The Grid.co.uk    the national & club motor racing website - est1998          

  ^News

For more info on Harold Primat please visit www.haroldprimat.com.

Continued from News

mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk

Primat, Treluyer and Tinseau win ‘petrol class’ at Le Mans 24 Hours

Geneva-based racing driver Harold Primat and French team mates Christophe Tinseau and Benoit Treluyer claimed victory in the unofficial ‘petrol’ class at the Le Mans 24 Hours after a faultless run by drivers and team.

Seventh overall in the world’s most famous motor race, behind the six diesel-powered works Audis and Peugeots, was the trio’s reward at the end of the gruelling event, but to finish as the best-placed petrol car and the top privateer team the real achievement. The drivers performances were error-free throughout the race, while the car ran without a single major mechanical problem to highlight the superb reliability of the Pescarolo Sport chassis.

Having climbed the field steadily during the first half of the race, the #17 car moved into the top seven during the 14th hour and never relinquished their position at the head of the petrol-class field. Their job was complicated in the small hours of Sunday morning by heavy rainfall around the 13.629km circuit, but nothing could distract the team from achieving the result they had targeted prior to the race, as they finished five laps clear of nearest challengers Team Oreca in eighth.

For Primat, seventh overall was his best ever finish at La Sarthe, and he was clearly delighted at the chequered flag. “We’re the best fuel car and that is a big achievement,” he said. “The target before the race was to finish as the best petrol-powered car and that’s exactly what we’ve done. For us, this feels like a victory, and while it’s a shame it isn’t officially recognised as one, it still feels very good. On a more personal level I am delighted to have played my part alongside Christophe and Benoit. I would also like to congratulate the team for providing such a reliable car and for the superb job they did during the race.

“It wasn’t easy out there. The conditions were constantly changing from 4am onwards and every time the track started to dry, the rain tyres began to suffer. But Le Mans isn’t supposed to be easy and I think we can all be proud of ourselves this evening.”

Christophe Tinseau: “Our mission was to finish as the first petrol car and I am proud to have achieved our goal. It was very tense at the end as we had a misfire caused by the starter motor and so we were hanging by a thread. I hope this victory will now help Pescarolo Sport attract the input of a big manufacturer which the team so richly deserves.”

Benoit Treluyer: “I really enjoyed the race, especially my night stint in the wet. We have clinched first place of the petrol cars and for me that is a real victory, even if it is unofficial.”

Team Principal Henri Pescarolo said: “This is a great day for us because we knew there were two races within the LMP1 class, one for the diesels and one for the petrol cars. We have been victorious in the latter against Lola, Oreca, Creation and Dome which is a great achievement. The three drivers were fantastic because the conditions have been so difficult. They have all driven perfectly and I am absolutely delighted for them.”
 

Last lap drama denies Primat and Tinseau strong Spa result

Harold Primat and Christophe Tinseau suffered a huge slice of misfortune at round 3 of the 2008 Le Mans Series when their Pescarolo 01-Judd ran out of fuel on the final lap of the 1000km race at Spa-Francorcamps.

The Geneva-based Primat and his French co-driver had driven a fine race, running as high as fourth at the halfway mark, and were set for sixth place overall when their fuel tanks ran dry within sight of the chequered flag. Unfortunately, the fact that they were unable to cross the finish line meant they were not classified in the final results and denied them the three points which would have seen the duo climb to third in the drivers’ championship.

Starting from seventh on the 42-car grid, Primat made a strong getaway, holding his place in the early laps. Midway through his opening stint however, he began to suffer with brake balance issues and, having dropped to 11th, pitted to hand over to Tinseau.

Strong double-stints from both Tinseau and Primat saw the #17 car rapidly climb back up the field to fourth overall, fighting with team-mates Jean-Christophe Boullion and Emmanuel Collard in the sister #16 car and the recovering #1 Audi R10 TDi of Allan McNish and Dindo Capello, and were set to finish in a fine sixth position at the flag.

But a misjudgement by the team on fuel strategy, which came about after an early pitstop in the middle of Primat’s double stint to check an oil pressure problem, saw Tinseau grind to a halt on his 137th and final lap.

An understandably deflated Primat said: “It’s a sad end to the weekend as things looked to have gone well. Midway through the race a warning light started showing on the dashboard and the team asked me to pit a bit earlier than planned to check it out. That changed our fuel strategy a little and that has ultimately cost us the points.

“At the beginning of the race the brake balance wasn’t good and the rear wheels kept locking. I had a few moments and lost a few places but we fought back really well after that. The three points for sixth would have put us third in the drivers’ championship, ahead of a works Peugeot and a works Audi, so to miss out in this way is a real shame. But this is a team sport and we share the highs and the lows together.”

Tinseau added: “It’s a tough break. We only stopped 500 metres short of the line, but still won’t be classified under the rules. A splash and dash late in the race would have got us to the finish without losing many places, so it’s very frustrating. In a five race series you can’t afford to miss out on points and sadly we’ve done that today.”

Team Principal Henri Pescarolo said: “We were only one litre short on fuel, but at the end of the day it’s still a mistake. The positive today is that the car and both drivers showed good pace throughout and that bodes very well for the Le Mans 24 Hours next month".

Thrilling podium finish for Primat and Tinseau at Monza

Harold Primat and Christophe Tinseau took a superb last-gasp podium finish in a thrilling race at round 2 of the Le Mans Series in Monza, after a stunning drive by the Pescarolo Sport duo.

In an action-packed 1000km race, Tinseau passed the Creation CA07 of Stuart Hall on the final lap with a superb move into the Rettifilo chicane, to take third place overall and finish as the best placed petrol-powered car.

Starting from 13^th on the grid, the Geneva-based Primat took the start and made strong progress through the field in the early stages. He was 9^th when he handed over to Tinseau at the team’s first pit stop, and the Frenchman continued his team-mate’s progress, climbing steadily to 6^th place overall. Once again the Pescarolo 01-Judd proved its reliability, as Primat and Tinseau continued to scale the field while others suffered mechanical misfortune, and Harold ended a fine second stint within touching distance of the fifth-placed #15 Creation.

The final hour of the race was thrilling, with Tinseau and Hall battling wheel-to-wheel around the high-speed circuit. What was a fight for 5^th became a fight for the podium in the dying stages, after accidents for the sister #16 Pescarolo 01 and the #5 Courage Oreca dropped them out of contention. With Tinseau permanently glued to the back of the Creation, British driver Hall looked to have clung on to 3^rd place on the last lap, but Tinseau used all of his experience to dive down the inside into the Rettifilo chicane and squeeze his way safely past despite there being slight contact between the two.

A delighted Harold Primat was almost lost for words as he celebrated a terrific result: “What can you say after a race like that? We started 13^th, behind two Peugeots, two Audis, a Lola Aston Martin and a whole host of other quick cars, so we never dreamed we could get a podium. To get one, therefore, is absolutely unbelievable and once again we’ve proved our consistency and the Pescarolo has shown its reliability. We were desperate for a podium this year, but this is the strongest LMP1 grid we’ve ever seen and so we weren’t sure it was possible. To stand alongside the big boys from Peugeot and Audi is a very special moment for me, Christophe and the entire Pescarolo Sport team.”

Christophe Tinseau was proud of the achievement and described his final lap overtaking manoeuvre. “I was a bit faster than Stuart, but not much, and every time I caught him I was blocked by traffic. On the last lap though, he got baulked a little bit by the Lamborghini and I decided to go for it. I was alongside and he turned in and touched me, but as he started to spin, I dived to the other side and got past. During my first stint and Harold’s second we tried the hard compound tyres and weren’t as quick, which was a slight mistake, but otherwise this performance was faultless. I’m so happy about this result because we’re not yet running the 2008 aero package which the 16 car has. We hope to have it for the next round at Spa and, when we do, I think we can be even quicker.”

Team Principal Henri Pescarolo was equally as thrilled for his drivers. “What a brilliant race and superb result for Christophe and Harold,” he said. “They both drove fantastic races today. Harold was right with the Creation during his second stint and was really closing towards the end, and then the battle between Christophe and Hall, and that overtaking manoeuvre on final lap, was something very special

Points for Primat and Tinseau at Le Mans Series opener

Harold Primat and Christophe Tinseau enjoyed a solid start to the 2008 Le Mans Series, finishing 7th overall and 6th in the LMP1 class at the season opener in Barcelona.

This year, the burgeoning series contains two works Peugeots, two works Audis, 3 semi-works Porsche Spyders and an Aston Martin powered Lola and, with the standard of competition at an unprecedented level, such a strong start to the season is hugely encouraging for both drivers and the team.

Geneva-based Primat and his French co-driver drove strongly throughout the 1000km race, posting consistent lap times during six hours of racing, while their Pescarolo Sport team provided a bullet proof chassis; the pair’s Pescarolo-Judd 01 suffering no mechanical problems during the race.

Starting from 13th on the 48-car grid, Tinseau progressed steadily through the field. Despite losing places during the race’s only Safety Car period, Tinseau battled to 9th before handing over to Primat after two hours of racing. Harold continued Christophe’s progress, climbing to 7th overall at the end of his two-hour stint.

In the closing couple of hours, Tinseau fought a prolonged battle with the Porsche RS Spyder of ex-F1 star Jos Verstappen, and then with the Audi R10 of Allan McNish, before bringing the car home to score some crucial championship points.

Meanwhile, team-mates Jean Christophe Boullion and Emmanuel Collard finished fourth overall to complete a good weekend for Pescarolo Sport,

Primat said: “We’re very happy. 7th overall, 6th in class and the 4th best-placed petrol car is a good result for us. Before the race I would have been happy with a top eight finish considering the hugely improved quality of machinery out there, so a top six is very pleasing. The Pescarolo has shown its reliability with trouble-free races for both cars, so a big thank you to Henri and the team for a superb job .”

Tinseau said: “It’s a strong start to the season for us. Harold and I made no mistakes and it’s a positive result because the car was only finished on Thursday morning. The team have done a great job here in Barcelona and we’re delighted to have finished the race without a single problem.”

Henri Pescarolo added: “I’m pleased for Harold and Christophe. There are a lot of quick cars on the grid this year, with the diesel-powered Peugeots and Audis and the Lola powered by the GT Aston Martin engine, so 6th in class is a strong result. We had some problems with the 17 car last year, mainly due to issues arising from one of our suppliers, but here we have proved our reliability, so it’s a good start to the season.”