Credit: LAT Images
/ Nicklas Nielsen reflected on “a couple of successful weeks” for him after winning the overall title at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, followed by his first victory in the IMSA LMP2 category at Watkins Glen.
Alongside Lilou Wadoux – who became the first female winner since Katherine Legge (Laguna Seca 2018) – and Louis Perez Companc, the trio in the #88 Richard Mille AF Corse Oreca 07 secured the LMP2 class victory at the Six Hours of the Glen of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Nielsen expressed his satisfaction during a post-race press conference: “Yes, I’m obviously very, very pleased. I mean, it’s been a positive week, a couple of successful weeks, I would say.
“Yes, I’m happy to get my first IMSA victory as well. It’s an extremely competitive championship.
“… Obviously, the incident and the car fire during the 12 Hours of Sebring didn’t help us much. But I’m really happy to bounce back here.
“Coming off a recent win at Le Mans, it obviously makes this even more special.
“I think Lilou [Wadoux] mentioned that Luis [Perez Companc] and I did a fantastic job, but she also did an exceptional job.
“She was on track in very challenging conditions and handled it very well.
“I believe it’s well-deserved that she finally got her win here as well.”
The six-hour race at Watkins Glen, which took place last Sunday, was the third event on the Endurance Cup calendar, and the wet weather conditions played a significant role in the survival of the final hour.
Among the 13 LMP2 cars on the grid, two of the #88’s competitors retired early. This included the only Ligier JS P217 from Sean Creech Motorsport, which collided with a barrier, and the #18 Era Motorsport Oreca 07, which previously won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
After Perez Companc completed his minimum driving time of 1 hour and 30 minutes at the start of the race, Wadoux took over the wheel and was in second place at the three-hour mark when a brief rain shower occurred. However, she managed the situation well with slick tires as the track dried again.
Before the red flag was waved in the final hour due to heavy rain, Nielsen had just made a pit stop to change tires for rain, opting for the grooved compound instead of slicks, along with several other teams.
The red flag was suddenly displayed after a safety car period, when several cars slid off the track, unable to maintain control with slick tires as conditions became dangerous.
During the re-entry, prototypes and GTs had the opportunity to go to the pits, as parc ferme rules were applied during the red flag. This included almost the entire LMP2 field, which needed to refuel and, if necessary, switch to slick tires.
Thanks to a successful pit stop before the red flag, the #88 team built a comfortable lead for Nielsen, which he maintained until the end.
