The pole position holders in both the LMP3 and GT3 classes took victory in the opening 55-minute Road to Le Mans encounter. Mikkel Jensen and Kay Van Berlo took the chequered flag in the no11 Eurointernational Ligier JSP3-Nissan and Pierguiseppe Perazzini and Marco Cioci scored their first win of the 2018 Michelin Le Mans Cup season in the no71 AF Corse Ferrari F488 GT3.
The race started under cloudy skies but on a dry track and the big 50 car grid headed into turn 1 as the lights went out to begin the race. Mikkel Jensen in the LMP3 class no11 Eurointernational Ligier got away cleanly followed by Scott Andrews in the no9 Cool Racing Norma. Behind them the no2 Ecurie Ecosse / Nielsen Ligier of James Littlejohn dropped down the field after spinning from third at the Forza Chicane and slowly returned to the pits with a flat tyre.
The GT3 category saw Pierguiseppe Perazzini lead the class away from pole position with the no54 Spirit of Race Ferrari of Louis Soenen in 2nd. Sergio Pianezzola in the no8 Kessel Racing F488 started to close on the leaders and by lap 3 moved into second place and started to close down the leading AF Corse Ferrari. By lap 5 Pianezzola had passed to take the lead from the no71 car as the pitstops approached.
Out in front Jensen was being put under immense pressure from Australian Scott Andrews but the Dane kept his cool and headed in for the compulsory pitstops to hand over to Kay Van Berlo in the lead. After the pitstops were complete Van Berlo held a large lead over the no1 DKR Engineering Norma of Dan Polley as the no9 CD Sport Norma of Gerald Kraut emerged in 4th place. Sean Rayhall, at the wheel of the no33 United Autosports Ligier moved ahead of three cars on lap 8 to move into third place before chasing down Polley to take second place two laps later.
The no8 Kessel Ferrari, now with Giacomo Piccini at the wheel, was out in front in GT3 well ahead of Marco Cioci in the no71 AF Corse F488. However, Piccini’s race was suddenly dealt a blow when the stewards gave the lead car a 30 second stop & go penalty for a slow zone speed violation just before the pitstops. This promoted Cioci into the lead of the race, with Piccini getting back out on track in second place but 46 seconds behind the no71 Ferrari.
At the chequered flag it was the no11 Eurointernational Ligier out in front by 19 seconds from the hard charging Sean Rayhall in the no33 United Autosports Ligier, with the no3 DKR Engineering Norma of Leonard Hoogenboom taking the final podium position.
The GT3 podium was topped by the no71 AF Corse Ferrari after Marco Cioci took the chequered flag 46.7 seconds ahead of the no8 Kessel Racing F488 of Giacomo Piccini, with the third spot being secured by Andrea Piccini in the no77 Kessel Racing Ferrari, just 0.7 seconds behind his brother’s car.
CLICK HERE for the result of race 1 of the 2018 Road to Le Mans, round 3 of the 2018 Michelin Le Mans Cup.
