G-Drive Racing operated by Algarve Pro Racing followed a dominant win with a one-two finish in the opening two races of the 2021 Asian Le Mans Series at Dubai Autodrome (13-14 February).
A brace of victories for the #26 G-Drive crew of Rene Binder, Yifei Ye and Ferdinand Habsburg were backed-up by a second-place finish for John Falb, Rui Andrade and Franco Colapinto in the sister #25 car in Round 2 on Sunday afternoon.
Consequently, the Portugal-based team comfortably leads the Asian Le Mans championship standings going into the second half of the condensed 2021 season at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi (19-20 February).
Rene Binder (#26 G-Drive Racing operated by Algarve Pro Racing Aurus 01 LMP2): “Wow, what a great way to start this exciting Asian Le Mans Series programme with G-Drive Racing operated by Algarve Pro Racing! In race one on Saturday, I decided to avoid any risks in the first laps and I think it paid off, as our competitors made some crucial mistakes. It was a good feeling to get our #26 Aurus 01 to the first driver-change with a solid lead, and both Yifei (Ye) and Ferdinand (Habsburg) did a great job to make it a dominant victory.
“In race two on Sunday, I once again took a risk-averse approach and just pushed when absolutely necessary, and my teammates and I were able to put another commanding victory together. Thanks to the entire team for the great support. Let’s do it all again at Yas Marina Circuit!”
Yifei Ye (#26 G-Drive Racing by Algarve Pro Racing Aurus 01 LMP2): “First of all, I want to thank G-Drive Racing operated by Algarve Pro Racing for preparing a perfect car so us drivers could do the best possible job. For me, the week has been quite challenging because I only drove the Aurus 01 for the first time on Tuesday (9 February), so I’m happy to have qualified on the front row and then convert that strong starting position into two victories. My teammates, Rene (Binder) and Ferdinand (Habsburg), put in great performances, but the results are also a real credit to the team.”
Ferdinand Habsburg (#26 G-Drive Racing operated by Algarve Pro Racing Aurus 01 LMP2): “I’m super psyched to have taken victory in the opening two rounds of the 2021 Asian Le Mans Series. I want to say a big thank you to Algarve Pro Racing for the great preparation, and to G-Drive Racing too. It has been an amazing week at Dubai Autodrome. Nothing beats the winning feeling, and it’s only made better when you succeed with a team like Algarve Pro Racing, which has made me feel so at home. The engineers and mechanics never put a foot wrong and the team has come away with the results it deserves, but I’m also grateful to my teammates, Rene (Binder) and Yifei (Ye), who did a perfect job in both races. I can’t wait to end the season on a high in Abu Dhabi.”
