Eurasia Motorsport enjoyed a strong start to the FRD LMP3 Series weekend at the Zhuhai International Circuit, finishing a fighting second on a day where a top-six result was believed to be the ultimate ambition.
Fielding the #3 Ligier for Garnet Patterson and Martin Cao and the #91 for Alex Au and Dan Wells, the opening race of the weekend saw the former line up in third position, having missed out on a potential pole position as the red flags flew whilst on a hot lap. Patterson made a great start from third position, moving to the head of the field and then pulling out an impressive 22-second advantage before pitting and handing over to Cao.
Following the stop, extended due to the driver grading, Cao found himself in second position behind the race leader and considering the stop was 30 seconds longer than the main rivals, second position was as good a result as could be expected given that Patterson’s in-lap was the quickest in the field and Cao’s out-lap was also very rapid.
In the sister #91 entry, Au started from seventh position but an off on the first lap proved costly. Beached in the gravel, the team lost two laps before resuming at the tail of the field. The tea pushed on and Wells had a solid run which is encouraging ahead of Sunday’s race where he starts second ahead of the #3 Ligier.
“In reality with #3, we only have a small chance of a top six finish even if we are the quickest car out there with the best pit stops,” said team principal Mark Goddard. “Next year the mandatory pit stop times will be adjusted to give all cars a fair chance of winning.
“To finish second was like a win, we effectively should have been 25 seconds down the road with a fair mandatory pit stop time. Car #91 is in the lane 30 seconds less than car 3 which means Dan Wells and Alex Au have a realistic chance of a podium finish tomorrow. Garnet and Martin will be all out to finish on the podium as well.”
