Darren Leung Secures Thrilling Victory in FIA WEC 2023 Six-Hour Race
On Sunday, reigning British GT champion Darren Leung secured a thrilling victory in the FIA WEC 2023 six-hour race, marking only his second start in the prestigious endurance series. Leung shared the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 with Augusto Farfus and Sean Gelael, as the Belgian squad dominated the competition with a 1-2 finish.
The crucial move that set up the win was Leung’s carefully timed second pitstop. The Briton completed his minimum drive time of 1 hour 45 minutes mere seconds before pitting, handing over to Gelael. This strategic decision gave the #31 car a significant advantage over its rivals, including the pole-sitting #92 Manthey-run PureRxcing Porsche.
“We weren’t pegging him back enough,” WRT’s GT programme manager Kurt Mollekens admitted. “So we went ‘okay Darren, we need to lose six seconds on this lap’ – it was five, but we gave it a bit of margin.” The plan worked to perfection, as Leung lost exactly five seconds.
Mollekens also disclosed that initial projections suggested teams would be eight laps short of completing the bronze time within two stints. However, an early safety car and two full-course yellows within the first hour forced WRT to rethink its strategy. “We started fuel-saving like hell,” Mollekens said. “From that moment, we knew that if we hit these fuel-saving marks, we could just do it on two stints.”
Leung credited WRT’s expertise for the victory, saying, “I can’t really repeat much of the discussion from my side with how we managed that. But look, WRT is one of the most accomplished and well-respected teams on the grid. My job is to drive around in circles, it’s their job to work it out. They told me what to do, I did it.”
The #31 car only took the lead after electing to stick with slick tyres during a mid-race shower, a call that Mollekens believes ultimately secured the win. Farfus praised WRT for staying “calm” in the changeable conditions, which saw different parts of the circuit experiencing varying levels of wetness. “The team was very calm throughout the whole race, so it was a constant chat ‘shall we go to the wets’,” Farfus said.
As the 2023 WEC calendar unfolds, Leung’s impressive debut in the series serves as a testament to WRT’s exceptional team work and strategic prowess. With the WEC 2023 season heating up, fans can expect more thrilling battles and unexpected twists in the world of endurance racing.
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