Photo : PASCAL SAIVET / VSA

 

So, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) ended with an unpredictable duel in the LM P2 class between these two Russian outfits: G-Drive Racing had already reached this level in 2013, and SMP Racing was new to it.

A four-time winner in 2013 with the Oreca-Nissan, G-Drive Racing continued its momentum at the 2014 WEC kickoffs - the 6 Hours of Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps - this time with a Morgan-Nissan, with two intimidating victories by Roman Rusinov, Olivier Pla and Julien Canal. The trio was forced to retire at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where SMP Racing, having also fallen prey to technical issues, finished far back in the pack. But, as the only team entered for the year in the FIA WEC to have finished the race, it pocketed the 50 points for the LM P2 victory! This forced G-Drive Racing, like last year around the same time (unranked at the 24 Hours after having finished third in LM P2) into a chase when the World Championship started up again in September at the Circuit of Americas in Austin, Texas.

Rusinov-Canal-Pla were then at the wheel of the Ligier JS P2, the new LM P2 out of Onroak Automotive's workshops, also provider of the Morgan. After two consecutive victories in Fuji and Shanghai, G-Drive Racing started the round in Sao Paulo with an eight-point lead. But Olivier Pla's incident lead to the title for SMP Racing for the team trophy but also for the driver title with the Russian Sergey Zlobin...and the 24 Hours of Le Mans as sole victory in 2014. To this one-two was added the driver and team titles in the LM GTE class and GTC class in the European Le Mans Series, clinched with the Ferrari 458 Italia. Though we do not yet know G-Drive Racing's 2015 projects, SMP Racing - who benefitted this year from AF Corse's support as official Ferrari representative in LM GTE - does not intend to slow down by any means. In 2015, it will enter a Russian-made LM P2 designed by Paolo Catone, former Peugeot 908 HDi FAP project manager, victorious at the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans. With such a pedigree, it would not be surprising to find SMP Racing in the lead pack in 2015…

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, MONDAY JUNE 9 2014, TECHNICAL & ADMINISRATIVE VERIFICATIONS. It was at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that SMP Racing orchestrated its final win in the LM P2 class of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).