As the sun set on the 2011 Le Man Series season in Estoril at the weekend, Adam Christodoulou and CRS Racing finally scored a long-deserved result that had been evading them for so long.
Racing alongside regular teammates Klaas Hummel and Phil Quaife, the event was a series of thrilling battles on track. Luck appeared to have finally played a fair hand when the No. 82. Ferrari brought home an impressive second place in the GTE-Am class on Sunday, and their first podium finish of the year.
In qualifying, Quaife secured a third place grid position, but it would be Hummel who took the wheel for the first stint of the six hour marathon drive.
Quaife jumped in next, followed by Christodoulou, Quaife again and finally Christodoulou once more to take the chequered flag and finish in second place.
“That result has been a long time coming,” said Adam. “We should have got a podium at Ricard, then at Spa and then at Silverstone but everything that could happen did happen! Today we finally had a race that went to plan. It’s a great result for the team and the best way to finish off the season.”
“This is a fantastic way to end the Le Mans Series season,” said CRS Managing Director Mark Busfield. “We embarked on this series two years ago and it all came together today.”
Le Mans Series driver Adam Christodoulou returns to the UK this weekend as he competes with CRS Racing in Autosport’s “6 Hours of Silverstone” event.
Joining Christodoulou in the number 82 CRS Ferrari 430 will be his regular team mates Klaas Hummel and Phil Quaife. With fifty cars on the entry list it looks set to be another classic motor race at the famous Formula 1 Grand Prix Circuit.
Reflecting on the so far mixed fortunes of the new McLaren in it’s debut season, an optimistic Christodoulou believes they can strike more success this weekend,
“We fully expect to take a podium finish at Silverstone,” said Adam. “We were right up there in the first three races but for one reason or another we didn’t get the results we wanted. There’s no reason why we can’t be right up there again this weekend and I think we can make it stick.
“Yes, we’ve had a little bad luck but I think it’s time for that to change. All three of us know the track very well and I would like to think we can do well on home soil. Since the Imola round we have all been out racing different cars, including the McLaren GT car. All this extra experience and extra track time will help us when we get behind the wheel of the Ferrari this weekend.”
Free practice sessions will held on Friday, with qualifying on Saturday and the main race event on Sunday at 11.35am.