Jackie Chan DC Racing x JOTA Sport continues to lead both the LMP2 drivers and team championship in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), scoring a podium finish in a dramatic 6 Hours of Fuji run in challenging weather conditions which forced a premature end to the race.
The #Mighty38 ORECA of Ho-Pin Tung, Oliver Jarvis and Thomas Laurent lay third when the race was suspended for a second time with 90 minutes remaining and was not restarted.
After Jackie Chan DC Racing x JOTA Sport had topped the time sheets in all three free practice sessions, the team was confident that both the #FortuneCat37 and the #Mighty38 had the pace to fight for a race win. While qualifying did not go exactly to plan, the team remained upbeat on its chances in the ultra-competitive LMP2 category.
With low visibility and on a wet track, the race got underway behind the Safety Car. When the field was released, the pair of Jackie Chan DC Racing x JOTA Sport ORECAs set to work, the #FortuneCat37 moving up the pack to second with the sister #Mighty38 ORECA right behind.
Plenty of cat and mouse battles ensued as the drivers fought for position, but as visibility worsened, the red flag was brought out early in the second hour. More challenges were to follow when the #FortuneCat37 was forced to pit with an electrical issue. While the Jackie Chan DC Racing x JOTA Sport team worked hard to repair the car and get back into the race, the #FortuneCat37 was forced to retire.
Meanwhile, as the race approached the mid-way mark, the #Mighty38 ORECA took the LMP2 lead, but was unable to hold on to the top spot. The team would continue to fight for a podium position, ultimately finishing third.
Jackie Chan DC Racing x JOTA Sport now has a 10-point lead over its closest championship rivals, with the battle going down to the final two races of the season next month in Shanghai and Bahrain. The team’s next race, the 6 Hours of Shanghai from November 3-5, will be one of the team’s most important of the season as Jackie Chan DC Racing x JOTA Sport fights for victory – and the critical championship points – in front of its home fans in China.
Quotes
#37 Alex Brundle: “A difficult race for us in the #FortuneCat37, retiring with an electrical issue, which is a shame, but great work from the guys for trying to get us back out into the race. It was nice to get up the grid at the start and run in second for a good while and the car was functioning nicely, but unfortunately not able to complete the race this time. Good job to everyone and we’ll come back stronger in Shanghai.”
#38 Ho-Pin Tung: “After dominating all the free practices as a team, we were expecting a lot more from qualifying. After qualifying we were pretty confident we would have a good race car, which unfortunately we didn’t seem to have. Having said that, due to great team work, great strategy and nice on-track battles we managed to move our way to the lead in very difficult and treacherous conditions. The moment the race was red flagged for final time and ended was unfortunate for us. Bringing home third is definitely not what we came for, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be back aiming hard in Shanghai for that top spot in our home race.”
#38 Oliver Jarvis: “Heading into the race we were really positive, we thought we had a really good race car. Unfortunately we realised quite early we were struggling with the balance. Conditions were not easy out there and to come away with a podium… it’s not what we were hoping for – we were definitely hoping to fight for the win – but today we just didn’t have the pace, but congratulations to Alpine and Rebellion on a fantastic job.”
Sam Hignett, JOTA Sport: “A disappointing result for the #FortuneCat37 retiring with an electrical issue but good to have the #Mighty38 lead the race and finish on the podium again. Unfortunately the #31 car finished ahead, but still we lead the championship going into the final two races of the season. All credit to our drivers who managed to keep the cars on track and in one piece in some of the worst racing conditions I have seen.”
