Andre Negrao, who won the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, says taking both the class win and LMP2 title is an undescribable feeling.
The Brazilian triumphed in the #36 Signatech Alpine A470-Gibson alongside team-mates Nicolas Lapierre and Pierre Thiriet, taking the LMP2 championship in the World Endurance Championship in the process.
Negrao told Motorsport Week on Thursday that winning the world championship was his priority over a possible class win, but ended up doing both and was understandably pleased when he came out of the post-race press conference.
"It’s a feeling I can not describe for you at the moment," said Negrao. "I was telling you that it should be more interesting to win the championship than Le Mans. But in the end, we won both, so it’s a good achievement for me and my teammates. Really, really happy."
The French outfit won the race despite a significant deficit to the #26 G-Drive Aurus 01-Gibson of Job van Uitert, Jean-Eric Vergne and Roman Rusinov, until the Russian outfit spent twenty minutes in the pits replacing a faulty starter motor. Negrao admitted his team had a bit of luck in recapturing the lead.
"We were quite competitive in the beginning, because we were just as strong," Negrao continued.¨ Then in the middle of the race we were unlucky, because the safety car just came in between us and them."
"But then they went in the pit lane and we stayed out and they opened up a minute and a half ahead of us. It’s kind of disappointing, but this is the kind of stuff that happens at Le Mans.
"They broke the starter, and then everything turned around. It’s a magical place, man. Nobody can describe Le Mans."
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