Pierre Thiriet (born 20 April 1989 in

Épinal Épinal (; german: Spinal) is a commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges department. Geography The commune has a land area of . It is situated on the river Moselle, south of Nancy. Épinal station has rail connection ...

) is a French racing driver. He finished eighth overall and second in the

LMP2 A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were create ...

class of the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans and won the

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

in the LMP2 class in 2012.

Career

After competing in karting in 2003–04, Thiriet began racing in the

Eurocup Mégane Trophy The Renault Eurocup Mégane Trophy was a One-Design, one-make racing series created and managed by Renault Sport. The series has raced with the Renault Mégane Renault Sport since 2005 as part of the World Series by Renault. The Renault Eurocup ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

. Driving for TDS Racing, he finished fifth in the standings. Remaining with TDS for the 2010 season, Thiriet finished second in the standings behind teammate

Nick Catsburg Nicky Catsburg (born 15 February 1988 in Amersfoort) is a Dutch professional racing driver, for BMW and General Motors works driver for Corvette Racing Corvette Racing is an American auto racing team established in 1999 by General Motors and ...

with two race wins. Thiriet followed TDS into

sportscar racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...

in 2011, contesting the

Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

in the

class in an

Oreca 03 The Oreca 03 is a Le Mans Prototype built by Oreca in 2011. It is built within the revised 2011 ACO regulations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car made its début at the 12 Hours of Sebring run by Signatech Nissan and set to race at the 2011 ...

shared with

Mathias Beche Mathias Beche (born 28 June 1986 in Geneva) is a Swiss professional racing driver. He finished eighth overall and second in the LMP2 class of the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans and is the reigning champion of the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 clas ...

and

Jody Firth Jody Firth (born 11 July 1981) is a British auto racing, racing driver, who most recently competed in the British GT Championship. Having raced in a number of lower formulae, Firth has competed in the British GT Championship, the European Le Ma ...

. The trio won the rounds at

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

and

Estoril Estoril () is a town in the Municipality of Cascais, Portugal, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a tourist destination, with luxury hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numerous royal families and celebrities, and has host ...

and finished fourth in the final drivers' standings. Thiriet also contested the

2011 24 Hours of Le Mans The 79th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''79e 24 Heures du Mans'') was an 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype (LMP) and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) cars. The race was held from 11 to 12 June 2011 at the Circuit de ...

in a Luxury Racing

Ferrari 430 The Ferrari F430 (Type F131) is a sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari from 2004 until 2009 as a successor to the Ferrari 360. The car is an update to the 360 with exterior and performance changes. It was unveiled at ...

, but the car failed to finish. For

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, LMP2 became the top class of the renamed European Le Mans Series. Partnering Beche, Thiriet and TDS won the opening round of the season at

Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...

and the season finale at

Road Atlanta Road Atlanta (known for sponsorship reasons as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta) is a road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, United States. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur spo ...

, securing his first major championship victory. For the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans they were joined by

Christophe Tinseau Christophe Tinseau (born 18 December 1969) is a French racing driver from Orléans. Tinseau began racing professionally in French Formula Renault in 1991. In 1992 he moved to French Formula Three and in 1993 he placed 4th in that championship ...

and the car finished eighth overall and second in LMP2. Thiriet is the son of Claude Thiriet, the founder of the French frozen food company Thiriet.

24 Hours of Le Mans results

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thiriet, Pierre 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Épinal French racing drivers Eurocup Mégane Trophy drivers European Le Mans Series drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers FIA World Endurance Championship drivers Blancpain Endurance Series drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers Signature Team drivers G-Drive Racing drivers TDS Racing drivers 20th-century French people 21st-century French people Formula 4 drivers