#50 Corvette C7.R continues to show strong pace around La SartheLarbre Competition has built on its strong start at the 2016 Le Mans 24 Hours with the #50 Corvette C7.R of Pierre Ragues, Jean-Philippe Belloc and Yutaka Yamagishi running in sixth as Saturday gave way to Sunday.

Having skilfully managed the Safety Car start and rain-hit opening two hours, the Vigeant-based outfit was then able to make its pragmatic race strategy work smoothly.

Pierre kicked off Larbre’s 24th Le Mans entry with a strong triple stint, lapping competitively on all Michelin tyres as the track dried out. The Frenchman then handed over the wheel to fellow countryman Jean-Philippe, who delivered a flawless double stint and moved the Corvette C7.R up to fourth place.

For his first outing in the 84th running of the twice-around-the-clock classic, Yutaka followed Larbre’s instructions closely and displayed poise and maturity to have an error-free spell at the wheel.

Back to the cockpit for another double stint, Pierre reached the eight-hour mark in the top five, and swiflty returned the car to his Japanese crew-mate. The Larbre mechanics took the opportunity to make a swift repair to the car’s air conditioning system before sending Yutaka underway again.

Successive spins by LMGTE Am rivals #98 Aston Martin and #83 Ferrari then brought out the Safety Car for the first time since the start. Once again, the Val-de-Vienne squad saw an opportunity and quickly serviced the car.

Yutaka could then complete his double stint and hand the car over to Jean-Philippe as the 58 cars still running at Le Mans entered Sunday. But barely had the Frenchman got out that another Safety Car happened. Larbre then quickly decided to call the former Spa 24 Hours winner back in to put Yutaka in the car again. That way, Jean-Philippe will be able to get further rest before bringing the hammer down later on during the race.

Yutaka Yamigishi: “My first stint went really well, though glare from the setting sun affected visibility. Just like Pierre and Jean-Philippe, I feel very comfortable at the wheel, as the Corvette C7.R is very stable and a pleasure to drive. I also had my fair share of action on track with many overtaking moves. Driving at night time means you have to be extra careful, especially when you have to manage Safety Cars but everything went smoothly.”

Pierre Ragues: “For my second spell at the wheel, it was a bit hot inside the car due to the A/C issue. Despite this, the Corvette C7.R continues to handle very well on track. Overall, I am pretty satisfied with this double stint.”