The 2021 Asian Le Mans Series season ended in the best possible way, thanks to success of Kessel Racing by Car Guy, which put Takeshi Kimura, Côme Ledogar and Mikkel Jensen onto the top step of the podium, alongside Rinaldi Racing drivers Davide Rigon, David Perel and Rino Mastronardi, in third place. We gathered the comments from the protagonists at the end of an intense 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi.
Côme Ledogar, Kessel Racing by Car Guy: “The finish was really tight because we knew that everyone was on different strategies, some who had to change tyres, some who had to do the mandatory stop, and some who had to come in for a splash. Thanks to our choice and some great work from the guys in the Kessel Racing garage, we were able to get back out on track in front of the McLaren and I can't thank them enough for putting us in a position to win. Thanks also go out to Ferrari for a car that was really easy to drive and fast in the various stints.”
Davide Rigon, Rinaldi Racing: “We are very happy even though today we were involved in a collision that bent the exhausts, making us lose load and power. The race was tough, but in the end everything turned out well. We decided to take the risk of not changing the tyres, which allowed us to get onto the podium. Obviously, it wasn't easy because in the end the grip was really critical but the strategy paid off, even though I was forced to manage the tyres in the best way I could. The third place is therefore the maximum we could aspire to today given the incidents. I wish to thank the guys on the wall and in the pits, as well as Rinaldi.”
David Perel, Rinaldi Racing: “A big thank you to the team, because we managed to reach the goal of having a Le Mans entry for the team. Today was the most uncertain race of the series, but Rino and Davide did a fantastic job, gaining a lot of time and fighting for top positions which was fundamental to guarantee us the podium and take third place in the standings and achieve the entry for the Le Mans.”