Team Penske FIA World Endurance Championship Race Report - Spa

May 7, 2022


Track:  Spa-Francorchamps
Race:   6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
Date:   May 6, 2022

 
No. 5 Penske Logistics ORECA-07/Gibson LMP2 – Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron, Emmanuel Collard

 
Start: 8th in class / 12th overall
Finish: 4th in class / 6th overall
Laps Completed: 103/103
Laps Led: 0
 
Race Rundown: Team Penske put together another solid sportscar weekend as it continued to learn the nuances of the FIA World Endurance Championship, bringing the No. 5 Penske Logistics ORECA-07/Gibson LMP2 home in the fourth position in the LMP2 class (sixth overall) in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.  Emmanuel Collard started the six-hour event from the driver's seat, jumping from 12th to 10th in the first handful of laps.  From there, the Frenchman logged quick and consistent laps, keeping within site of the class leaders through his first stint.  Near the end of his second stint, rain moved in over the Spa circuit, eventually bringing out a red flag.  Once the race resumed behind the safety car, Dane Cameron took over as the rain persisted for the middle hours of the race.  The team dodged a bullet when engine temperatures spiked during cautions, but returned to normal under racing conditions.  Cameron also survived a couple of offs just past the halfway point of the six-hour event, losing a handful of spots on the track before a third red-flag situation occurred.  After Felipe Nasr climbed aboard the No. 5 Penske Logistics LMP2, the Brazilian was able to be aggressive behind the wheel as the track dried and pick up a number of spots due to outright speed and taking advantage of others mistakes. Surviving caution after caution, Nasr was able to climb from 12th to sixth in the overall standings, finishing fourth in the LMP2 class.  The team will now take a couple of weeks off before returning to action at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in early June.
  
Nasr's Thoughts: "It was a pretty wild race.  We had a little bit of everything today, from weather to crashes.  We did our best to follow what was happening and react at the right time. The recovery we had at the end was pretty good. We switched to slicks at the right time and made the right calls so the No. 5 Penske Logistics car was pretty well balanced at the end of the race. At the end, it was about getting track position, because there were a lot of guys that still needed to box and get fuel. We did a really good job, especially considering that it is only our second race as a group.  We learned a lot this weekend and I've very pleased with the steps forward we made this weekend."