16.09.2004 The first ever victory by a Russian driver in an international championship, at Spa in the LMES last weekend, was also the 14th title for JMB Racing in ten years of racing

The first victory by a Russian driver in an international championship, the first ever LMES GT drivers’ title claimed by Roman Rusinov after the fourth and final round of the 2004 Le Mans Endurances Series, was also the 14th title for JMB Racing in ten years of racing.

By finishing second in the teams’ classification, the Monaco-based outfit has also claimed an automatic entry for the 2005 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a reward for the whole team and particularly Roman’s co-drivers, Stéphane Daoudi and Jaime Melo, who each both part in three of the four events of the Series.

However, the weekend in the Ardennes was far from straight-forward, with capricious weather, a number of competitors aiming to win both the team's and driver's titles, and a challenging circuit being the ingredients for this weekend’s decisive round.

After both wet and dry conditions during practice, the nr 70 Ferrari 360 Modena driven by Roman Rusinov and Jaime Melo, the regular pair being joined by Bert Longin, with his excellent knowledge of Spa, set the fifth-fastest time in qualifying.

Making an excellent start, Jaime Melo was soon up to third place. However, a collision before the end of the first hour of the race saw him drop well down the classification.

The action-packed race was littered with incidents, which meant that the safety car came into play on five occasions. The title fight therefore went on right until the chequered flag, as the classifications were so tight. Despite being involved in another two incidents, the JMB Racing drivers did not give up, and recovered to finish in fifth place, which was, for once, synonymous with victory.

It is a result which the team hope will be contagious, as they are back in action next weekend, both at Vallelunga for the final round of the Italian GT Championship, and in Oschersleben (Germany) for the 9th round of the FIA GT Championship.

Final Drivers Classification LMES 2004 – GT category: 1st Roman RUSINOV JMB RACING 25 points; 2nd Stéphane ORTELLI FREISINGER MOTORSPORT 24 points; 3rd Xavier POMPIDOU SEBAH 22 points; 4th Stéphane DAOUDI JMB RACING 21 points

Final Teams Classification LMES 2004 – GT category : 1st SEBAH nr 80 Porsche 996 GT3 26 points, 2 JMB RACING nr 70 Ferrari 360 Modena GT 25 points, 3rd FREISINGER MOTORSPORT nr 85 Porsche 996 GT3 24 points