2017 LMP3 Championship winning team DKR Engineering got the defence of their title off to a great start after Leonard Hoogenboom and Jens Petersen took the chequered flag in a hard fought victory at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
There was drama on the last lap when Petersen lost control at T1 and the car hit the barriers. The German, who held a 30 second lead, got going and brought the Norma home to take the chequered flag just 2.1 seconds ahead of the no79 Ecurie Ecosse / Nielsen Ligier of Colin Noble.
The race started with the no39 Graff Norma of Eric Trouillet getting a good start from pole position to lead into the first turn but Tony Wells had made a better start from the second row and was challenging the leader into Turn 4. There was contact and the no39 Ligier dropped down the field as Wells took the lead in the no2 Ecurie Ecosse / Nielsen Ligier with Leopold Hoogenboom in the no3 DKR Engineering Norma up to second by the end of the opening lap.
Wells held the lead until he went too quickly into Signes Corner and ran wide allowing Hoogenboom to take the lead, with the no21 DB Autosport Norma of Nicolas Schatz into second. Schatz was able to keep pace with Hoogenboom but the French driver never got close enough to challenge the leader for the front spot.
The no3 DKR Norma pitted at the half way stage of the race with Hoogenboom handing over the car to Jens Petersen. Schatz stayed out on track for an extra couple of laps and when he handed over to Jacques Woolf, the no21 DB Autosport Norma was in the lead of the race. Petersen was only 5 seconds behind and within two laps he had caught and passed Woolf for the lead.
Colin Noble, now at the wheel of the no79 Ecurie Ecosse / Nielsen Ligier was over 50 seconds behind Woolf in third place and just ahead of the no2 Ecurie Ecosse Ligier, now with James Littlejohn behind the wheel. Noble and Littlejohn were lapping four or five seconds faster than Woolf and with 45 minutes of the race remaining it wasn’t long before they were starting to put the pressure on the bronze driver in the no21 Norma.
Woolf spun off at turn 5 with 15 minutes remaining on the clock, the French driver recovering but not before he was passed by Noble. He held onto 3rd until four minutes before the chequered flag when James Littlejohn claimed the final podium position.
Jens Petersen held a 35 second lead and looked to be cruising to victory with one lap remaining of the 5.8km Circuit Paul Ricard. Then disaster when the German spun off at Turn 1, the no3 Norma hitting the tyre wall. Peterson restarted the car and rejoined the track, but Noble now had the lead car in his sights.
Jens Petersen wrestled the no3 DKR Engineering Norma M30-Nissan round the last few corners and took the chequered flag just 2.1 seconds ahead of the no79 Ecurie Ecosse/ Nielsen Ligier JS P3-Nissan, with the no2 Ecurie Ecosse / Nielsen Ligier of James Littlejohn a further 7.3 seconds up the road in third.
Round 2 of the 2018 Michelin Le Mans Cup will take place in Monza on Saturday 12 May.
CLICK HERE for the result from Round 1 at Le Castellet
