Spyker Squadron topped off a strong race at the Portimao circuit with an ninth place finish. The Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R of Peter Dumbreck and Jeroen Bleekemolen had a trouble-free run for most the race, before problems with the power steering threw a spanner in the works.

After a traditional Le Mans starting procedure it was Jeroen who took the start of the 1000 KM do Algarve as it is his last race for Spyker Squadron this season. Right from the word go the Spyker was on the pace and swiftly moved through the field. At the end of his first stint Jeroen was already in eight place in the GT2 class.

Peter took over and rejoined the race behind the Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari and a great battle began. All through his stint Peter was fighting with Farnbacher and eventually managed to pass the Ferrari. In the meantime the team had already moved into sixth place in its class.

Both Jeroen and Peter were right on the pace and drove strong second stints in which they were more than once engaged in nice fights with other GT2 cars for top positions. Less than an hour before the end of the race a power steering issue however meant that the team had to came in to replace the ECU during what would be their last pit stop. As a result the pit stop was a minute longer than normal and the team lost some valuable positions.

Peter Dumbreck: "We again showed that we don't have the ultimate pace when it comes to qualifying but in the race we can fight as we had some good fights. It was realistic to fight for a top five position, if not we had been in sixth place. The failure though is something you can't plan it."


Jeroen Bleekemolen: "We did well. We were able to fight with the other guys and we were really part of the race. It was a pity that we had to come from this far, as that meant we had to do extra overtaking, but for the rest all went fine. Unfortunately the we had a problem with the power steering towards the end of the race, which made steering the car much harder. It was really a pity that happened."


Peter van Erp: "We were really competitive on the track and our drivers really gave their all. We were always between third and seventh place, a position that changed all the time after the pitstops. Eventually the power steering failed and we had to change the ECU, which cost us a minute and that meant we dropped back to ninth place. It again shows how strong this category is. Of course I am not satisfied with the result but I am with the way our race went. It was incredible to see how our drivers raced and how quick our pitstops were."

The next round of the Le Mans Series will take place at the Hungaroring in a month time. In Hungary Tom Coronel will rejoin Peter Dumbreck again in the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R. The 1000KM of the Hungaroring will again be a night race.