ELMS Portimao race recap
This weekend, United Autosports wrapped up the European Le Mans Series with a tough finish in the 4 Hours of Portimao.
The #22 ORECA 07 also had a strong start from P5 on the grid with Filip Ugran driving an excellent opening stint, backed by a cohesive team strategy. Ugran was leading the race within the first hour, handing over to Marino Sato in P1 who continued pushing hard. Things took a turn, however, when the Japanese driver had to serve a drive-through penalty for contact during Ugran’s earlier stint. The penalty was issued straight after a Safety Car, which dropped the #22 to the back of the pack, compounded by another penalty for track limits. Ben Hanley took over, working hard to recover lost time with strong pace, but the Brit sustained damage while avoiding a spinning car, forcing an unscheduled pit stop for new left tyres, which also highlighted significant damage to the left hand side of the car – ultimately finishing P10.
Filip Ugran: “I think our strategy was a really good one, but unfortunately, we had contact. In my opinion, I think the penalty we got was very unfair – we finished where we finished but I think the pace of the car was strong and we could have fought for P1 to end the season on a high. I’m very happy with everything throughout this season, I can’t say that about the result but with the team and everything else – I’m looking forward to the future.”
