Charlie Robertson and team-mate Sir Chris Hoy watched their points lead in the LMP3 Class of the European Le Mans Series frustratingly slip away during round two of the season in Italy on Sunday, 17th May, when a series of unfortunate problems cost the chance of a potential win.
Having set the pace from the outset on his first ever visit to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, 18-year-old Charlie went on to secure his second LMP3 pole position start in succession and dominated the class during the early going of the lengthy four-hour contest.
Unfortunately, though, an issue with the clutch when he handed the No.3 Team LNT Ginetta-Nissan over to Hoy, followed by a subsequent time penalty – linked to the aforementioned stop – and a gearbox problem late in the four-hour contest, resulted in a disappointing non-finish for the duo.
“The pace to win was there, I was two seconds a lap quicker than anyone in LMP3 at the start but everything went wrong that could go wrong”, said Whyteleafe-based Charlie, “The car felt fantastic, though, it’s a big step forward from Silverstone and is much better to drive. The guys in the team did a great job again this weekend, it’s just such a shame we couldn’t bring the car home in the points.”
Arriving in Italy with the LMP3 championship lead after claiming a superb victory on their ELMS debut at Silverstone last month, the Scottish team-mates aimed to build on their fantastic start to the season in round two and it all looked good from the opening practice on Saturday, 16th May.
Setting the LMP3 pace in both wet and dry conditions, Charlie was also 15th fastest overall in the rain-affected first session and then 17th in the dry second period. In qualifying on Sunday, the BRDC SuperStar then took LMP3 pole position by 0.5 seconds with a superb lap of 1m42.498 seconds.
Beginning the race from 15th overall on the grid, this became 14th prior to the start itself following problems on the initial formation lap for one of the LMP2 cars. When racing did get underway after a second green flag lap, Charlie not only maintained the LMP3 lead but also climbed into the top 12.
Swarming all over the back of the leading LMGTE Ferrari, the Investigo and Curo-backed driver was never more than a few tenths of a second behind the No.51 car and during the first half an hour he opened an advantage of almost 24 seconds over his nearest LMP3 rival.
With 30 minutes of racing complete, the Safety Car was deployed due to gravel on the track and so Charlie took the opportunity to pit under the cautionary period. Remaining in the driving seat, he rejoined fourth in LMP3 but quickly moved back into the lead before the first hour concluded.
After 90 minutes, Charlie continued to hold a healthy lead in LMP3 in 11th position overall and he then pitted for a second time to hand the Ginetta-Nissan over to Hoy. Unfortunately, that pit-stop marked the beginning of a change in fortunes for the duo when clutch issues prevented Hoy from leaving the pits and the ensuing work led to a loss of several laps.
When Hoy did enter the race, he was able to progress from fifth in LMP3 back into the top four but more frustration followed when officials hit the No.3 car with a 90 second stop-go penalty due to an infringement in the previous pit-stop where the engine was running while the car was on its jacks.
Charlie got back behind the wheel late in the race but the possibility of taking fourth position in LMP3 went begging during the closing stages when a gearbox problem meant a seventh pit visit and, ultimately, a disappointing retirement.
While the race was a case of what might have been, Charlie again confirmed his standing in the ELMS as well as his searing pace with a best lap of 1m43.679 seconds during his opening stint – some 0.7 seconds quicker than any other LMP3 competitor.
“We are all disappointed, especially as our pace was so good, but this just means we’re looking forward even more to the next round in Austria”, he added, “It’s been a fantastic experience racing at Imola for the first time this weekend, even better than I imagined it would be. We’re learning so much every time we’re on track, and that’s what this year is all about.”
Round three of the European Le Mans Series will take place at the Red Bull Ring in Austria over the weekend 11th/12th July.
Provisional 2015 European Le Mans Series LMP3 Driver Standings (after Rd2):3rd Charlie Robertson/Sir Chris Hoy, 26pts
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