ELMS @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022: LMP2 race
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
Pole sitter Cimadomo with #31 TDS Racing x Vaillante was demoted to the end of the LMP2 group by #65 Panis Racing Oreca of Julien Canal, then Niklas Kruetten in the #37 Cool Racing Ligier and Duncan Tappy with #22 United Autosport in the two first laps.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
Canal led the two first laps but was passed by an authoritarian Kruetten in lap 3 to take the lead of the race.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
Kruetten with #37 Cool Racing Ligier led the race but the gaps with his pursuers were compressed with three Safety Car periods in the first hour. #9 PREMA with Ferdinand Habsburg pointed his nose in P2 during 16 laps of the first hour, and even took the lead during two laps at the start of the second hour.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
The second hour would see a change of leader with Bent Viscaal driving #19 Algarve Pro Racing taking the lead for 14 laps at the beginning of the second hour until…
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
#37 Cool Racing Ligier took the lead back for 3 laps at the end of the third half-hour racing followed by #28 IDEC Sport who made a serious come back from P9 to P3 with a strong stint from Paul Lafargue followed by Patrick Pilet who took the lead during lap 48, a bit before mid-race.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
Lorenzo Colombo with #9 PREMA contested #28 IDEC Sport’s leadership during 13 laps of the third hour until Paul Loup Chatin took P1 back from lap 81.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
A sequence of penalties for all contenders and a last splash-and-go with 20’ to go during which leaders changed for a couple of laps did not prevent Paul Loup Chatin to cross the checkered flag first with #28 IDEC Sport. Nice revenge for the 2019 champions after several setbacks since then.
It is the first LMP podium and win for Patrick Pilet.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
The #65 Panis Racing Oreca trio of Julien Canal, Nico Jamin and Job van Uitert ended second after being in podium contention during the first and last hour.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
#21 Muehlner Motorsport driven by Matthias Keizer, Thomas Laurent and Ugo de Wilde were classified third as #9 PREMA (finishing third) was demoted to fifth due to a 10 sec. penalty. The Belgian team had a consistent race around P12 during the first 3 hours until they emerged in P6 during the pre-last refueling.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
Philip Hanson, Tom Gamble and Duncan Tappy end fourth overall with #22 United Autosports after being third between pre-last refueling and the last splash-and-go with 20’ to go.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Monza 2022.
Louis Delétraz made a late recovery drive of his own salvaging a P3 for #9 PREMA Racing also driven by Lorenzo Colombo and Ferdinand Habsburg. After the podium ceremony, the team was handed a 10 sec. penalty that demoted them to P5.
