(English) A disappointing Asian Le Mans Series season-opener in Malaysia
8 grudnia 2024
Inter Europol Competition leave Sepang, Malaysia frustrated and disappointed after an unsuccessful Asian Le Mans Series double-header. Fielding two LMP3 entries, the Polish-squad finished fifth with one car on Sunday evening after a troubled race.
Saturday’s race was one to forget, with contact at turn two on the opening lap between the two Bronze drivers – Steve Brooks and Tim Creswick in the #43 and #34 respectively. Both were able to continue with some time loss at the back of the pack.
There were numerous Virtual Safety Car and Full Course Yellow flag periods, with Tim able to shuffle to the front when his LMP3 rivals pitted. Shortly afterwards, he was struck from behind by the #87 Porsche, the #34 Ligier sustaining significant fear-rear damage and out of the race with 20 laps completed.
At the 90-minute mark, Steve missed his braking point into the final turn, and his race also came to a premature end as he struck the #10 GT3.
With chassis damage, the team acquired a complete Ligier from Viper Niza Racing to replace the #43 overnight. Sunday morning dawned bright and humid, with Inter Europol Competition first and second in the warmup session, courtesy of Kevin Rabin and Daniel Ali.
The second race began well, with Silver racer Mikkel Kristensen carving his way through the pack to run second at the end of his first stint. He handed the #43 car over to Kevin, who rejoined sixth after a slow stop, but he, too, was able to make progress until the second stop.
With Steve aboard, the car refused to fire. After being wheeled back into the garage, an oil leak was uncovered, and the weekend was over.
Meanwhile, Tim completed the mandated one hour 45 minutes double stint as a Bronze driver in the #34, also running up the order. Douwe Dedecker ran fifth and was able to make gains as the rain started to fall.
Daniel jumped aboard, but an electrical issue ensured that the car remained pit bound for seven minutes. Daniel was able to resume, driving in increasingly difficult conditions as the weather deteriorated until the reg flags brought the race to a conclusion 30-minutes early in fifth position.
The team now heads back to Poland for a short winter break ahead of the next chapter at Daytona in January.