KC Motorgroup Ltd. (KCMG) lead the LMP2 field at half-distance of the Le Mans 24 Hours thanks to a dominant collective performance from drivers Richard Bradley, Nicolas Lapierre and Matt Howson.
Pole-setter Bradley was first behind the wheel of the new-for-2015 ORECA 05–Nissan when the twice-around-the-clock event got underway in the La Sarthe sunshine at 15:00 local time.
An early battle with Sam Bird’s G-Drive Racing Ligier JS P2 and Tristan Gommendy’s Thiriet by TDS Racing-run ORECA 05 was interrupted by a Safety Car period, but Bradley put up a fantastic fight in the ever-competitive LMP2 class and re-took the lead once racing resumed.
Quick and consistent laps from the Briton were key to maintaining a healthy lead over the team’s nearest rivals before making way for Lapierre, who continued to push during his period in the #47 machine – setting the car’s fastest lap in the process – before Howson took over.
Indeed, such was the trio’s advantage that even a drive-through penalty – incurred for a pit-lane infringement – wasn’t enough to derail the Hong Kong-based squad’s hopes.
Bradley returned to the cockpit just before 23:00, while Lapierre – who is currently at the wheel – set the fastest LMP2 lap of 3m37.522s as 02:00 approached.
Richard Bradley: “It was an amazing feeling to start from pole! I made a good getaway and then went on to have a great and fair battle with the #26 Ligier. The other ORECA 05 passed me because I accidentally turned the Safety Car mode on, which is a shame, but I managed to get in front again. We weren’t sure if we’d be able to triple our stints and that’s why I was careful throughout my first one before picking up the pace. I played it safe, making sure I didn’t go over the kerbs and keeping a good safety margin. The car is so easy to drive; it’s just fantastic!”
Matt Howson: “Everything is going well so far. We’ve had a couple of minor problems but the pace of the car is good! We’re just driving sensibly, thinking about the whole 24 hours and trying to control the gap to those behind us. There’s still a long way to go but everyone is performing really well and we’ll just try to continue as we are at the moment.”
