Photo : Hervé GUYOMARD - ACO

 

It is hot and beautiful for the final round of the season. The organization is quite thorough with 188 marshals, 40 intervention personnel, 45 first aid workers, eight doctors and as many ambulances, and many pit marshals. For now, 20 minutes from the start, the cars are on the grid (the width of the track at this spot: 22m and 16m everywhere else) and the drivers are taking the traditional family photos, surrounded by attractive grid-girls. Lucky competitors on the left side of the grid benefit from the shade provided by the huge roof of the central grandstand because in the sun it is miserable even though the air is much drier than it has been.

Smooth start, OAK Racing's Morgan takes the lead, followed by Eurasia Motorsport's Oreca. Clearwater Racing's Ferrari 458 manages to pass the two CN prototypes in front of the pits, taking a slight lead. At this stage of the race the teams' strategies vary, some choose to take off slower so positions are very tentative at the moment. After half an hour of racing, OAK is in the lead ahead of Eurasia's other LMP2, Clearwater's Ferrari is ahead of the two CNs (Avelon Formula Team's Wolf ahead of Craft Bamboo Racing's Ligier). Then the two AAI Team's BMWs flank the Mercedes. During this time,  at the operational race direction post, we witness a dazzling management of blue flags via the PC's radio, it's like we're at a Grand Prix! First refuelings after 50 minutes in order to respect the time given to each driver (45 minutes minimum). An unusual outside pass by a BMW Z4 on Eurasia Motorsport's Oreca in the first turn: gentlemen-drivers get a taste of the harsh realities of the discipline.

The lead trio is the same at the end of the first hour. OAK Racing is ahead of Eurasia Motorsport who precedes the unexpected Ferrari, then follows Craft Bamboo Racing's CN, the three Team AAI's GTs, the two BMWs - No. 91 then No. 92 bookending the No. 90 Mercedes. Avelon Formula's No. 77 CN outdistanced also stopped lengthily at its pit. At the mid-race point, AAI Straada's Mercedes has a blow out, spreading tyre tread all over the track. Positions at this point remain unchanged since the first hour. A few raindrops fall at turn 5 just after mid-race. The second refuelings take place at one hour 45 minutes in.

Already, two hours into the race and little change in the hierarchy, the Morgan is leading the race with a two-lap lead on the Oreca, with James Winslow now following Ho-Pin Tung like a shadow. Clearwater Racing's Ferrari is poised to repeat its Shanghai performance wherein it claimed third place on the podium. The two AAI Straada's BMWs No. 91 and No. 92 follow ahead of Bamboo Racing's and Avelon Formula Team's two CN class prototypes. Significantly behind due to its flat, Team AAI's No. 90 Mercedes brings up the rear.

A half an hour from the finish, the sky darkens and Daniel Poissenot, Race Director, is thrilled to be through 75% of race time, helping him decide to end the race in case of a sudden downpour. The positions haven't changed but a few drops are falling at turn 6 25 minutes from the checkered flag. The rain starts 20 minutes before the end, relegating all cars to the pits for tyre changes. The downpour finally arrives 10 minutes from the finish and the safety car is sent out wisely after the first cars have issues, including an LM P2 stuck in a gravel pit at turn 3, but it restarted. After a few laps behind the safety car, the decision was taken to stop the race with a red flag, with barely four minutes left.

So OAK Racing achieved a shut-out for the season, earning an invitation to the 2015 24 Hours. Eurasia Motorsport's Oreca finished ahead of the incredible Ferrari GT of Clearwater Racing, which may be regretting having only participated in the second half of the season. Finishing in fourth place despite having been consistent during the season, Team AAI's No. 91 BMW is ahead of its sister car the No. 92, the two CNs are together at sixth and seventh places, Craft Bamboo Racing's Ligier beat with a short lead the Team Avelon Formula Wolf, AAI Straada's Mercedes could not make up its deficit from the flat and finished out the standings.

Race results

Hervé Guyomard / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: SELANGOR (MALAYSIA), SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, 3 HOURS OF SEPANG, SATURDAY DECEMBER 6 2014, QUALIFYING. At the end of this last race of the 2014 Asian Le Mans Series, Clearwater Racing and its Ferrari 458 Italia once again claimed a podium finish, behind OAK Racing and Eurasia Motorsport's two LM P2 prototypes.