The 2014 GT Academy Champion GT Academy Champion Gaëtan Paletou claimed his first victory in in the LMP3 class at the 4-Hour of Estoril, the final round of the European Le Mans Series, held in Portugal on October 18.

After his teammate Mike Simpson, received a penalty during qualifying, Paletou was forced to start in the last row; however, the French GT Academy champion didn’t let that discourage him as he quickly made his way up the pack, overcoming not only his rivals but also bad weather. After the first hour, he fought his way from 30th place to 8th. Then, he handed the driving duties to Simpson who brought the Team LNT Ginetta Nissan No. 2 car home in 1st place.

Despite being a rookie, Paletou has been a consistent force for Team LNT, as he and Simpson, also scored points in the first round at Silverstone and the third round at the Red Bull Ring. With the victory at Estoril, Paletou and Simpson ended up 2nd in class, while Paletou himself placed 3rd in the drivers’ standings in the LPM3 category. The top spot of the LMP3 class went to the Team LNT No. 3 car, while the winner of the LMP2 class was Greaves Motorsports’ No. 41 car, both powered by Nissan.

Over the same weekend, the 2008 European GT Academy winner, Lucas Ordóñez took 2nd place in the two final races of the 2015 All-Japan F3 Championships, held at Sugo Circuit in Miyagi, Japan.

Ordóñez, who just celebrated his wedding a few weeks earlier, was impressive in the qualifying stages, achieving a front-row start for both races. He kept his momentum going in the main races, achieving his best finishes of the season. It seems that married life is definitely agreeing with him!