At home on the Portimao circuit, the Portuguese team Algarve Pro Racing was eager to finish its season and its collaboration with the driver from Grasse, Théo Pourchaire, on a high note. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
Théo Pourchaire’s last weekend in ELMS was cut short at Portimao. For the sixth and final event of the season, the French driver wanted to conclude his LMP2 adventure in the best possible way. However, not everything went as planned this weekend.
Not on the pace during free practice with a modest 16th place, 1.2 seconds off the best time, and then 9th, 0.4 seconds behind, he had to push hard to secure a good position for the race. Forced to drive at 100% to compensate for the lack of performance, Théo Pourchaire ended his qualifying lap in the wall at Turn No.9 during his warm-up lap… The car was too damaged to return for the qualification. It’s a rare mistake in the career of the driver from Grasse.
After a significant work session, the team managed to rebuild the prototype for the race. As a result, the Portuguese machine had to settle for the 12th and last place in the LMP2 category on the starting grid.
In the race, it was Théo Pourchaire who was forced to take the start in the pack. Battling at the beginning of the race, the driver from the French Riviera quickly overtook two cars. Certainly very motivated to make up for his previous day’s mistake, he gave everything on the track. He climbed up to 10th place before passing the baton to his teammates Lorenzo Fluxà and Matthias Kaiser. Except that after only 13 minutes of the race, the APR No.25 had to return to the pits due to a mechanical issue.
Thus ended Théo Pourchaire’s adventure with his team Algarve Pro Racing. The team opened the path for him towards a second career in endurance racing after his title in Formula 2 and then his stint in IndyCar last season. Along with his teammates, they achieved a podium finish at Imola and several honorable places, including a remarkable 5th place at Silverstone. Another highlight of his season was his first participation in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, which he finished in a commendable 26th place overall. “I will remember my first 24 Hours of Le Mans for life,” he said at the end of the race weekend.
Now it is behind the wheel of the French manufacturer’s Peugeot Hypercar that we will find the driver from Grasse. His new adventure will begin on November 8th during the last race of the WEC season in Bahrain.
