LMP2 IN BRIEF

WOE FOR MONTOYA

Juan Pablo Montoya endured a disastrous return to Le Mans with the Dragonspeed squad. The ORECA he shared with Memo Rojas and Timothe Buret was beset by engine problems throughout the race. When a front-upright bolt failed in hour 13, the team called it a day.

GRAFF PACE UNREWARDED

The Graff Racing ORECA starred in the hands of James Allen early on, but the French team’s victory bid went awry when Vincent Capillaire took over. The Frenchman had an off at the end of the Porsche Curves, clutch damage meaning the drivers had to leave the pits on the starter motor. The car was still heading for fifth when Allen crashed on the entry to the Porsche Curves in the final hour.

IDEC REBUILD PAYS OFF

The lead IDEC Sport team ended up sixth despite rebuilding its ORECA around a new monocoque after Paul Lafargue crashed in second free practice. The car had to start a lap after the rest of the field because the drivers missed night qualifying, but a clear run from Lafargue, Richard Bradley and Paul-loup Chatin brought an unlikely result.

LATE CALL-UP FOR PILET

Porsche factory driver Patrick Pilet was brought into the second IDEC ORECA when American Dwight Merriman wasn’t given clearance to race after crashing on Thursday. The Frenchman was at Le Mans working for Porsche in the Carrera Cup paddock, and therefore had already taken the necessary COVID-19 test that allowed him to step in alongside Jonathan Kennard and Kyle Tilley.

NO LUCK FOR QUICK NICK

There was no glorious return to the prototype ranks for Nick Tandy. The overall winner of the race with Porsche in 2015 endured a difficult week in the G-drive/algarve ORECA he shared with Oliver Jarvis and Ryan

Cullen. The car (below) wouldn’t do more than seven laps between stops when it should have gone 10. On the appearance of an electrical problem, similar to that endured by the full G-drive entry, the team retired.