Quifel ASM had a frustrating day
Lola
Charouz
RML
Vitaphone
Alex Davidson
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Lola
Lola sportscar entries got ready for the 76th running of the 24 Heures Du Mans (14-15 June) at the official test day at Le Mans, on Sunday 1 June. Seven Lola cars are entered this year for the world's toughest endurance race, the marque's largest entry since 1979. With more entries than any other prototype manufacturer, Lola are also the only constructor to have all four prototype designs with both LMP1 and LMP2 Coupe and open designs racing this year. Lola will also be aiming to score a record fourth consecutive LMP2 victory and the fifth class win in the last six races.
Making its Le Mans debut this year are both the B08/60 LMP1 Coupe and the B08/80 LMP2 Coupe. The LMP1 example of Charouz Racing System, which is powered by a V12 Aston Martin engine set the 9th fastest time, but with conditions mostly wet, the times were not representative. Tomas Enge, Stefan Mucke and Jan Charouz all completed laps in the Aston Martin powered Lola LMP1 Coupe, which was the first time the car has run in wet conditions. So far this season the team has been the clear pace setter among the petrol cars and its aims for this year's Le Mans 24 Hours are again to be at the head of the pack chasing the three Audi R10's and three Peugeot cars.
The Speedy Sebah team was getting used to running their new Lola LMP2 Coupe / Judd package at Le Mans and their priority was to ensure that Le Mans rookie, Steve Zacchia completed the mandatory 10 laps. Whilst Zacchia completed his 10 laps, there was a small incident involving Xavier Pompidou on the Mulsanne Straight, but damage to the Anglo/Swiss Lola was minimal. Speaking about the team's test day, Team Principal, Hugh Hayden said: "You never stop learning, but with a new car the hill is steeper. Qualifying was number one priority and we achieved that. After that it was refamiliarising the other drivers and we achieved that. What we did not achieve was working on the race set-up. We can handle the conditions but it's not worth risking anything. We have a good package. I think the competition is strong and we will try and give them a race. Consistency, compatibility of drivers and reliability are key, whilst keeping it on the track and out of the box."
The RML team had a successful test day with the MG powered Lola LMP2 car. The two-times LMP2 champions with the familiar trio of Tommy Erdos, Mike Newton and Andy Wallace had a trouble-free day at La Sarthe. The team believe that they have every chance of making it a unique hat trick of LMP2 success in two weeks time.
The Portuguese Quifel-ASM LMP2 had a frustrating day at Le Mans with technical problems restricting the team's track time. Olivier Pla did however complete his rookie laps as did Guy Smith, who despite winning the event in 2003 and finishing runner-up a year later, still had to complete the laps due to the fact of not having driven at the circuit since 2004.
The new look Kruse-Schiller squad re-grouped after a difficult Spa LMS race to ensure that their drivers all got adequate time in the Mazda powered Lola LMP2 car. The German squad has drafted in experienced Frenchman Jean Francois Yvon in to the team to join Japanese racer Hideki Noda and the London domiciled Frenchman, Jean De Pourtales.
Entered under the Charouz Racing System banner but working as an American run Cytosport team, the Muscle Milk liveried Lola-Judd LMP1 had a solid day of running at Le Mans yesterday. Team owner and driver Greg Pickett familiarised himself with the 13.65kms circuit and thoroughly enjoyed the experience after a season competing in the American Le Mans Series in 2007. Pickett, the 1978 Trans-Am Champion partners up with Klaus Graf and Jan Lammers, ensuring plenty of experience is on offer for the team's Le Mans debut, with Lammers competing in his 21st Le Mans this year. The trio enjoyed a trouble free day, ending the session 12th fastest, an encouraging start for the US based team.
Chamberlain Synergy chose not to risk their Lola-AER too much during the difficult conditions and the Hugh Chamberlain led team focused on making sure that Amanda Stretton got her 10 rookie laps completed. She did this without a problem and she will become the first British woman to race at Le Mans since Juliette Slaughter in 1978 (driving a Dorset Racing Lola T294). Amanda will share the driving duties with husband Bob Berridge and Gareth Evans.
Charouz
Team Charouz Racing experiences difficult Le Mans test
On Sunday 1 June, Charouz Racing System took part in the official test day at Le Mans in preparation for the legendary 24-hour marathon race in two weeks' time. The test proved difficult for the crew of Jan Charouz, Tomas Enge, Stefan Mucke and their Aston Martin powered LMP1 prototype. Set up issues with the new car meant it could not take to the La Sarthe track as often as the team would have liked. With limited track time, the car was ninth overall by the end of the second and final test session.
The car completed a total of thirty-six laps in a test which was marked by changeable weather conditions and two serious accidents. First Tracy Krohn crashed his Ferrari 430 GT2, followed by Marc Gene in his Peugeot 908. Both drivers were taken to hospital for observation, but fortunately neither was seriously injured.
Stefan Mucke: "Test day wasn't very positive for us, I must say. Our car had some set up problems and the technicians must find their source and the reason why it went that way. Just like Jan and Tomas I only completed a few laps. I'm optimistic though. The Aston Martin Racing technicians are very skilled; they will get it right."
Jan Charouz: "Sunday wasn't a perfect test day for the Le Mans 24 Hours. We had some problems with the car, but it's hard to nait it down. Our engineers are working hard on it. Anyway, I believe everything will be alright for the marathon."
Tomas Enge: "We spent a lot of time in the garage, so there isn't much to be said about sunday's drive. We completed just a few laps. For now it's important to solve the issues with the car and prepare well for the race itself."
Antonin Charouz, Team principal: "It was a strange day. A dry track for just a few moments, but very often rain. Our car didn't work ideally. We were dealing with its improvement all day but we didn't fully manage. The car isn't working as well as it should. We don't take ninth position that seriously because Stefan drove the only fast lap on dry track and he didn't even have new tyres. The team will stay in Le Mans and will be testing before the race itself. There is a possibility to test on the short version of the circuit in the remaining two weeks. We will definitely use it. There is also a different track though."
George Howard-Chappell, Technical Director of Aston Martin Racing: "The car set up isn't where it needs to be and the changeable conditions didn't help us in getting to the bottom of why this is. We're confident though that everything will be resolved for the race itself."
Charouz is running the Muscle Milk Lola at Le Mans
RML
RML AD Group takes relaxed view to official Le Mans test
Appalling weather conditions and less than an hour's dry running failed to dampen spirits within RML AD Group's trio of drivers for this year's Le Mans 24 Hours during yesterday's official test. A comprehensive shakedown at Rockingham in England a few days before the squad headed for France meant that it took just ten full laps of the 13.6 kilometre Sarthe circuit for the team to collect the necessary telemetry data ahead of qualifying for this year's French classic.
"The main thing was to set a lap that was representative enough for us to use as a benchmark for developing our set-up for the race," explained Thomas Erdos, who did all but one of the car's laps on Sunday. "Assuming it's going to be dry for the race, it would have been very disappointing not to have managed to collect some dry data to work from. We now know our gear ratios, the behaviour of the tyre compounds, and the effectiveness of our aero-package, and that will provide a great base from which to develop our set-up when we come back here for qualifying." The conditions throughout the day ranged from merely damp through to torrential monsoon, and RML AD Group was not the only team to play the cautious card against the potential for disaster. Fortunately, the skies cleared just long enough during the lunch-break to permit a back-to-back run of five flying laps in the dry during the opening minutes of the afternoon session, and then the rains returned. The time of 3:44.678 set by Erdos during that brief window was sufficient to establish the team's MG Lola EX265 as fifth quickest in LMP2. "In the current conditions, fifth is good," said Erdos. "I'm happy with that."
Including in- and out-laps, the MG completed just fifteen laps overall -- one of the lowest figures of any team participating in the test. "In some senses, it's been a frustrating day waiting for the narrow window of opportunity to get some representative dry-run data," said Adam Wiseberg, Motorsport Director of AD Group. "We carried out the minimum running necessary but that was enough to establish that we already have a good set-up on the car. We can return next week and build upon that foundation in our usual methodical way. Today we felt that, with the inconsistent conditions that existed most of the day -- neither fully wet nor dry -- the risk to the car and drivers was too high when balanced against the usefulness of the data we'd have collected." There were a number of significant incidents during the day, two of which have left the teams concerned with considerable re-building work ahead of scrutineering, which starts on June 9th.
With such restricted running, the squad's two other drivers; Mike Newton and Andy Wallace, took no active part in the day's proceedings. Mike Newton abandoned his one and only lap when conditions worsened significantly, and Andy Wallace never even sat in the car. They did not appear unduly disappointed. "The important objective was to collect the necessary data, and then ensure that the car sustained no damage at this late stage, so close to race week," said Newton. "We achieved all that, and can now look forward to the race with some confidence." Both he and Erdos, who co-drive the MG in the Le Mans Series, are delighted to welcome Andy Wallace back to their Le Mans squad for the third successive year -- a view that Wallace reciprocates. "It's just so nice to be back with RML again," he insists. "The level of their work is so high, and it's a privilege to work with guys of this calibre."
RML AD Group took the LMP2 class win at Le Mans in 2005 and 2006, but missed the hat-trick last year following a rare piston failure. The category has moved on since then, with new cars, teams and drivers adding to the intense competition, but the team is undaunted. "We already know that there are teams here that have an advantage in outright pace, but we have the expertise and the reliability to go the distance," suggests Erdos. Wallace agrees. "Not being favourites to set the fastest time relieves some of the pressure," he says. "There's no expectation that we have to be out there at the sharp end, fighting for the lead. Instead we can concentrate on racing our own race, and let the others make mistakes."
The race itself takes place on June 14th-15th.
Vitaphone
Challenging Conditions Test Vitaphone Aston Martin
The three drivers in the Vitaphone Aston Martin DBR9 faced challenging conditions around the Le Mans circuit during Sunday's official test for this year's 24 Hours. Peter Hardman and Nick Leventis -- team-mates with Strakka Racing -- were joined by regular Vitaphone driver Brazilian Alexandre Negrao for the eight hour run, all but an hour of which was hampered by torrential rain and atrocious conditions.
As Le Mans "rookies", the priority for all three drivers had been to complete their minimum run of ten laps of the 13.6 kilometre track, although in the case of both Peter Hardman and Nick Leventis, this was more of a familiarisation exercise. Hardman last raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours for Chamberlain in 1994, but has competed at the circuit almost every year since then in the Classic and Legends events. Leventis is also a regular competitor in the historic races, but had not previously raced a contemporary racecar around the full circuit. For Alexandre Negrao, better known as Xandi, the Circuit de la Sarthe was a completely new experience. Although a pace-setter in the FIA GT Championship, Xandi had never been to Le Mans before. "During the last few days we have been around the track on scooters, and using a road car, and I have been able to talk him through the corners," said Peter Hardman. "He took everything on board very quickly."
Sunday's test started damp, and grew progressively wetter as the morning's four-hour session developed. Peter Hardman fulfilled his mandatory ten lap requirement in less than ideal conditions, and by lunchtime both Leventis and Negrao were near to completing their runs despite the near-constant rain. During the lunch beak the skies cleared, and for the first half-hour of the afternoon period Xandi enjoyed the best of the day's conditions. "I only managed a few laps in the dry, but I was getting quicker and quicker each lap," he said. His best, at 4:01.065, narrowly missed breaking the four-minute barrier, but was a promising beginning. "I still have a lot of improvement to make," he added. "I know I'm a long way from my limit, but that will come with time." Nick Leventis managed one out-lap and was starting his first flyer when a serious accident for one of the LMP1 Peugeots brought out the red flags, and by the time the session resumed, the rain had returned.
"All three drivers have completed their ten laps, and that's the most important thing," said Peter Hardman. "The conditions could not have been worse. You know, at all costs, that you mustn't make a mistake. There's no point in putting the car at risk, and a trip into the gravel can cost you two hours clearing out the undertray, but it was vital we got the laps in. I'm pleased that we completed our schedule and everything went to plan."
Nick Leventis relished the experience. "For me personally, it's great to be here and learning so much. The Aston is a lot quicker than anything I've ever driven round here before, but I'm only sorry I never managed a full dry lap. The good thing is, today has given me a fair idea of what we might face if it rains during the race. The car also feels very good, and we're all working well together as a team," he said. Peter Hardman agreed. "The communication is coming, and the team is starting to gel together nicely. It's great to be working with such an experienced outfit."
Negrao's time - the only one set by the Vitaphone drivers on a dry track - positioned the Aston Martin eighth in GT1. "It's OK, and we're not far away from the pace, so I'm very happy with our performance for this first day," he said afterwards. The team now has eight days before they return for official scrutineering on June 10th and the start of the Le Mans week.
Alex Davidson
Australian Alex Davison turned his first laps of the famous Le Mans circuit in France on Sunday, in the official test day for next weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Davison will tackle the sportscar classic on 15-16 June, becoming just the 31st Australian to do so.
The 75th running of the event kicked off with Sunday's test at the famed 13.629km circuit for teams and drivers competing in the race.
Wet weather dominated the day, adding another element to Davison's first Le Mans experience.
"Doing my first-ever laps of Le Mans in heavy rain was pretty interesting," the Melbournian said.
"It was a challenge, but I really enjoyed it.
"It's an awesome circuit and you have to build up to it slowly, especially in these conditions, while at the same time being aware of the faster cars coming up behind you."
Dry tracktime was limited to early in the morning session, with team owner Horst Felbermayr Sr kicking off Team Felbermayr-Proton's campaign.
By the time Davison and team-mate Wolf Henzler got behind the wheel of the team's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, the rain had set in, with the track only drying slightly late in the day.
Davison shone in the wet conditions, setting the #77 entry's fastest-time of the day at 4:12.879, the fourth-fastest LM GT2 class time of the afternoon.
With the majority of the quick laptimes set in dry conditions earlier in the day, Davison's lap put him seventh overall in LM GT2.
"The weather played a massive role in the test," Davison, 27, said.
"There was some relatively dry tracktime early on, but then the rain arrived and it was wet for most of the day.
"We had good pace in the rain and our dry laptimes aren't indicative of what we are capable of, so it's looking promising."
Davison returns to the track next Wednesday, 11 June, for the first of two qualifying sessions for this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans which takes place on 15-16 June.
"The rain didn't help our program, but the laps we did could be very beneficial if it rains during the race," he said.
"Even with the rain, we learnt quite a bit and didn't have any major problems, so it was a solid day.
"We're looking forward to qualifying, making further improvements and showing what we can do."