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Australian sportscar
ace Alex Davison has finished second in class in the penultimate round
of the European Le Mans Series, held at the Nurburgring in Germany on
Sunday, 17 August.
After
a three-month break, the Le Mans Series re-convened with a 1000km race
for Round Four, which Davison and team-mate Marc Lieb entered just one
point behind the GT2 class lead.
Driving
Team Felbermayr-Proton's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, the pair qualified second
in class and topped the final pre-race practice session.
German
driver Lieb started the race, with the #77 Porsche leading early,
before it was passed by the GT2-leading Ferrari F430 of Rob Bell and
Gimmi Bruni, who went on to win the class.
Despite
battling understeer and a lack of tyre grip, Davison and Lieb fought on
to finish a strong second, their third podium finish of the season.
"We
had good speed all weekend, but we weren't quite able to match the pace
of the lead Ferrari over the course of a long stint," Davison said.
"On
fresh tyres, we were as quick as they were, but a couple of laps into
each run we'd start struggling for grip and getting a lot of understeer.
"In the end, we just had to push on as hard as we could to make sure we finished second."
The
result keeps the battle for the GT2 Championship alive, ahead of the
season finale at Silverstone, England, on 12-14 September.
Davison and Lieb will enter the weekend just three points behind Bell and Bruni.
"All year, we've been closely matched and consistent in the races," the Melbourne driver said.
"We're
only three points behind Bell and Bruni in the standings; we're really
looking forward to fighting it out at Silverstone next month."
In the meantime, Davison will travel to Malaysia next week for the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race at Sepang on 28-30 August.
Davison
will fight for outright honours in the 12-Hour race driving a Porsche
911 GT3 RSR for Team Porsche Club Singapore Racing, alongside Carrera
Cup Asia drivers Darryl O'Young and Weng Sun Mok.
"I
did some running at Sepang earlier this year shaking down cars for
Carrera Cup Asia and it should suit the RSR," Davison said.
"Team Porsche Club Singapore Racing is a new team and my Team Felbermayr engineer is helping them out.
"They're really excited; it's their big race of the year so hopefully we can get a good result."
Immediately
after the race, Davison will fly to Australia for his maiden V8
Supercar test of the year with Glenfords Racing at Queensland Raceway.
After
recording Top 10 finishes partnering rookie drivers at Dick Johnson
Racing in 2006 and 2007, Davison will contest the Bathurst 1000 with
Fabian Coulthard who is currently 12th in the Supercar standings.
"I'm looking forward to driving the car, it looks like a great package," Davison said.
"It will be my first time in a Supercar this year and my first drive of their current car so it will be an important test.
"Glenfords Racing has had a good season, I'm confident that Fabian and I can have a strong run at Bathurst."
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