Minassian on IDEC Sport's 4 Hours of Silverstone victory: "We've been rewarded"
- Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah
- Sep 14
- 3 min read
After rough patches in Imola and Spa-Francorchamps, the No.18 IDEC Sport car finally returned to winning ways in the treacherous 4 Hours of Silverstone. This victory puts them back in the LMP2 championship hunt, trailing the No.48 VDS Panis Racing car by only six points.
Strategic masterclass in changing conditions
It was not an easy start to life for either IDEC Sport's No. 18 or No. 28 cars for the 4 Hours of Silverstone, as they started from 11th and 12th, respectively. The race started an hour earlier than scheduled in anticipation of rainfall late in the afternoon.
The start of the race was particularly chaotic, with a safety car being deployed immediately. Two red flags followed on laps 16 and 25, before another safety car. Paul Lafargue handed the No.28 car to Job van Uitert in ninth after 90 minutes of driving.
In the Genesis Magma Racing-branded No.18 car, Mathys Jaubert took over from home hero Jamie Chadwick in 10th. Van Uitert and Jaubert gradually climbed up the ranks and found themselves in sixth and fifth, respectively.
The rainfall eventually came in the latter stages of the race, and the team made a strategic call to fit wet tyres for veterans Dani Juncadella and Paul-Loup Chatin in the No.18 and the No.28 car to the end of the race.
Juncadella would go on to win the race after 104 laps completed and defending Inter Europol Competition's Tom Dillmann in the process. Chatin came home to take fourth for the No.28 side, tying their best result of the season.
Key reactions
IDEC Sport Team Principal, Nicolas Minassian, was very proud to see the team on top of the podium for the third time this year, and on the venue where they won in 2019. The 52-year-old explained that every team member stuck together and felt they were well-rewarded.
"A typical motorsport weekend has just taken place at Silverstone.
"We didn't do any testing on this circuit apart from the usual collective tests on Thursday. We had a tough time during free practice and qualifying, but everyone gave their all and never gave up.
"The team and drivers stuck together to find the details we might have been missing. And now we've been rewarded. I'm very proud of this team. The team can savour this victory and fourth place."
Lafargue said it was a result the team deserves, given how they kept their heads up high despite the less-than-ideal start.
"Finally, a result that the IDEC Sport team deserves.
"It's been a complicated weekend, but we've managed to come out with our heads held high.
"At the start of the race, it was clearly a matter of survival, with the challenge at each restart of getting the tyres back up to the right temperature. The whole team did a great job."
Juncadella, who piloted the No.18 car to victory, said it was also a great victory for the team. The Spaniard added how rain served as a welcoming relief for them and credited the strategy choice.
"This is a great victory for the whole team.
"We qualified in 11th, so it's fair to say we weren't in a great position. The rain was a welcome relief for us. Our strategic choices paid off.
"At Imola, it was my fault; I messed up and we lost a lot of points. I won't go back over Spa, which also cost us a lot. But we're back in the race, and that's the most important thing. We're more united than ever."
This victory provided a significant boost to No.18's championship hopes as they sat second behind the No.48 car by only six points, with only the 4 Hours of Portimão season finale remaining next month.
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