CRS bows out in China
CRS Racing has wrapped up four years of racing to focus on the McLaren GT programme
November 14, 2011
CRS Racing finished fourth in class in the final Intercontinental Le Mans Cup race of the season at Zhuhai at the weekend, bringing the curtain down on four fantastic years of racing. This result also means the team is placed fourth in the GTE-Am Championship.
Tim Mullen put the No.62 Ferrari 430 on pole position for the six-hour race, setting the tone for the rest of the weekend. The CRS Ferrari was the quickest in its class during the race and took fastest lap but was ultimately let down by a puncture.
Mullen started the race from pole and kept the lead throughout his opening stint before handing over to Pierre Ehret. Ehret was going well until he got a puncture which happened at the last corner so he had to do a full slow lap before he could pit. Roger Wills jumped him early when Ehret pitted for new rubber and soon settled into a good run. He had a minor off when he was pushed wide but the experienced New Zealander gathered it all up and continued on.
A double stint from Mullen saw the No.62 Ferrari running well in third place but with an extra stop to do (caused by the early stop to fix the puncture) the team had to settle for fourth at the flag.
“It was great to get pole position and the extra point that goes with it,” said Mullen. “I had the lead during my first stint and the car was feeling good so we were expecting a strong finish. We were quick throughout the weekend but ultimately the puncture cost us a podium finish. It’s a bit disappointing to end like that but we had a great weekend and I want to say thanks to the team for pushing hard to the end!”
“I jumped in the car when Pierre came in with the puncture so it was all a bit mad,” said Wills. “I managed to settle in though and the pace was good. After that it was a long wait and we had to watch while the Krohn car caught Pierre. We had that extra stop to do so we had to relinquish third. It’s sad that CRS is ending and it’s a shame to not be able to give them a podium to go out on. Looking back this has been a great season with a great bunch of guys!”
“I had a great time this weekend,” said Ehret. “I really enjoyed my last run with CRS, apart from when we had the puncture! I will miss them all and wish them all the best for the future.”
CRS Racing will now focus its efforts onto the McLaren GT programme.The company created by Chris Niarchos and Andrew Kirkaldy in 2007 entered into a partnership with the McLaren Group in 2010 to create McLaren GT.Manufacturing the outstanding new McLaren MP4-12C GT3 car, the company has taken the decision to scale down the racing side of its operation in order to provide the best possible service to its customers.
