June 16, 2025 – R-ace GP shone on the emblematic 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit during the third round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup. After weeks of hard work, the French team was rewarded with three well-deserved podium finishes at the end of a weekend packed with excitement and drama.
The third round of the championship kicks off with a new addition to the team line-up. Edgar Pierre, driver of the #86 Duqueine D09, is joined by a familiar face to R-ace GP: Jin Nakamura. The Japanese driver, who is currently entered for the season in FRECA, starts a new chapter in his career this weekend by making his debut in LMP3.
Free practice
Right from the start of free practice on Thursday, the #85, driven by Hadrien David and Hugo Schwarze, set an excellent pace, posting the fastest time in FP1 with a lap in 3:50.288. The #86 (Edgar Pierre and Jin Nakamura) finished 23rd, while the #88 of Romano Ricci and Fabien Lavergne was 15th in Pro/Am. In FP2, the #85 placed 5th, confirming its competitiveness, while the #86 and #88 finished 15th and 14th respectively in their classes.
Qualifying disrupted and a major blow for the #85
Thursday lunchtime saw a chaotic qualifying session, interrupted on numerous occasions by red flags. None of the R-ace GP entries managed to set a clear lap. The session ended badly for the #85, which went off the track violently and suffered extensive damage.
Race 1: Deserved first podium with the #85
After intensive efforts to repair the #85, the latter managed to take the start of Race 1 from pole position later in the day. Hugo Schwarze got off to a clean start, but dropped back to third place after making a mistake at the Daytona chicane. Edgar Pierre gained several positions in the #86, but was hit by a rival and spun. The #88 driven by Romano Ricci also started to make good headway, but a spin disrupted its progress.
Hadrien David then took over in the #85 and climbed to the head of the pack. He fought hard to keep his position, but was overtaken. However, a penalty imposed on a competitor enabled him to regain 2nd place on the podium, the team’s first since the start of the season. The #86 finished 15th and the #88 8th in its class, thanks to strong stints from Jin Nakamura and Fabien Lavergne.
Race 2: Double podium to round off the weekend
The second race got off to a chaotic start, on Saturday morning, but the R-ace GP drivers reacted quickly. The #85 gained three places from the start, and the #88 made a superb start in Pro/Am. After the restart, the #85 and #86 made rapid progress. Unfortunately, the #86 spun, had a puncture, restarted, then suffered a second puncture which forced it to retire.
Meanwhile, the #85 continued its spectacular comeback. After the driver change, it was up to 6th place (+14 positions), then 3rd. Hugo Schwarze attacked hard in the final laps, kept in touch with the leader and crossed the finish line in 2nd place, signing a second consecutive podium for R-ace GP. The #88 finished the race in 3rd place in the Pro/Am category, rounding off a superb weekend for the team.
R-ace GP on the up
After a difficult first half of the season, these results mark a real turning point for R-ace GP. The team climbed to 3rd place in the overall standings and 5th in the Pro/Am standings. These podium finishes on the legendary Le Mans circuit illustrate the hard work and determination of the team members and drivers, as well as the solid collaboration with manufacturer Duqueine Automotive.
R-ace GP’s LMP3 pole crew will now take a well-deserved summer break before being back on track. See you on August 23 at Spa-Francorchamps for Round 4.
Click here to watch race 1 and race 2.
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