Modena still have a slim hope of taking the GT1 Class Title
Quifel-ASM
Saulnier
Tomas Enge
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Quifel-ASM
Wants podium place in Silverstone 1000 Km
The Quifel-ASM Team is already in England preparing to take part in the final race of the Le Mans Series Championship, after its excellent performance at Nurburgring. The historical Silverstone circuit is hosting the last championship rate and the team wants to take the Lola B05/40 AER to a place on the LMP2 class podium, in an attempt to repeat last year's third place.
Miguel Pais do Amaral and Oliver Pla see this race as an opportunity to end the year with a result that demonstrates the work done throughout the course of the championship. "The progress felt by the drivers has not been reflected in the results and that is because of improvements made to the competing cars," said Antonio Simões, head of the Quifel-ASM Team. For this reason, the team took advantage of the break after the Nurburgring race to prepare for next year, with Oliver Pla having tested a Zytek 07S with the new 2009 developments at Snetterton, England.
The test served for the French driver to get the most information possible about the British car and help the Portuguese team to choose the best chassis for 2009. The other option is the new Lola B08/80 coupe, although it is certain that regardless of the choice next season's aim is to once again vie for the top places in the LMP2 ranking.
Training for the final race are scheduled for 12th September in two free sessions. Qualification is scheduled for Saturday, after another morning training session, to decide the starting grid for the race on Sunday at 11 am.
The Silverstone 1000 Km will be broadcast live on Eurosport, with direct coverage of the race.
Saulnier
Saulnier Racing striving to end season on a high at Silverstone
Saulnier Racing are ready to defend third position in the Le Mans Series LMP2 teams' overall standings when the 2008 championship draws to a close at Silverstone this weekend.
The French team, who secured a memorable class podium at the Le Mans 24 Hours in June and finished second in the LMP2 category in the last round of the LMS at the Nurburgring, are the only squad to split the three teams running Porsche RS Spyders in the title standings. They currently lie third overall, seven points behind Team Essex and four ahead of Horag Racing, after a string of impressive results with their new-for-2008 Judd-powered Pescarolo LMP2 chassis.
"We've improved with every single race and the reliability of both the car and our young drivers has been superb," said team manager Francois Sicard. "After such a good season all the team head to Silverstone determined to end the year by holding on to our third position. It would be a superb way to finish and would give everyone a huge boost of confidence as we prepare for 2009."
The team have enjoyed a two-day test at Magny-Cours since the last round in Germany and though neither of the drivers Pierre Ragues or Matthieu Lahaye have ever driven at Silverstone before, Sicard doesn't expect them to be fazed by the challenging circuit.
"Both Matthieu and Pierre have had fantastic seasons and they're still on a high after their excellent performance at the Nurburgring," he said. "The test went really well and we even had some changeable conditions between the dry and the wet. That could prove to be useful preparation for a race in the UK!"
The team's LMP1 car meanwhile will again be driven by gentlemen drivers Jacques Nicolet and Richard Hein, who are targeting a top-ten finish.
"We've learned a lot this year and made some real progress," explained Nicolet. "I've raced at Silverstone before and I know the Grand Prix circuit is difficult. It is very fast and has lots of blind corners so it will be a real challenge for all the drivers. However, I'm confident that, if the car is reliable and we don't make any mistakes, then a strong result is possible."
Pescarolo Automobiles, of which Nicolet is a joint founder, also currently lie third in the manufacturers' standings in both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes.
Tomas Enge
Enge's title chances low, but still alive
Tomas Enge and his team-mate Antonio Garcia are going to fight for the LM GT1 title of the Le Mans Series 2008. However, they are in a disadvantage against their rivals how are leading the championship. To win the title Enge and Garcia have to win on Sunday and the current leaders can not score a point. There is no other option for the Czech-Spanish crew and their Modena team. Enge is not ready to give up and he is looking forward to Silverstone.
The Modena Team won two races including the last race at Nurburgring. Their Aston martin DBR9 worked like a Swiss watch and they dominated the race. They will try to do the same in the final race of the Le Mans Series 2008 which is Autosport 1000 km of Silverstone.
Tomas Enge: "There is not a lot to say in such situation. We have to win and even it might not be enough to get the title. That is how it goes in sport. Of course, we will do everything to win. We are ready but only the race itself will show how our fight will end. Another fight Aston Martin vs. Corvette should be fascinating for fans both around the track and a home."
History/Curiosities
The first six hours race at Silverstone (www.silverstone.co.uk) was ran already at 1976. The race won John Fitzpatrick, Tom Walkinshaw with BMW 3,5 CSL. One of the interesting moments happened in 1980 when a woman won the race. South African Desire Wilson togerther with Briton Alain de Cadenet won with De Cadenet Lola-Ford. Six hours race format was changed to 1000 km race in 1983. This format saw the golden era of the Group C cars (1983/1988). Sport cars raced for 480, 430 or 500 km in following years. The current system of 1000 km race with 6 hours limit returned with the Le Mans Series in 2004. The series has been racing at Silverstone every year since the comeback, the only exception was year 2006.