations. But everybody at the team was highly satisfied when Jean-Marc set 7^th fastest time, after all that they’d all been through since the beginning of the month. 

Friday, June 15^th: the drivers’ parade

“It’s magic” Guillaume said after his maiden Le Mans parade. “The crowd is incredible and very close. I signed hundreds of autographs, I even signed on a credit card! The atmosphere is wonderful, it feels a little bit like the Tour de France.”

Saturday, June 16^th and Sunday, June 17^th: the race

In front of over 250 000 spectators, the lead LMP1 Courage entry ran in the Top 10 in early stages, on a changeable track. But at 7:20 pm, Stefan Johansson had to stop with petrol feeding and oil leak difficulties. The team could fix both problems and also adapt the set-up to the dry conditions. When Guillaume left the pits for a double stint, the car had dropped to 43rd, but the three drivers could drive a strong pace during the night to recover 18th. Guillaume got back in the car short after 3am. But the engine cut off after four laps at Arnage corner. “I could drive the car back to the pits and the team changed the oil pump.” The problem repeated at 4:46 and the AER engine expired a few minutes later, forcing the car to retire. “I am disappointed because the team was not rewarded for their efforts to enable us to take part in the race. The engine’s lack of reliability is putting us out of the race. I am looking forward to racing again with Jean-Marc at the Nürburgring, and to coming back to Le Mans next year.” 

The next Le Mans Series event will take place at the famous German venue on July 1st.

Two points is not enough 

Guillaume Moreau,  the best French single seater driver in Monaco this year, was frustrated after the race. “I came home 9^th and scored two championship points but I definitely had the car and the pace for more.” 

It’s a cliché, but it's true enough to be worth repeating: the qualifying session is more important than anywhere else at such an unusual track, because of the lack of overtaking opportunities that it presents, and because of the special format of the race, without the mandatory pit stops. 

“I started qualifying behind my teammate Bertrand Baguette, and it took me six laps to get past. I set the third fastest time short after that, but I soon found Daniil Move in my way.” The Russian driver was running three seconds off the pace and eventually failed to qualify. Guillaume wasn’t in a mood to play Russian roulette in qualifying. So he decided to reduce his speed to be able to push for one single flying lap, then slowed down again to make another attempt. So he couldn’t cover as many fast laps as expected, and take advantage of better track conditions in closing stages. The final opportunity vanished because of a yellow flag situation at St.Devote. 

The Frenchman was 5^th on the group A timesheet, and therefore 10^th on the grid, so he needed a good start to save his race. “I had told the team I was ready to risk it all at the first corner. I got a great launch and managed to move to the inside line on the approach to St.Devote. I got alongside Aleshin, it was quite tight so I put two wheels on the inside kerb. Unfortunately the car jumped out of the kerb and I nearly lost it so I prayed not to touch the wall or another car. But I just lost momentum and a few cars passed. Then I benefited from Fauzy and Piccione’s mistakes to claim 9^th.” Guillaume also put early pressure on Davide Valsecchi but couldn’t find a way past. “I tried everything I could, to no avail. He made a few mistakes, but not big enough. It’s a shame because I was also quicker than Van der Garde, Hanley and Aleshin, especially into the fast corners.”

After Monza, the Nürburgring and Monaco, the World Series by Renault will be back at the Hungaroring, another Formula 1 venue, on July 14^th and 15^th. But in June, Le Mans 24 Hours will hit the headlines. Guillaume is looking forward to driving the works LMP1 Courage at the famous full circuit of la Sarthe. The story will begin at this weekend’s official Test Day.

Renault World Series: Guillaume Moreau, forced to finish fourth at the Nürburgring

Renault World Series 3.5, 3^rd and 4^th rounds, Nürburgring, May 5^th and 6^th, 2007

Guilaume Moreau scored his first World Series points last week-end at the Nürburgring. Finishing 9^th on Saturday put the Frenchman on the front row of Race 2’s grid. He managed to drive it home fourth despite the damages caused by the first lap chaos. 

Guillaume was upbeat after the collective tests. He was the fastest in Sector 1 and 6^th on the overall time sheet. But in the qualifying session, the radio didn’t work. Guillaume pitted too late and couldn’t use his second set of fresh tyres, so he slid down to the 6^th row of the grid. 

The KTR driver survived the first corner crash on Saturday, but he was forced to drive on the outside line, to avoid spinning and colliding cars. He lost a few places in the process. “I was only 14^th at the end of lap1, but I soon got passed my team-mate Bertrand Baguette and Miguel Molina. Unfortunately, we suffered a wheel nut problem during the mandatory pitstop.” This resulted in losing places and time, but Guillaume pushed hard to overtake and recover 9^th. 

What was a shame in F3 is welcome in RWS: this year, Saturday’s Top Ten finishers – instead of eight - are reversed for the second race’s grid. This allowed Guillaume to start from the first row. He led the pack up to turn 1, when Davide Valsecchi suddenly dived past. Guillaume had to choose between steering to defend his position, and staying out of trouble. “I choose to avoid the collision, and I lost three places. I thought I was fast enough to fight back. But in the next left-hander, I was running on the inside line, but Giedo Van der Garde moved alongside me, lost his car, hit my side-pod and my front wheel. I hardly kept the car on the track, and could come out from the Mercedes Arena in fourth position.” 

Guillaume overtook and outpaced Miguel Molina twice on Saturday but this time he quickly found out that the handling of his car had been badly affected in the second corner incident. So he concentrated on defending his position. For 23 laps, Alvaro Barba did his best to find a way past a struggling Moreau, in vain. “I am happy to score points, but I lost an opportunity to win the race or, at least, take a podium finish. Despite my damaged car, I was just a few tenth off the leaders’ pace.” The next round will be a support race in the most glamourous meeting of the world, on the most demanding street circuit of the universe: the Monaco Grand Prix, from May 24^th to 27^th.

Guillaume in Monza, version LMP1

 Besides his World Series 3.5 debut, Guillaume Moreau also took his first start in endurance racing at the famous Italian GP venue. Since Karting as a youngster, he has only raced single seaters, until Monza. There he discovered the LMS series and  really enjoyed driving the works Courage LMP1, sharing the wheel with Jean-Marc Gounon.  

Most of media were interested in the new Peugeot 908 HDI FAP, and the press room was as a consequence crowded. With 46 cars taking part,  Monza was also an opportunity to evaluate the protagonists’ performance and reliability just two months before the Le Mans 24 Hours.   

Guillaume had already tested the LC70 AER-powered Courage at Le Mans-Bugatti circuit and during the HTTT Paul Ricard tests in March. “The car behaved well since the very beginning of the free practice sessions. Jean-Marc qualified it in 6^th position, and completed the first double stint. He remained in the Top five despite the engine temperature which was too high and caused a loss of power at low revs.” , he said.

After 1 hour 50 minutes, Gounon came into the pits for driver change, refuelling and fresh Michelin tyres. Unfortunately the team had to fix a brake problem before Rookie Moreau could rejoin the race in 10^th place. He ran a good pace during his double stint and climbed back up to sixth. Not that it was easy, as Morceau noted, “Overtaking slower cars in heavy traffic is a difficulty. We often have to run off the line, and the tyres pick up rubber, which causes huge vibrations, especially at the end of a double stint on used tyres. It was worth working really hard on my physical training...”  

At the end of the race, the number 13 Courage moved up to fifth thanks to the Rollcentre Pescarolo’s problems. Jean-Marc Gounon crossing the line behind the Peugeot and Pescarolo Sport factory entries. Guillaume Moreau’s 300 kph-week-end ended on a good note and a promising result. “Without the loss of power and brake problem, we could have fought for a podium finish. I had to learn and prove my skills in driving this car fast and consistently and also in understanding the specific aspects of endurance racing. I feel much more at home in the car now. I have a fabulous team-mate, his experience regarding how to save tyres and fuel brings a lot to me.”  

Jean-Marc Gounon said : « I have been watching Guillaume throughout the week-end and he did a perfect job. He is a young driver, but he has always been listening carefully to my advice.” It’s a shame calendar clashing will split the pair. The 1000 km of Valencia will take place on June 6^th, while Guillaume will take part in the next World Series rounds at the Nürburgring. Guillaume and Jean-Marc will gather again for the Le Mans Test Day, on June 3^rd.

Guillaume in Monza, version 3.5

 Guillaume Moreau took part in three races at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. Before his maiden Le Mans Series 1000 kilometre race at the wheel of the number 13 works Courage LMP1, he made his Worlds Series Formula Renault 3.5 debuts.

 It’s not always easy to be a rookie, but Guillaume enjoyed his “double rookie” challenge. On the results side, he had a very unlucky week-end, but on the performance side, he set valuable times, produced flying starts and showed promising pace during the two races. 

The KTR driver had hard times in Thursday’s practice sessions. A sensor failure caused engine alarms, and then he went off at high speed because of a puncture. But he was 5^th on Friday’s free practice timesheet. “KTR did a great job, my car’s set-up was pretty good and apart from Thursday, I have always been in the pace. But the first chicane incident ruined my week-end…” 

Despite he had never practiced any standing start with the car before, Guillaume rapidly moved from eighth on the grid up to sixth in Saturday’s race. Then the safety-car came out, increasing his chances to fight for a podium finish. He took 2^nd place in a Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 race at Monza, back in 2004, so why not? 

Unfortunately, when racing resumed, Fairuz Fauzy et Clivio Piccione braked too late down the first chicane behind the Frenchman. The Malaysian could run forwards and avoid the collision, but the driver from Monaco crashed Guillaume’s car and rolled over in a spectacular way. The French Federation National Team member lost his rear wing in the process. The suspension was also damaged, so he was forced to retire. 

According to Guillaume’s pace and to what happened to the leaders in closing stages, a podium finish was definitely in sight for the KTR driver. The new grid regulations resulted in starting from 21^st position on Sunday. It didn’t take long to Guillaume to recover 14^th. “In the eighth lap at the Variante Ascari, a driver braked quite early in front of me, so I drove alongside him, but he suddenly changed his line so we finished together in the gravel trap.” 

In this busy week-end, and despite lack of mileage in the 3.5 car, the Formula Three graduate proved competitive in Monza. He aims to score his first podium in the category at the Nürburgring, where the next rounds of the World Series will take place on May 5^th and 6^th. 

www.guillaumemoreau.com