Peugeot have shown amazing pace so far this weekend
Peugeot
Audi
Charouz Aston Martin
Porsche
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Peugeot
The 2008 Le Mans Series calendar carries on at the same whirlwind pace but the results continue to confirm the potential of the 908 HDi FAP and the quality of the work put in by Peugeot Total as it builds up to the year's priority, the Le Mans 24 Hours. Today's qualifying for the third round of the LMS at Spa saw the team claim its third pole in a row thanks to Stephane Sarrazin during what turned out to be something of a 'stop and go' session...
Once again, Peugeot Total chose not to go out at the very beginning of the session as McNish's Audi R10 posted the first serious lap third time round a 1m 58.705s before red flags were shown when the Lola-Mazda went off. When action resumed 15 minutes later, the two Peugeots driven by Stephane Sarrazin (N8) and Marc Gene (N7) took to the track, but the Spaniard only had time to manage a 2m 1.799s before red flags came out again six minutes before the end. That left the drivers with just enough time for two flying laps, and consequently no margin for error. In the end, Stephane Sarrazin only needed one flyer to secure pole thanks to a 1m 58.069s which maintains the Frenchman's 100% record following his qualifying performance in Spain! Meanwhile, Marc Gene succeeded in bagging the third best time with the other 908 HDi FAP, a 1m 58.787s, more than a second quicker than Nicolas Minassian's pole-winning lap in 2007 (2m 0.105s).
The small gaps at the sharp end point to a close race tomorrow. Portugal's Pedro Lamy will start with the N8 car and Nicolas Minassian will be in the N7 machine when the field is flagged away at 12.50pm (Sunday, May 11) for the 1,000km (143 laps) or six-hour race.
Stephane SARRAZIN: "It's always difficult to stay concentrated when a session is interrupted by two red flag incidents as it was today. I found my car easy to drive and nicely balanced through both the tight and faster turns. Even so, my best lap wasn't perfect because I wanted to get a decent time under my belt. My car deserved better!" Marc GENE: "I'm very disappointed. My car oversteered, but we will do what we can to sort that out so that we can challenge for victory tomorrow..."
Bruno FAMIN: "I am pleased with today's result because it means we keep up our unbeaten Le Mans Series qualifying record. There's a big gap over the competition which hasn't been idle as far as new technical evolutions are concerned. We are going to take a fresh look at our strategy in the future, though, because we are taking a risk by going out late in the session. I think it's going to be a close fight tomorrow and it is important for the championship that we finish races."
Audi
Audi R10 TDI on front row for first time in LMS
Ingolstadt/Spa-Francorchamps -- At its third running in the European Le Mans Series, the Audi R10 TDI starts to the race from the front row of the grid for the first time. In qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Allan McNish managed to push himself between the two Peugeot 908s. Mike Rockenfeller in the second R10 TDI of Audi Sport Team Joest secured fourth place on the grid despite having been obstructed on his fastest lap.
Due to accidents the qualifying on the 7.003-kilometre Grand Prix circuit in the Ardennes had to be stopped twice. Therefore, Audi Sport Team Joest's strategy of going out at the very beginning of the 20-minute session paid off. When the red flags were flown for the first time, both Audi R10 TDI cars were at the front of the field.
Allan McNish on his first and only flying lap set a time of 1m 58.795s, which was only beaten by Stephane Sarrazin in the quicker of the two Peugeots shortly before the end of qualifying. McNish decided not to go out for another trial in order to save the tyres for the race.
Mike Rockenfeller, as well, did his quickest lap at the very beginning of qualifying. The young German had to overtake two other cars and was slowed by a car spinning in front of him in the chicane before the start and finish. Nevertheless, he managed taking fourth place on the grid. After the first red flag period, "Rocky" went out again but was not able to improve on used tyres any more.
Mike Rockenfeller and his team-mate Alexandre Premat will start to the third round of the Le Mans Series as the leaders of the drivers' standings on Sunday at 12:50. Eurosport will broadcast the starting phase live from 12:45 and, starting at 10:45 p.m. (local time), will air a half-hour summary report.
Quotes after qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "We had figured that we'd be a little closer to the Peugeots here than at the first two races and are pleased to be starting from the front row. The gaps between the first four cars are very small. I think that's a good base for an exciting race."
Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #1): "Allan (McNish) did a great job in qualifying and the gap between us and the pole-starting Peugeot in qualifying was not as much as we thought, which means for the race we are more confident than we were at Barcelona and Monza. I really hope that at Spa Allan and I will have the chance for victory because we have had very bad luck since the beginning of the season -- we must catch up and fight for the championship."
Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #1): "I was able to get a very good lap in at the very beginning just before the first red flag. We knew that the potential to improve on that was minimal and so we decided to save ourselves and the tyres especially for the start of the race. We have seen consistently in previous races that the Audi R10 TDI is more competitive and can race better. Over six hours and 160-plus laps round this circuit that's the type of car that we will actually need."
Alexandre Premat (Audi R10 TDI #2): "Starting from position four on the second row is a good base. Everything is possible, particularly here at Spa-Francorchamps. I'm expecting an action-packed race with lots of safety car periods. If we stay clear of any trouble, we'll clinch another good result."
Mike Rockenfeller (Audi R10 TDI #2): "On my fast lap I had to overtake three cars and one of them spun directly in front of me. Between this morning and qualifying we made a lot of changes to the car and I first had to get used to them. I think we're well set for the race. At a six-hour race, you don't need to start from pole in order to finish at the very front."
Ralf Juttner (Technical Director Audi Sport Team Joest): "Allan (McNish) drove a fantastic lap -- just one, and he got it right on the mark. That's the way we really like things to be going. I take my hat off to him! That Peugeot managed to bump us from pole in the end is not surprising. But the fact that only one of the two Peugeots made to the front is. 'Rocky' did well too. He and Alex (Premat) had opted for an aerodynamic version with more downforce for a long time but then decided to switch to a different variant for qualifying. That practically gave 'Rocky' a new car. Considering this, his time was very good. It was a superb performance by everyone, well done!"
Charouz Aston Martin
Another third row start for Charouz and Mucke
Jan Charouz and Stefan Mucke will once again start from the third row of the grid having confirmed the Charouz Racing System car's position as the fastest of the petrol cars during qualifying for tomorrow's 1000 km race at Spa Francorchamps. As in the previous two rounds, Stefan Mucke was able to out-qualify all his petrol powered rivals to set the fifth fastest time overall and in the lead LMP1 class.
Today's qualifying session, for the 1000 km Spa Francorchamps, the third round of the 2008 Le Mans Series, had to be stopped twice due to accidents. Twenty six year old Mucke set his best time of 2:02.510 behind the wheel of his Aston Martin powered car just before the ???? NOT SURE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING HERE - BEFORE WHAT??.
The Czech-German pair was fourth quickest in the morning's practice when the German set a time of 2:01.817. With the closest petrol-powered competitor over two seconds slower, the team once again demonstrated a convincing upper hand over its petrol powered rivals.
Stefan Mucke: "Today's qualifying was unfortunately affected a lot by the crashes that caused red flags. The first stop came when I was in the quick lap. After the break I had another go but this time I was held behind slower cars. The tyres were past their best and I did not have a chance to improve. Anyway, we are fastest petrol car and I am pleased with that. Our car was faultless, so we are well prepared for 1000 km tomorrow. The track is quite slippery and it will play major role tomorrow."
Jan Charouz: "We have not had any major issues so far. As I had said before the weekend started I like Spa Francorchamps a lot, so I have been trying to enjoy its beauties, of course, in the fastest possible way. Tomorrow is going to be a hard fight and I hope that we will have a bit of luck that we did not have last time at Monza."
Antonin Charouz, Team principal: "It was a strange qualifying. The red flags had a fundamental impact on it. However, we are where we should be - the best petrol powered car. Our lap time was slower than in the free practice because Stefan did not have conditions for at least one really quick lap."
George Howard-Chappell, Technical Director of Aston Martin Racing: "While I'm pleased with the team's performance today and Stefan drove well to qualify the car in fifth, from an Aston Martin Racing perspective being the fastest of the petrol-powered cars yet still almost 4.5 seconds off pole is not where we expect to be. The circuit here at Spa really demonstrates the performance advantage enjoyed by the diesel-powered cars."
Porsche
Stuttgart. The Porsche RS Spyder debut on the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit has succeeded. Jos Verstappen (Netherlands) secured his third pole position in the LMP2 class at the third round of the Le Mans Series (LMS). Belgium’s Didier Theys qualified the 476 hp RS Spyder sports prototype fourth on the gird, Casper Elgaard (Denmark) claimed eighth starting position for the Danish Essex team. In the near-standard GT2 class, the German Porsche works driver Marc Lieb narrowly missed out on the pole position by one and a half tenths of a second. The qualifying on the 7.004 kilometre Ardennes circuit was red-flagged three times due to accidents.
“I had to fight hard for this pole position,” said Jos Verstappen after his hat-trick. “Our car had excellent balance yesterday and earlier today in free practice, but in qualifying after the red flag I suddenly experienced heavy oversteering in the fast corners. Because of this the car was not easy to drive. I’m confident our team will find a good set-up and good balance again. Then the track is easy to drive by comparison. The RS Spyder handles perfectly in the infamous Eau Rouge. I go flat out every lap.” The ex-Formula 1 pilot competes with team owner Peter van Merksteijn (Netherlands) for the Van Merksteijn Motorsport team.
The interruption to the LMP2 qualifying also dashed Horag Racing’s hopes for a better result. “It was chaotic,” said Didier Theys. “Otherwise it would have been possible to claim at least third.” As a result, the team has changed its race strategy. Instead of Theys, Jan Lammers from the Netherlands will start the race. The ex-Formula 1 driver and Le Mans winner is regarded as the fastest pilot in the team. Fredy Lienhard from Switzerland is the third driver for Horag.
The Essex team experienced a difficult start to the weekend. “We hardly got to drive yesterday and in today’s free practices,” said John Nielsen, who shares driving duties with his compatriot Casper Elgaard. “Every time Casper or I went out on the track a car drove into the rear of our RS Spyder or there was a red flag. We really needed the track time in practice as we are driving with Dunlop tyres instead of Michelin and we don’t have a lot of experience with them. We need every minute for our set-up work. We have already shown how good the Dunlop tyres are when we get to practice. In Monza we won. Still, a 1,000 kilometre race is long and sometimes full of surprises. We will fight!”
In the GT2 class, a mere 0.156 seconds separated the second-placed Porsche works driver Marc Lieb in his Porsche 911 GT3 RSR from the pole-sitter. “It’s never been as close as this,” said the German Felbermayr-Proton team pilot. “We almost caught the fastest Ferrari. I’m confident for the race. Our pace is great and we have a car that reacts very positively on this track. In the second sector of the circuit the Ferrari has a slight advantage but in sectors one and three we are better off. As a race driver it is naturally a bit annoying to miss out on pole position by such a narrow margin.” Lieb forms a strong team with the German-resident Alex Davison from Australia.
Porsche works driver Richard Lietz (Austria) qualified the 911 of the French IMSA Performance Matmut team fourth. His team mate is Frenchman Raymond Narac. With fifth, works driver Richard Westbrook (Great Britain, Farnbacher Racing) rounds off the three fastest Porsche in the class. Westbrook, as the double Supercup overall winner, was also satisfied. “We further developed our car from session to session and are now very happy with the set-up. It’s always a huge pleasure to compete here in Spa and it’s even better with such great weather.”
The race takes off tomorrow with a flying start at 12.50 hours and is contested over 143 laps or a maximum of six hours. Eurosport broadcasts the beginning phase of the race live from 12.45 hours and televises highlights from 22.45 hours. Apart from a one-hour pause, the pay-TV station Motors TV broadcasts the entire race live. The race can also be seen per live-timing on the official website www.lemans-series.com. Race images are not available on the website but an interesting commentary and interviews can be heard on Radio Le Mans.
Qualifying result LMP2
1. Jos Verstappen (NL), Porsche RS Spyder, 2:05.841 minutes; 2. Andrea Belicchi (I), Lola B08/80, 2:05.880; 3. Michael Vergers (NL), Zytek 07 S - Zytek, 2:06.349; 4. Didier Theys (B), Porsche RS Spyder, 2:06.955; 5. Tommy Erdos (BR), MG Lola EX 265-MG, 2:07.539; 6. Joey Foster (GB), WF01-Zytek, 2:08.047; 7. Olivier Pla (F), Lola B05/40-AER, 2:08.224; 8. Casper Elgaard (DK), Porsche RS Spyder, 2:08.322.
Qualifying result GT2
1. Gianmaria Bruni (I), Ferrari F430 GT, 2:21.205 minutes; 2. Marc Lieb (D), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 2:21.361; 3. Pierre Kaffer (D), Ferrari F430 GT, 2:22.314; 4. Richard Lietz (A), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 2:22.332; 5. Richard Westbrook (GB), Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 2:22.569.
Facts and Figures
This is the Le Mans Series
Contested for the first time in 2004, the Le Mans Series (LMS) offers fans exciting sportscar racing. The regulations are based on the rules of the Le Mans 24 hour race. Five championship rounds will be contested this season on traditional circuits throughout Europe as well as an invitation race in Shanghai/China. The races run over a distance of 1,000 kilometres. The LMS is the European counterpart to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in the USA and Canada.
The starting field consists of two different sports vehicle categories: Sports prototypes and standard sports cars. They are divided into four classes:
LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 750 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms (in the ALMS: 750 hp/925 kilograms). Power to weight ratio: approx. 1.2 kg/hp.
LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with around 475 hp (with normally-aspirated engine) and an 825 kilogram minimum weight (in the ALMS: 475 hp/800 kg). Power to weight ratio: approx 1.7 kg/hp. The Porsche RS Spyder competes in this class.
GT1 class: Heavily modified standard sportscars with up to 650 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 – 1,325 kilograms (in the ALMS: 650 hp/1,125 – 1,325 kilograms)
GT2 class: Slightly modified standard sportscars with between 450 hp to 470 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 – 1,325 hp kilograms (in the ALMS: 450 to 470 hp/1,125 – 1,325 kilograms). The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR competes in this class.
All race cars start together but are classified separately according to the class. This system ensures diverse and gripping racing with many overtaking manoeuvres. Points are only allocated for placings in each class. Championship titles are awarded for drivers, manufacturers and teams in all four classes. Porsche works driver Marc Lieb won the driver title in the GT2 class in 2005 and 2006. For the RS Spyder, 2008 marks the first season in the Le Mans Series.