Charles Milesi, Lilou Wadoux and Sébastien Ogier survive the Le Mans night
The crew continues to attack with six hours to the finish
Always feared, night time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans turned out to be relatively calm, sparing the Richard Mille Racing Team trio unlike last year when the team was eliminated shortly after sunset.
Twelfth at half-distance, Lilou Wadoux continued her efforts in earnest in the darkness until she was replaced by Sébastien Ogier at 5 am. As soon as he was back on track, the eight-time world rally champion upped his pace during his four stints at dawn to take the No. 1 Oreca-Gibson to tenth place in a category reputed for its incredible level of competitiveness.
Back into a genuine tactical battle thanks to the work of his teammates and the squad's mechanics, Charles Milesi showed his determination by ramping up the pressure on the competition before handing over to Lilou Wadoux for a triple stint before Sébastien Ogier returned in action.
The Richard Mille Racing Team was in ninth place in the LMP2 category going into the six hours of the race.
"Night time in Le Mans is truly magical, summarised Lilou Wadoux. It's an amazing experience and a unique atmosphere for any driver. I also drove at sunset and dawn, at least on one part of the track. I still preferred to drive in the dark. It's never easy with so much traffic, but it's a little easier on the eyes! Everything went well, I'm happy with my stints, and we are in a good position in the battle for the top ten. The most important thing now is to finish the race and have no regrets by giving it our all!"
"Our crew continues to be extremely consistent and that's a good thing, added Philippe Sinault, team manager. Last night, Lilou once again did well with a solid pace considering the learning curve she is facing. Sébastien also did some good stints and drove very well to get closer laptimes to Charles, who drove a little less to take over our offensive a little more aggressively in the final hours. We still hope to be able to gain some places to conclude this promising performance, but it is complicated to define a precise target. Mechanical reliability is hardly an issue these days, but we all know that the last few hours at Le Mans are always turbulent."
RESULTS
Start : 12th / 7th LMP2
Hour 1: 10th / 5th LMP2 - 17 laps
Hour 2: 13th / 8th LMP2 - 33 laps
Hour 3: 12th / 7th LMP2 - 49 laps
Hour 4: 8th / 4th LMP2 - 63 laps
Hour 5: 13th / 9th LMP2 - 79 laps
Hour 6: 15th / 11th LMP2 - 95 laps
Hour 7: 15th / 11th LMP2 - 111 laps
Hour 8: 16th / 12th LMP2 - 126 laps
Hour 9: 17th / 13th LMP2 - 141 laps
Hour 10: 16th / 12th LMP2 - 157 laps
Hour 11: 17th / 13th LMP2 - 174 laps
Hour 12: 16th / 12th LMP2 - 189 laps
Hour 13: 17th / 13th LMP2 - 205 laps
Hour 14: 16th / 12th LMP2 - 220 laps
Hour 15: 15th / 11th LMP2 - 235 laps
Hour 16: 14th / 10th LMP2 - 250 laps
Hour 17: 13th / 9th LMP2 - 264 laps
Hour 18: 13th / 9th LMP2 - 276 laps
