After securing pole position thanks to Esteban Masson, the #48 unfortunately could not convert the effort into victory: a heavy penalty for leaving the pits while the red light was still on relegated the car to 8th place at the finish. Still leading the championship, the Marc VDS-liveried team will play its all-or-nothing card at the grand finale in Portimão next month.

In Pro-Am, the #29 started from 3rd on the grid. The Beche/Novalak/Sales trio delivered a complex but solid enough race to secure 4th place at the end of the event.

Thursday's two Collective Test sessions were held in tricky weather conditions. Rain caused multiple red flags, reducing track time. Despite that, the Milesi/Masson/Gray trio's car set the best LMP2 lap times twice, while in Pro-Am the #29 topped the classification in the afternoon session.

The next day, Esteban Masson confirmed the team's strong form by setting the fastest lap at the end of Free Practice 1 in LMP2.

Shortly after, Rodrigo Sales (#29) stood out by dominating the Bronze Driver Test.

On Friday, the #29 unfortunately saw its FP2 session end abruptly after Rodrigo Sales went off track on his very first lap.

Conversely, the #48 LMP2 car carried out its preparation program for qualifying without a hitch.

For the first time, qualifying duties for the Oreca 07 #48 were entrusted to Esteban Masson. The young Frenchman handled it brilliantly by clinching pole position.

Meanwhile, the mechanics performed an outstanding job within record time to repair the heavily damaged Pro-Am car from the morning session. More determined than ever, Rodrigo then delivered a fine performance by securing a promising 3rd place on the grid for the race.

Race Summary – Car #48

Starting from pole, Oliver Gray held the advantage at the start. Behind, several incidents brought out the safety car, followed 35 minutes later by another, then by a red flag forcing cars to line up on the grid while repairs were made to the barriers.

At the restart, under safety car conditions, the race resumed briefly before another big crash triggered yet another safety car. Forced to pit within the regulatory 8-second window, the Briton rejoined only in 6th place. Soon after, another red flag once again froze the field on the grid.

At the next restart, still under safety car, Esteban Masson took over. Determined, he quickly gained ground and overtook the #43 Inter Europol Competition car. Unfortunately, during his first stint, the car exited the pits prematurely while the light at pit exit was still red, leading to a heavy penalty: a drive-through with an additional 17-second stop. This dropped VDS Panis Racing to 12th place. Nevertheless, the Frenchman kept posting fast laps, consistently among the quickest on track.

With 90 minutes to go, Charles Milesi climbed aboard. After a perfectly executed pit stop fitted with rain tires, he rejoined 9th and immediately overtook the #28 Idec Sport Oreca. The chase for points was on in heavy rain! With one hour to go, the #48 had climbed to 5th place.

Another pit stop with 40 minutes left dropped the car back to 7th. Milesi then lost one more spot to the #22 United Autosports entry. With 12 minutes remaining, a Full Course Yellow was deployed, followed by a red flag that ended the race 12 minutes before the scheduled finish.

The #48 of VDS Panis Racing therefore concluded the race in 8th position in LMP2. Despite this hectic contest, the crew retains the championship lead and will arrive at Portimão as leaders for the finale.

Olivier Panis: "Of course, there's disappointment at the end of this race, especially since the team and drivers had shown an excellent level of performance in the days before, not to mention Esteban Masson's incredible pole position. This Sunday, our three drivers put in a remarkable effort on track, and our mechanics executed top-level pit stops. Unfortunately, the numerous race incidents, safety car periods, and red flags worked against us. We know the title will be decided at Portimão: we will keep working with the same intensity to go and win it. I have complete confidence in the motivation of each of Marc VDS's Felines."

Race Summary – Car #29

Starting 3rd in its category, Rodrigo had a hectic opening stint: contact with a competitor dropped him to 6th in Pro-Am under the safety car. The Bronze driver then had to fight his way back past numerous GT3 and LMP3 cars, but his charge was halted by another neutralization after 30 minutes, followed by a red flag.

At the restart, the #29 was 5th. Two laps later, a small off-track excursion cost Rodrigo two more positions before he had to serve a drive-through penalty related to the initial contact. The race was once again interrupted by a safety car, then another red flag.

Shortly after the restart, Mathias Beche took over in 5th place Pro-Am. Determined, he climbed steadily, and after 2h10 of racing, he was already up to 2nd behind the #99 AO by TF. During the driver change, a 10-second penalty was applied, but Clément Novalak rejoined in the lead thanks to the engineers' well-timed switch to rain tires.

The #29 fought at the front but was overtaken by the #20 APR at lap 78, then by the #99 AO by TF in a move that could be considered "borderline" with 56 minutes to go. After another stop and another drive-through to serve, Novalak found himself in 4th place.

A FCY was deployed with 12 minutes to go, followed by a red flag, and the race was called.

The #29 concluded this turbulent race in 4th place in Pro-Am after a contest full of twists and turns.

Xavier Combet – TDS Racing: "We came to Silverstone very motivated, given our positions in the championship. On one hand, the #48 in LMP2 held the lead with a solid advantage over its rivals. On the other, in LMP2 Pro-Am, the #29 was still very much in contention for the title in its category. Performances at the start of the weekend pointed to a promising race for both Orecas.

Our Bronze driver, Rodrigo Sales, faced some challenges early in the race, but he managed to regain pace and confidence afterwards. During their stints, Clément Novalak and Mathias Beche handled the wet conditions perfectly to bring home 4th place. At this stage, the title in Pro-Am for the #29 is no longer mathematically possible, but a podium finish remains within reach, and the whole team is determined to achieve that goal.

As for the VDS Panis Racing car, which also endured the complexity of this race, there is no doubt that everyone will give their maximum to fight for the title at the final round in Portimão next month."