Harold Primat saw his chances of a second consecutive Petit Le Mans podium finish come to an end when a gearbox problem forced his Creation CA07 out of the Road Atlanta classic.
Primat had been called into the Creation team to line-up with Jamie Campbell-Walter and Stephen Simpson with the pair running inside the top ten when they were forced to retire shortly before the four hour mark.
Starting from 16th on the grid, Simpson made good progress in the early stages to climb the order during his double stint and he handed the car over to Primat in twelfth position.
The Swiss racer moved into the top ten but suffered a spin just before the end of his stint as he tried to avoid the GT2 Dodge Viper and then pitted to hand the car over to Campbell-Walter. However, the Briton wasn't able to make much an impression as just 30 minutes into his stint, gearbox problems forced him into retirement.
The GT2 car rejoined right in front of me and there was nowhere I could go, Primat said. It's frustrating when these things happen as the race was going well until that point. While it's always disappointing not to finish, I've enjoyed this weekend. My pace was strong and the team asked me to do qualifying. I think this weekend's performance has shown them the improvement I have made over the last few years. I also noticed how much the level of competition in the American Le Mans Series has improved this year and it's getting more difficult for the privateers to compete.
My season is over now and I'm already beginning my preparations for next year. 2008 has been my best year yet and with more hard work this winter, 2009 can be even better.
![Harold Primat testing the Pescarolo-Judd at Paul Ricard [Pic credit: Haroldprimat.com]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/413259.jpg)
