Top 10 Despite A Mechanical Failure for Raphael Lessard During Battle at Berlin 251

The Toyota Development Driver (TRD) didn’t let his problems during practice and qualification bother him for the race. Starting from P20, he was already challenging for the 16th place in the first lap. At lap 5, he was already in the Top 15. After a few great battles on the track, especially with his teammate Chase Purdy, Raphaël made it to the Top 10 at the 42nd lap. Never looking back, he finished the first 100-lap segment in 8th place. 

 

Teams had 5 minutes to change tires, put fuel in the cars or work on them and David Gililand Racing changed the car’s set-up because Raphaël did not like the way the car was handling. It is in 5th place that Raphaël restarted the next 100 laps as the first 10 drivers had to draw their starting positions. 

 

A strange 100 laps followed this first 5-minute pause due to the four cautions and one red flag that occurred. Having a hard time finding a good rhythm because of the many interruptions, the Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce driver even had a flat tire during a yellow flag. He was able to fix it and to regain is position. Passing from 9th to the 6th place, he managed to capitalize on the last restart of this segment following the single red flag of the race and concluded that segment in 5th place. 

 

For the remaining 51 laps, Lessard started from the 2nd place. This time, only the Top 5 drivers got to draw their starting positions. Having a hard time keeping up with the leaders, Raphaël had no choice but to slip back into the pack while making sure to bring the car home in one piece. It is in 10th place that Raphaël finished after seeing a possible podium from up close. 

 

“The alternator belt broke early in the last segment, probably because of a debris. This resulted in the battery getting drained and the engine losing power. We only found out about this when the race was over. Obviously, the car was not going well at all during that 3rd segment, I couldn’t keep up with the leaders. It is a shame because I had a hard time getting accustomed to this strange track, but the race was going great till then. The Berlin Raceway is not an ordinary race track as every corner is different. During practice and qualifying, I had a hard time adapting to the track, but it went well during the race. Now, I can’t wait to go to the Winchester Speedway, it is one of my favorite tracks and we are going there for the win!” 

 

Raphaël will be back behind the wheel next weekend, as he heads to the Winchester Speedway for the Winchester 100 that will take place on Labor Day Monday, Sept 4.