Oregon Team definitely expected better luck on their home track. The 4 Hours of Monza, the second round of the 2017 European Le Mans Series and the only one on Italian soil, didn’t bring the best results to the drivers of the Norma M30 racecar fielded by the Northern Italian squad which finished down the order.
A better outcom was compromised by an off-track exit by Andrés Mendez at the first chicane after one and a half hour. The Colombian managed to re-start and made it back to the pits where the team replaced the car’s front in less than 1.5 minutes. Then an engine issue, also related to the incident, led to another additional stop.
It was a pity because, at the famous Italian venue, things were looking pretty good with an 8th place in LMP3 with Dario Capitanio at the end of Saturday’s qualifying. The Roman was called to drive the car at the start although he dropped back straight away. He then started a huge recovery.
Sure there were many positives. Davide Roda, for example, completed a long 2-hour driving stint without any issue. The Como-based racer experienced a great weekend, starting from the first place in the Bronze Test he only lost with one minute to go when the rivals using new tires were able to post faster laps.
The car’s reliability must also be noted as it was a further improvement compared to the previous event at Silverstone. The Norma clearly has all what it takes to go at the front. Oregon Team will pick-up the challenge again for the next round at Red Bull Ring. The Austrian round of the series will be held on July 22nd and 23rd.
