Twice a winner of the 24 Hours of Spa in 2012 and 2014, René Rast has enjoyed more than his fair share of success at the venue for the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship – the classic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.
But while he may not be competing for outright honours this time, the 29-year-old German will still face stiff opposition in the LMP2 class, which proved to be one of the most closely-fought categories at Silverstone. Rast’s third-placed G-Drive Racing ORECA 05 finished just 41 seconds behind the victorious RGR Sport by Morand-Ligier JS P2.
A traditional driver’s favourite with its blend of iconic sweeping bends such as Pouhon, Blanchimont and the most famous of the lot, Eau Rogue, Spa will separate the men from the boys. Rast is hoping that his extensive circuit knowledge will help him, Roman Rusinov and Nathanaël Berthon to a first victory of the season.
“Every track is very demanding and none are boring for a driver, but Spa is one of the trickiest ones because of Eau Rogue and some of the high speed corners,” said Rast, who scored an additional point for pole position at Silverstone.
“I think we have a good car in a straight line but also in the high-speed corners and that’s what you need in Spa, especially Eau Rogue and the Kemmel straight because you need to carry a lot of speed through there. The ORECA is a nice car to drive, there’s a lot of downforce but I think all the cars are quite equal right now, so we need to do a faultless job, avoid any mistakes and just focus on ourselves.”
With Audi’s blessing, with whom he is under contract, Rast was only too happy to accept Rusinov’s invitation to join the team for a second taste of LMP2 – two years after his last outing with Sébastien Loeb Racing at Le Mans. So far he has been impressed with the JOTA Sport operation.
“Roman said, ‘we need you!’ so I said, ‘okay, why not?’ I’m open to everything,” he added. “They have a good bunch of people around them and know how to race because they have done Le Mans with an LMP2 now many, many times. We’re still improving the car and the team-work, but we are on our way already.”
James Newbold
Photos: 6 Hours of Silverstone, 17 April 2016. The G-Drive Racing ORECA 05 Nissan and drivers Roman Rusinov and Rene Rast after winning pole in LMP2.
