Following a turbulent race lasting 6 hours around the Formula 1 circuit in Barcelona, Spain IPB Spartak Racing Lamborghini Murciélago and its drivers Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov were able to celebrate winning the opening Le Mans Series race of the year.

Following a turbulent race lasting 6 hours around the Formula 1 circuit in Barcelona, the Spain IPB Spartak Racing Lamborghini Murciélago and its drivers Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov were able to celebrate winning the GT1 class of the opening Le Mans Series race of the year. However the duo in the car which is run by the car's builder, Reiter Engineering, Dutchman Peter Kox and Russian Roman Rusinov had to start the endurance race from the back of the grid. In spite of the strong competition from Corvette and Saleen the Lamborghini Murciélago crew rapidly fought its way to the front of the GT1 category.

However, this drama was only a taste of things to come. Repairs made after losing the driver’s side window cost one lap, then a puncture after a collision with a LMP2 prototype cost another lap. Kox and Rusinov, sharing the cockpit of the IPB Spartak Lamborghini Murciélago for the second season, quite literally took the bull by the horns and were able haul back the deficit through constant fast laps, and recorded the fastest lap among the competing GT1 competitors. The clocks stopped at 1:46.734 minutes, the fastest competitor was seven tenths slower.

The final disaster occurred in the closing stages after the front bonnet collapsed. However, the IPB Spartak crew was also able to solve this problem in record time. After 189 laps Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov crossed the finish line as GT1 winners. Their strongest rivals in the Luc Alphand Corvette C6.R were 2 laps behind. After victory at Barcelona Kox and Rusinov now travel as championship leaders to the second race in Spa on 08 - 10 May 2009.

“We were faster this year than 2008 despite the weight increase due to the now mandatory air-conditioning system, smaller restrictor and larger rear wing,” summarised Team Boss Hans Reiter. “The new Michelin tyres also helped us to lap consistently quicker than the competition.”