Pearce secures strong second at Spa.

Patrick Pearce played a key part in helping Team LNT secure a superb one-two finish in the opening round of the 2005 Le Mans Endurance Series season as he helped bring the #82 T400-R home in second place in class behind the sister car of Warren Hughes and Marc Hynes.

Qualifying was promising but gave little hint of what was to come, as Pearce and co-drivers Jason Templeman and Marc Hynes lined-up eighth on the GT grid after potentially faster laps were hampered by slower traffic.

Poor weather conditions, which had already caused a number of support races to be cancelled, affected the start of the race but Pearce was undeterred by the rain and fog which hit Spa Francorchamps.

"The conditions were borderline when they decided to start the race," he admitted. "The fog was pretty bad and there was only ever a small dry line on the track. But you've just got to keep your eyes open and watch out for the other cars. It was tough, but I love driving in changeable conditions anyway."

While others floundered on the slippery track, the #82 car moved up the order and when the Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari of Nathan Kinch and Andrew Kirkaldy went off under pressure from the first of the two TVRs, it promoted the LNT cars into first and second - positions they held until the flag.

"It was a really, really good race, and our strategy came together perfectly, exactly as we'd planned it," Pearce said afterwards. "We weren't gifted any of those places - we had to fight for it all the way.

"Lawrence [Tomlinson - team owner] has done an amazing job to get this team together and make it successful so quickly. Everyone from chief engineer Alan Mugglestone to the guys who change the tyres is working to the absolute best of their ability at all times, and they all deserve the success we're having."