CHENNAI: Karun Chandhok and his Murphy Prototypes Team finished a creditable fifth in the LMP2 category of the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race on Sunday.
The Chennai racer’s team was running as high as third for sections of the race, but encountered problems before settling for fifth. They finished 13th overall out of 55 starters.
“It’s a hard race to finish and I’m pleased for the whole team to have achieved it. Although we had a few problems, I think we may have only gained one place if we hadn’t. This would have still not seen us on the podium and that’s what we were aiming for of course. I think that as a team, we are getting the best out of the car and therefore, this weekend represented a great effort all round,” Chandhok said after the race.
Meanwhile Porsche, led by Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg, have won their first 24 Hours of Le Mans race for 17 years after holding off the challenge of Audi in a tight duel.
The two German manufacturers had exchanged the lead early on but Porsche managed to fend off their rivals, who had won 13 of the previous 15 races.
The race was halted four times, but Germany’s Hulkenberg came home in first place — alongside his two co-drivers Earl Bamber of New Zealand and Englishman Nick Tandy — after controlling the lead for the final few hours of the race in their car, clocking up 395 laps.
“It’s difficult to find the right words, it’s probably the best day of my career, maybe even my life,” beamed an ecstatic Hulkenberg. “It’s been a fantastic week, I won with two great drivers, who are good guys.”
