LE MANS, France, (June 18, 2024) – In Spike the Dragon’s first attempt at Le Mans, the No. 14 LMP2 Oreca finished in second place at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. The successful finish was a result of the hard work of team AO by TF, with drivers PJ Hyett, Louis Deletraz, and Alex Quinn.
“What a finish to an amazing week here at Le Mans, with the AO by TF team,” said Team Principal Gunnar Jeannette. “This year’s race was very challenging but Spike proved that he knows how to navigate not only wet but dry conditions. All three of our drivers did an amazing job. There’s not a piece of bodywork out of place, and that’s a real testament given the challenges of this year’s weather. We wanted to be one step higher, but to get AO’s first podium at Le Mans is an absolute milestone.”
The team showed strong speed and teamwork out of the gate at the famed event, taking first place in the pit stop competition in a field of 16 LMP2 entries. The team’s show in speed continued in the final qualifying session when Deletraz set a fast lap to pace AO by TF on pole position at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by 0.610 seconds.
Though the grueling 24-hour long endurance event started under dry conditions, the majority of the race held varying weather for the competitors, heightening the risk of attrition with each hour of rain. Through many incidents and many hours of full-course cautions, Spike flew on, under the driving expertise of Hyett, Deletraz, and Quinn. The No. 14 dragon finished in second place in the Pro/Am class without any damage.
Driver Quotes
PJ Hyett
Le Mans was another amazing experience this year, topped off with a podium finish for our AO by TF crew. My co-drivers and the entire crew did such a phenomenal job. It was a delight to have the opportunity to share Spike, our LMP2 dragon, with so many friends and fans. The response was overwhelming to say the least. I hope we can do it again next year.
Louis Deletraz
I’m super happy with a Le Mans podium. The whole AO by TF crew did amazing. We were fighting for the win the whole race. We would have loved to have won the race, but given the conditions, it was so tricky in the wet at night. We’ll take it. It’s the first podium finish at Le Mans for PJ, and Alex did great in his first Le Mans. I’m so proud to be a part of this team.
Alex Quinn
I’m very happy with the podium. I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get the win, but all in all, it was a good race for us. We kept the car clean the whole race, which was our aim going into it. That paid off well. It’s my first time at Le Mans and we’re on the podium. It was really good and gives us more to aim for in the future as well. Getting on the podium is the first step, and the next one is the win.”
