The Spykers had an eventful race
Spyker
Quifel-ASM
Harold Primat
Michelin
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Spyker
SNORAS Spyker Squadron Spa 1000 km race report
Many visitors arrived early at the paddock this morning, in time for the autograph session and the pit walk. The weather was not comparable with the ‘normal' Belgium Ardennes conditions that we have seen in so many races: this time the team's Michelin intermediates and wet tires were fortunately not of use this weekend as the skies were clear and the temperatures were in the mid-twenties.
The race started a bit later than planned, just after 13:00, after a car bumped into one of the Embassy prototypes during the installation lap. As a result the car hit the barriers and the track had to be cleared. Peter Dumbreck started in the #85 SNORAS Spyker Squadron-car from a seventh position in class while the crew of car #94 decided to start from the pit lane. As the car qualified 12th yesterday the team decided to start from the pit lane, avoiding the trouble in the first corner whilst saving two laps of fuel compared to the rest of the field.
Benjamin: "We decided to start out of the pits to save us two laps of full and maybe trouble in the first corner. My first stint was okay although the car was quite unpredictable to drive. We had understeer but it sometimes suddenly turned into oversteer. I decided not to push and maintain a decent race pace. Later we figured that it could have been the tires that I used. They were also used by Chiesa in yesterday's qualifying. The second stint, with a new set of tires was fortunately much better".
In the race both cars moved up the ladder and mid race the cars were in a fifth and seventh place in class. Alexey Vasiliev: "The Laviolette was great to drive today although we had some issues with power steering and the alternator. We were able to move forward in the field and so far I am very pleased with our 2008 car". Unfortunately after almost 2.5 hours in the race the #85 Dumbreck-Kelleners-Vasiliev car that ran in a fifth place had to return to the pit after a collision with a Peugeot LMP.
Ralf Kelleners: "I was driving the car and saw in my mirrors that I was being overtaken on the left side by the Audi driven by Capello. I stayed on the right-side to let the Audi pass me. The Peugeot was right behind the Audi R10 and tried to overtake the Audi from the slipstream. In the maneuver the Peugeot moved to the right from behind the Audi in a gap that did not exist and hit my car on the front left".
In the same accident the Audi was also hit by the Peugeot, directly or as a result of the Peugeot's spin, and also had to return to the box with a punctured right-rear tire. The Spyker made it to the pit box with a punctured tire and damaged bodywork. They rejoined the field after quick repairs to return to the box minutes later with a broken alternator.
In the mean time track conditions improved and consequently times dropped as well. In the final stages of the race it was Swiss Andrea Chiesa that improved his quickest time every few laps. With only 15 laps to go before one of the diesel prototypes would hit the 1000 km mark he engaged a fight with the number 88 Porsche to go after a podium position. Andrea was about 2 seconds per lap quicker and tried his best to close to 20 second gap as quick as he could.
After another accident the safety car got out once more, giving Andrea the best possible chance to go after his competitor. With only 4 laps to go, Andrea went after the car as soon as green was given for the re-start but unfortunately he was hit by another prototype. As a result the steering was a bit off an he could not overtake the car. The Chiesa-Leuenberger-Alexander Speedy Racing Team car finished in a fourth position.
Due to the accident and the problem with the alternator the other car, the Spyker C8 that ran the engine with the new crankshaft layout and new firing order, finished ninth.
Iradj Alexander: "I had to built confidence in the car at the beginning of my stint and I must admit that getting to know the car is a bit of a challenge in these traffic conditions. The car was a bit challenging to drive as a result of the limited time to properly setup the car. Nevertheless I could maintain 2:27's and did not push to hard. I am really motivated to work with the team at Le Mans. We are in a good position to further improve the car and the guys in the team are great to work with".
Benjamin Leuenberger: "This is a fantastic result. Thanks a lot to the guys. They have given us a great race car today. We did not have a single problem in the 5 hour race and also the drivers did not make any mistakes. We ran the car like we planned to run it and it is fantastic to finish twice in a row in a fourth place".
Andrea Chiesa: "I would not have thought to finish fourth. It is really good for team and the atmosphere. Our next race is the most important race of the season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, so it is great to get there in good spirits. The atmosphere amongst the drivers, mechanics and engineers was great and they all did a great job. It was disappointing that I was hit by an LMP in the final stages otherwise we would have been able to go for a podium".
Peter van Erp, managing director Spyker Squadron: "Our fourth place is great so close to Le Mans, our most import race this season. It is sad for the crew of the #85 car there was not much that we could do about it. The Peugeot driver eliminated himself and almost took us and the Audi with him. In the last Le Mans Series race at Monza we have also seen a Le Mans Prototype (LMP) causing us trouble. Of course I understand that these cars are quicker but they should not threat us as obstacles. We drive our own race and they should do a better job avoiding contact with the slower GT2 cars. It was an ugly crash and fortunately we came away lucky. The car was almost undamaged with just a punctured tire and some damaged bodywork".
"The Speedy Racing Team car nicely moved trough the field and the team deserves a lot of credits. They have reinstalled the engine twice to solve a problem and did their utmost to give the drivers the best car possible" said Peter afterwards. "It was another though weekend. We will now focus on Le Mans with the official test day just weeks ahead of us".
The official Le Mans test day will be held on Sunday June 1. Even for this test day all public roads part of the famous 13.6 km Le Mans track will be closed, giving the teams their first chance to run their new cars before the race mid-June.
Quifel-ASM
Engine problem ends race for QUIFEl-ASM Team
Event ends earlier than expected
Today's race at Spa-Francorchamps ended earlier than planned for the Lola B05/40 AER team due to engine problems. The breakdown occurred when the Portuguese team, which started the race at the back of the grid, was recovering well.
The team will now prepare for the most important race of the year, the Le Mans 24 hours. Training sessions for the French race are scheduled for 1st June and the race will take place on 14th and 15th June.
Harold Primat
Last lap drama denies Primat and Tinseau strong Spa result
Harold Primat and Christophe Tinseau suffered a huge slice of misfortune at round 3 of the 2008 Le Mans Series when their Pescarolo 01-Judd ran out of fuel on the final lap of the 1000km race at Spa-Francorcamps.
The Geneva-based Primat and his French co-driver had driven a fine race, running as high as fourth at the halfway mark, and were set for sixth place overall when their fuel tanks ran dry within sight of the chequered flag. Unfortunately, the fact that they were unable to cross the finish line meant they were not classified in the final results and denied them the three points which would have seen the duo climb to third in the drivers' championship.
Starting from seventh on the 42-car grid, Primat made a strong getaway, holding his place in the early laps. Midway through his opening stint however, he began to suffer with brake balance issues and, having dropped to 11th, pitted to hand over to Tinseau.
Strong double-stints from both Tinseau and Primat saw the #17 car rapidly climb back up the field to fourth overall, fighting with team-mates Jean-Christophe Boullion and Emmanuel Collard in the sister #16 car and the recovering #1 Audi R10 TDi of Allan McNish and Dindo Capello, and were set to finish in a fine sixth position at the flag.
But a misjudgement by the team on fuel strategy, which came about after an early pitstop in the middle of Primat's double stint to check an oil pressure problem, saw Tinseau grind to a halt on his 137th and final lap.
An understandably deflated Primat said: "It's a sad end to the weekend as things looked to have gone well. Midway through the race a warning light started showing on the dashboard and the team asked me to pit a bit earlier than planned to check it out. That changed our fuel strategy a little and that has ultimately cost us the points.
"At the beginning of the race the brake balance wasn't good and the rear wheels kept locking. I had a few moments and lost a few places but we fought back really well after that. The three points for sixth would have put us third in the drivers' championship, ahead of a works Peugeot and a works Audi, so to miss out in this way is a real shame. But this is a team sport and we share the highs and the lows together."
Tinseau added: "It's a tough break. We only stopped 500 metres short of the line, but still won't be classified under the rules. A splash and dash late in the race would have got us to the finish without losing many places, so it's very frustrating. In a five race series you can't afford to miss out on points and sadly we've done that today."
Team Principal Henri Pescarolo said: "We were only one litre short on fuel, but at the end of the day it's still a mistake. The positive today is that the car and both drivers showed good pace throughout and that bodes very well for the Le Mans 24 Hours next month."
Michelin
This weekend's Battle of theArdennes produced a superb win for Michelin and the N7 Peugeot HDI FAP of Nicolas Minassian/Marc Gene/ Jacques Villeneuve ahead of the N2 Audi shared by Mike Rockenfeller and Alexandre Premat. The top-three was rounded off by the N6 Courage- Oreca which collected its maiden Le Mans Series podium in the hands of Olivier Panis/Nicolas Lapierre who started from the pit-lane.
Michelin also secured victory in the LMP2 category with the Van Merksteijn-run RS Porsche Spyder of Jos Verstappen/Peter Van Merksteijn who crossed the line just 10 seconds clear of the similar Team Horag Spyder.
The French tyre firm was successful in the GT1 category, too, with the Luc Alphand Aventures C6.R driven by Luc Alphand/Guillaume Moreau/Patrice Goueslard. The French trio finished ahead of the IPB Spartak Lamborghini of Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov who proved particularly competitive round the Belgian circuit. Third place in GT1 went to the Modena-run Aston Martin with Tomas Enge and Antonio Garcia at the wheel.
Last but not least, Felbermayr-Proton Porsche 997s claimed second and third places in GT2 for Michelin, while the Michelin Energy Endurance Challenge was won at Spa by the Horag LMP2 prototype.
Matthieu Bonardel (Four-wheel Competition Manager, Michelin):
The conditions:
"The conditions were extremely unusual for Spa with ground temperatures reaching 45C. That obviously isn't what we had been expecting.
"On top of that, the track evolved all the time. It was very aggressive on the tyres to begin but became less hard-wearing and gave more grip as more and more rubber was deposited onto the asphalt."
The start:
"For the difficult conditions at the start, the teams went for either soft or medium compound tyres. It was very interesting to note that our soft tyres were clearly more competitive but they tended to lose out in terms of traction because of the aggressiveness of the track and following the intensive use they were put to during qualifying.
"Meanwhile, the medium compound was able to double-stint from the outset. That is particularly pleasing inasmuch as that is very rare at the beginning of a race, especially when the conditions are so hot with insufficient rubber laid down onto the track.
"We didn'tnote any fall-off in performance, either, even at the end of the double stints. The Oreca LMP1, the Horag LMP2 and certain other teams opted for medium tyres and their choice paid."
The race:
"As the race progressed, we were able to profit from our medium tyres and double-stint without any problems whatsoever. Even though double-stinting would have been possible during the second half of the race, Peugeot and Audi preferred not to take up the opportunity.
"It turns out that the soft option gave a slight advantage, but double-stinting was only possible with the medium compound.
Soft and medium tyres suited to the challenge of the Le Mans 24 Hours: "We were very pleased with the performance of our soft tyres which was very good despite the high temperatures.
"One of the lessons we take away from the weekend, and indeed from previous weekends, is the fact that, for Le Mans, we will be able to use both soft tyres, even in hot weather, and medium tyres which showed that they are capable of climbing to their ideal temperature even in the cold.
"The use spectrums of these two tyres consequently overlap and that will give more flexibility regarding choices for a given temperature.
"We are therefore quite confident for the next race, which is Le Mans itself. We shouldn't be far off the mark."
Hugues De Chaunac (President , Oreca):
"It was a terrific race. We started from the pit-lane - and therefore last - but our drivers fought their way back up through the field to finish on the podium! We ended up splitting the two Audis, which is the best possible message we could have given to Stephane Ortelli who was watching the race on TV!
"After our difficult start to the season, today's result is a fabulous morale booster for the team as we turn our attention to Le Mans. It also speaks volumes for our ambitions for 2009.
"I would also like to thank Michelin because their tyres obviously played a role in our result today. We were able to double-stint from the start and that clearly permitted us to catch the leading group. Everybody was surprised by the consistency and strength of our medium compound tyres; they were exceptional."