Van Merksteijn celebrates his class win in the team the bears his name. It was a win on debut for the team and the Porsche RS Sypder
Van Merksteijn Motorsport
Saulnier Racing
Charouz Racing Systems
Spyker
Vitaphone Racing
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Van Merksteijn Motorsport
Van Merksteijn Motorsport writes racing history: victory at Le Mans with Porsche RS Spyder
LE MANS (June 15th, 2008) Twenty years after Jan Lammers's victory and 37 and 32 years after Gijs van Lennep's achievements in 1971 and 1976 respectively, the team Van Merksteijn Motorsport by Equipe Verschuur has written a new chapter in Dutch motor racing history by becoming the first-ever Dutch team to score a class victory with a prototype in the Le Mans 24 Hours. In the 76th running of the endurance classic at the 13.629 kilometres long circuit, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Peter van Merksteijn and Jos Verstappen took their Porsche RS Spyder to victory in the LMP2 category in front of 258,500 spectators. For Porsche, this success was historic, too: ten years after the brand's last overall Le Mans win with the 911 GT1, the Le Mans debut of the Porsche RS Spyder now ended with a commanding class win thanks to the Dutch team.
"I still can hardly believe it, this is just fantastic. This is what we have all been waiting for", uttered team owner, Peter van Merksteijn after the chequered flag dropped just after three o'clock in the afternoon and the Dutch team was confirmed as the class winner with the Porsche RS Spyder. "Of course, we had hoped for this, but in such a long race, anything can happen, so that you can never be sure. We had to cope with changeable weather conditions and quite a lot of rain during the night and the early morning hours, and again in the closing stages of the race. However, together with everyone involved, the team has done a tremendous job! Porsche has given us a great car and Michelin provided us with the best possible tyres for these conditions."
Jeroen Bleekemolen, who just like van Merksteijn raced for the third time at Le Mans, called it "the biggest success of my career". At the start of the race, Bleekemolen had taken care of the first stint and convinced during the race with his consistency. Ex Formula 1 driver, Jos Verstappen, raced at Le Mans for the very first time. "Taking part in such a race is a very special experience. There is nothing you can compare this with: the differences in speed, the length of the track, driving at night..."
A VIP guest on Saturday evening: Prime Minister Balkenende came to visit the team
On Saturday evening, the team welcomed a VIP guest: Dutch Prime Minister, Jan-Peter Balkenende, who is known as a great motor sport addict, relished at the chance to visit the Le Mans 24 Hours, having been invited by his French counterpart, Francois Fillon. In the team's pit box, the Prime Minister spoke with drivers Peter van Merksteijn and Jos Verstappen and team manager Frans Verschuur and promised to lend the team his support. This obviously helped!
In the first six hours of the race, the Dutch Porsche had a fascinating battle with the identical car of the Danish Essex team, swapping positions on the first two places in class several times in between them. The team Van Merksteijn Motorsport took the lead in the LMP2 class when the Danish Porsche suffered from a puncture of the left rear tyre just after 21.30 h and had to pit for an extra tyre change. The repair made the Danish team drop back a little bit and aftere that, Jos Verstappen drove as fast as he could during a quadruple stint to extend the margin. After that, Jeroen Bleekemolen was in for a triple stint. During Peter van Merksteijn's subsequent stint, some vibrations occurred in the car, but this problem could be solved quickly. At about the same time, around four in the morning, the Danish Porsche lost five laps due to a lengthy repair in the pits, which gave the Dutch car a dominant lead.
Rain shower in the closing stages of the race
After that, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Peter van Merksteijn and Jos Verstappen drove victory home without any problems to speak of, although things got difficult again in the closing stages when a heavy downpour again flooded the track. Eventually, Peter van Merksteijn took the chequered flag as the class winner, which in Le Mans can be considered as a great performance. Porsche's motorsport director, Hartmut Kristen, praised the efforts by his Dutch customer team: "The team has been working very professionally. I am glad that the RS Spyder has lived up to the expectations the customer teams had in the car. It was not only quick, but also reliable." In the overall classification, the team finished tenth of 55 cars that took the start.
The racing programme of the team Van Merksteijn Motorsport by Equipe Verschuur will continue on August 17th with the participation in the Nurburgring 1000 kilometre race, the fourth round of the Le Mans Series. In these series, Van Merksteijn Motorsport is currently leading the team standings of the LMP2 class. Before that, there is also a demonstration with the Le Mans winning car during the DTM event at Circuit Park Zandvoort on July 13th. There, Jos Verstappen will be driving the Van Merksteijn Motorsport car for the very first time in his home country.
Saulnier Racing
Class podium for Saulnier Racing at Le Mans 24 Hours
Saulnier Racing celebrated a superb Le Mans 24 Hours podium for their LMP2 Pescarolo Judd after a hugely impressive display from their young driver line up of Mathieu Lahaye, Pierre Ragues and Cong Fu Cheng.
Third in class for the #35 car behind the Porsche RS Spyders of Van Merksteijn Motorsport and Team Essex was a fine achievement for the team and for the Pescarolo Automobiles Group's LMP2 car, which was making its debut at La Sarthe. It ran perfectly for much of the race, although the team had a late scare just before midday on Sunday when a tyre deflated due to a faulty valve and caused Lahaye to have a sizeable accident with a GT2 Ferrari. However, a superb job by the LMP2 Saulnier Racing mechanics helped by the LMP1 ones meant they repaired the car, replacing the rear wing, left rear axle, extractor, left rear suspension and engine cover, in just 30 minutes. The speed of the repairs ensured they rejoined well clear of the fourth placed ASM Lola to take richly deserved podium.
"All of the guys in the team and all three drivers fully deserve this podium because we've narrowly missed out twice in the Le Mans Series this season," said Team Manager Francois Sicard. "I am hugely impressed by the mature performance of the drivers. They are all young men who have graduated from single seaters, yet they have changed their mindsets to endurance racing seamlessly."
Lahaye revealed his relief at the podium after originally thinking the accident was his fault. "I thought I'd made a mistake and felt absolutely terrible. When the team told me later that they'd found the faulty valve, I was so relieved. To be on the podium here is the best feeling I have ever had and I still can't believe it. It's extraordinary."
Cheng created history on Saturday morning when he became the first Chinese driver to ever start this famous race and stamped his name firmly in his country's record books by becoming the first of his countryman to finish and stand on the podium. "I'm so proud for my country," he said. "I'm thrilled to have played my part for this team and my two team mates, as they are both excellent drivers and I didn't want to let them down. We've become great friends and I'm sure we'll stay in touch on Facebook! This is such a hard race even more than I ever imagined. It's not so much the physical effort but a mental one and that makes it very, very tiring." Ragues was also thrilled: "The team did a fantastic job after the accident because I got in the car and it felt perfect. Standing on the podium at Le Mans alongside the drivers from Porsche is a dream for me and gives me huge belief for the future. My head is still full of the race and I think it will take a while for me to come back down to earth!"
Meanwhile, the #4 LMP1 car of Jacques Nicolet, Richard Hein and Marc Faggionato finished the race 12th in class, just short of their target of the top ten.
The car had issues with brakes and the team had to replace a rear axle during the night, while a crash at Tertre Rouge on cold tyres caused considerable damage. Again the mechanics helping each other out did a great job. However all three drivers were delighted to take the chequered flag at Le Mans for the first time.
Nicolet said: "I am very proud of the entire team and of the Pescarolo Automobiles Group. I know exactly how hard they have worked over the last few months to get both cars ready for this race, and for both to complete the race is a just reward. From a personal perspective, I am very happy to share my first Le Mans 24 Hours finish alongside my two friends."
Charouz Racing Systems
24h Le Mans: Top ten finish for Charouz Racing System
The Aston Martin powered LMP1 car managed to finish the famous 24 Heures du Mans race in the top ten on its first attempt and was also the third petrol- engined car to take the chequered flag. The number ten car was shared by Jan Charouz, Tomas Enge and Stefan Mucke, with all three drivers contributing to a great comeback after an earlier delay.
The 76th edition of the 24 Heures du Mans is finished. The debut of the brand new prototype, powered by a production-based engine from the GT1 class winning Aston Martin DBR9, showed that the Charouz Racing System team is more than capable of taking the fight to its petrol-powered rivals.
The trio of Charouz, Enge and Mucke showed right from the start that they have the speed to lead the petrol charge behind the factory diesels and that they also have the morale to climb back after things did not exactly go their way. Young Charouz went off at the end of the second hour when he lost downforce and control of the car as he was overtaking slower cars. The team managed to repair the car, which was not as badly damaged as it looked. A fast and consistent pace in all sorts of conditions subsequently provided a good base to climb up the order.
The number ten car was as low as 48th place after the repair, but steadily made up ground on its competitors, with the exception of the diesels. Finally, the car made it back into the top ten and Enge took the flag ninth in both the overall and LMP1 standings. The Charouz Racing System team finished as the third-best placed petrol car and the final gap of eight laps was considerably smaller than the initial deficit.
Jan Charouz: "I have mixed feelings. I am angry at myself due to the mistake at the beginning of the race that complicated things for us. On the other hand, we showed very good speed and were consistently the fastest petrol car. The conditions were really tough as they were changing a lot. Also, last year we had rain, but at least it was consistent while this year the track was different on almost every lap during the second half of the race. At least we have quite a good idea of how we stand versus the others and the main difference between us and the factory diesels, which is in the torque out of the corners. Honestly, even if I had not had the off we would have not finished higher than seventh."
Tomas Enge: "It is always nice to see the chequered flag after 24 hours and I actually realized that it was the first time I had crossed the finish line in the car! The team put in a huge effort and we had a technically relatively trouble-free race, which was very positive after challenging test day and qualifying sessions. Driving a prototype was a whole new experience for me and I liked it. On the other hand, it was clear that we can not be a match for the factory diesels, so we were never really in a fight for overall victory. At least we were mostly the quickest of the petrol cars. Last but not least, I want to congratulate my former GT1 team- mates for taking the GT1 class win with the Aston Martin DBR9."
Stefan Mucke: "We are pretty happy. We finished the race without any major technical problems and it is always rewarding to see the finish after 24 hard-fought hours. Without the early accident we would have easily been the highest placed petrol car, but as it is we are third and it is still very good. The conditions were challenging at the end; I was out on the slicks when rain started again, but none of us made any mistakes at the end. We proved our speed and we would definitely like to come back next year and perhaps score an even better result."
Antonin Charouz, Team Principal: "We have reasons to be happy. It was the first start of the car at Le Mans and unfortunately Jan had an off during his first stint after he lost downforce. It looked like we were finished as he stopped twice, but finally managed to bring the car back to the pits. We had some other niggling problems, but we finished the race. We started twice at Le Mans and we have two finishes, which is good. The car clearly demonstrated that speed-wise it is the class of the petrol field and it is not surprising that factory diesels were in a different league. As a privateer, it is always difficult to fight against mighty factory teams with huge resources, regardless of the engine technology. We pushed hard, gained back a lot of time on our direct rivals, so I am happy."
David Richards: "The LMP1 was a new step for us and for it to be so competitive at such an early stage of its development is very encouraging. Who knows what the future might bring?"
Spyker
Spyker Squadron: Le Mans 24 hours race report
At exactly three o'clock this afternoon the field of 55 prototypes and GT's crossed the finish line. For the first time the green flag was not waved from the Rolex tower at the finish line but at 400 kms above the track from the international space station.
Swiss Andrea Chiesa started the race in the #94 Speedy Racing Team Spyker C8. After an hour in the race he moved up two positions and ran in a tenth position in the GT2 class. In the other car, the #85 SNORAS Spyker Squadron car, it was Scotsman Peter Dumbreck to kick off the 24 hour race. He was also able to able to win a few positions at the beginning of the race and climbed up to a seventh position at 16:00.
Both regularly returned to the box for stops to refuel and to fit fresh Michelin rubber. After both Chiesa and Dumbreck completed their double stint Benjamin Leuenberger and Ralf Kelleners took over. Benjamin rejoined in eight position, just behind Ralf who ran in a seventh position with the #85.
At 17:40 the number #94 Speedy Racing Team car returned to the pit for a normal stop to refuel the car. Benjamin could rejoin the field in the same position - eight in GT2 class. His stop was followed by Ralf who also came in for refuelling. He rejoined in a seventh position. According to the timing data the #85 stop was the quickest so far in the GT2 class.
Both cars ran like a clock until minutes after 18:00 Ralf called the team over the radio that he had to return to the pit box. Just after the Porsche Curves he got a problem with the engine. He could return to the box but after a quick inspection by the mechanics the car was retired from the race.
Shortly after Ralf's car was retired Benjamin also reported a problem with the #94 car. He got a ‘low voltage' warning and returned to the box to change a broken alternator. It took about 10 minutes to fix the problem but he is back out in eight position.
Just after the 19:00 mark Iradj Alexander took over from Benjamin Leuenberger. He started his stint with a fresh set of tires and a full tank. At ten before eight he returned to the box with the same low voltage problem. Both the alternator and battery were now replaced and after ten minutes he was back out.
Half an hour later he complained that he lost torque and speed. The team decided to get him in to check the car's data but before he could make it to the pit box he stopped at the track after the second chicane. Iradj could not restart and the car has been officially retired.
Vitaphone Racing
Propshaft Failure Sidelines Vitaphone Aston Martin
The rare failure of a "bullet-proof" component ended hopes for a successful maiden appearance in the Le Mans 24 Hours for the Vitaphone sponsored Aston Martin DBR9 driven by Peter Hardman, Nick Leventis and Alexandre Negrao. With just over a quarter of the race completed the car coasted to a halt and was unable to return to the pits for repairs, signalling the end of a valiant but relatively short-lived debut in the world's greatest endurance race.
The striking black and turquoise Aston Martin had started the race well, with Peter Hardman taking a strong challenge to the similar Team Modena DBR9 during the opening twenty minutes. Up against a proven race-winning package, with the Team Modena car a regular class victor in the Le Mans Series, Peter was able to exchange quick laps seemingly at will, culminating in a neat manoeuvre that saw the Vitaphone car through and into 8th position on lap five.
Once ahead, Peter began to ease out a modest advantage in what is a remarkably competitive category. Unfortunately, his good works were undone by a chance spin at the Ford Chicane half an hour into the race, but he swiftly recovered, and by the end of the first hour was back up to 8th once again, having passed the Team Modena Aston for a second time. An hour later, and he'd captured seventh.
This steady progress continued for the next three hours. Nick Leventis took second stint, and despite never having raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours previously, acquitted himself well amid vastly more experienced rivals, finding a personal improvement of five seconds over his pre-race best. He held on securely to seventh before handing over to regular Vitaphone driver Alexandre Negrao. More used to driving the Vitaphone Maserati MC12 in the FIA GT Championship, "Xandi" was rapidly getting to grips with the Aston Martin. Having stepped aboard at just gone five-thirty, he was up to sixth position within the hour, and then setting a succession of new fastest laps for the DBR9 before completing his first double-stint at 7:00pm. "I wasn't pushing too hard. I was taking it easy on the brakes and throttle, and trying to conserve the tyres. I was also still learning the track!"
That brought Peter Hardman back into the car and the team's progress looked assured until an electrical fault developed close to the end of the fifth hour. This was quickly traced to a failed alternator, but the replacement cost the team fifteen minutes in the pits, and with it all that hard-earned territory. Judging by Peter Hardman's pace on his return to the track, there was no indication at this stage that a full recovery could not be achieved, and he completed his next double-stint before handing on to Nick Leventis.
At just after nine-fifteen Nick was heading down one of the fastest sections of the 13.6 kilometre circuit and preparing for his entry into the famous Indianapolis corner when, without warning, the car's propshaft gave way. "I heard a loud bang from the back of the car, and thought at first that I'd had a puncture. Then the oil pressure started to fall, and I lost communication with the pits." The flailing propshaft had taken out cables, hoses and other ancillaries, and it was impossible for Nick to re-start the car, although a marshal was generous enough to lend him a mobile phone.
Regrettably, the Vitaphone entry to the 76th Le Mans 24 Hours became the sixth official retirement, having covered 82 laps and set a best lap of 3:55.102. "It's been a fantastic experience, and we've learned so much as a team" said Nick. "For me personally, it has been very special and a privilege to compete at Le Mans, and I hope to be racing here for many years to come."
Peter Hardman had not been the only member of the team quietly anticipating a much better result. "At the start, everything was going so well. We'd not had any problems all week. The car ran exactly as we wanted it to and we showed we had the pace of the privateer teams. It is obviously very disappointing to have retired from the race, and at such an early stage, but it has been a very valuable experience for us as drivers, and I am sure we will both be back again next year"
Peter Hardman and Nick Leventis are in action again next weekend in the Spa 12 Hours, while Alexandre Negrao returns to his more usual environment of the Maserati MC12 for the next round in the FIA GT Championship in Adria.