10.05.2004 JMB Racing overcame pitstop problems to finish a very close second in the LMES GT class at Monza with their Ferrari 360 Modena: JMB Racing race report

On Sunday, the circuit of Monza hosted the first round of the 2004 Le Mans Endurance Series.

In preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, JMB Racing entered a Ferrari 360 Modena in LM-GT configuration in the 1000 km of Monza event, which offered a mix of sports prototype and GT cars.

Russian driver Roman Rustinov joined Jaime Melo and Stéphane Daoudi, who drove the JMB Ferrari at the recent Le Mans preliminary tests.

With both the 360 Modena GT racer and the team unfamiliar to him, Rustinov however did know the Monza circuit well, having set pole position there in the Euro F3000 series last year, a fact which helped to make his endurance racing debut slightly easier.

Despite changeable weather conditions, with rain during free practice and a dry track for qualifying, the JMB Ferrari showed its potential, setting the second-fastest qualifying time in the LM-GT category.

On Sunday, the race started in bright sunshine, and the fight began with the Freisinger Porsche 911 GT3-RSR, driven by Stephane Ortelli and Romain Dumas.

Around 151 laps later, the last 20 of which took place under torrential rain, the two cars were still only separated by 50 seconds, and the only regret of the JMB pit crew was the time they had lost during the first two refuelling stops, due to a blocked safety system on one of the wheel nuts.

However, this second place in the LM-GT category was greeted by the team with much satisfaction, considering the fierce competition on a circuit, which is known to be extremely hard on engines, and the difficult weather conditions. Only 19 cars made it to the finish line, of the 40 who had started the race.

Moreover, the consistency of Jaime Melo, setting a fast race-pace, and the fastest race lap set by Stéphane Daoudi reinforces the team’s confidence in their ability to play a leading role during the upcoming rounds of the Le Mans Endurance Series, which will take place on circuits expected to be more favourable to the Ferrari 360 Modena.

The next LMES meeting, the 1000 km of the Nürburgring, takes place on July 4th. Meanwhile JMB Racing’s next outings will be this coming weekend with the FIA GT race at Hockenheim and Italian GT Championship encounter at Mugello.