French racer Pierre Ragues has brought the 2014 European Le Mans Series to a positive conclusion, helping the NewBlood by Morand Racing team to secure second place in today’s 4 Hours of Estoril, finishing just 35 seconds from the eventual winners. The result means that the team finishes on the podium of the season, ending the year third on the ELMS championship classification.

 

The team, which won the last round of the ELMS at Paul Ricard, was still in with a mathematical chance of winning the Championship this weekend. Ultimately, though, it was Pierre’s former team Signatech-Alpine, with whom he won the ELMS title in 2013, which successfully defended its title.

 

However, Pierre and his team-mates Gary Hirsch and Christian Klien did everything required of them in today’s race and battled hard to take the runner-up position, which was the second consecutive podium for the team after its win in Paul Ricard. 

 

The morning qualifying session saw Klien put the #43 Morgan Judd BMW LMP2 in fifth place on the grid after his run was affected by a red flag. Pierre was on starting duties in the race itself and he enjoyed another competitive performance. He got off to a terrific start and, during his double stint, he moved his way up into third place, finding a good rhythm around the Estoril track. 

 

Handing over to Hirsch after his double stint, the team was in the middle of a big fight for third place but a loose seatbelt meant an unscheduled stop, and lost nearly a minute of time. Nonetheless, Hirsch was also quick and recovered the lost positions. Klien took over for the final 90 minutes of the race and found himself in second place with 50 minutes remaining. From there, he guided the car to the chequered flag with no problems – securing second place and the podium.

 

The result gives NewBlood by Morand Racing a fantastic finale to this competitive ELMS season. The fact that the winners today were the fifth different team to win a race this season shows just how competitive the ELMS has been this year. Pierre has been in the mix at each event he has contested with the team, and together they have been potential winners at each round.

 

Pierre has been able to use his vast experience of endurance racing to help the team in the second half of the season, with a victory and a second place in the final two races of the year perfectly showcasing the strength of the team line-up. 

 

Pierre commented: “We knew we had a slim chance of winning the ELMS title and we gave it everything we had. We finished just 35 seconds from the winners and knowing we lost one minute due to an unscheduled stop shows that we really could have won today. We were quick and the car felt strong, but to finish second after a competitive race against some great rivals is an excellent result and it was nice to end the season on the podium. Coming after our win at Paul Ricard last time out, it was brilliant to have another strong run – and to really show what we are capable of. The team has done an outstanding job and it has been very rewarding to help them in this second part of the season. Driving alongside Christian and Gary has been fun and we have really gelled nicely. I am also grateful to my personal partners Group Auto and Sparco for their support this season, and also to leading simulator company Ellip6 for the important part they have played. To end the ELMS season with a podium trophy is really perfect. I would also like to congratulate everyone at Signatech-Alpine for their second ELMS title – a great achievement!”