FIA WEC, 12 Hours of Sebring - Race Preview - Part Two - LMP2 The success story of 2012 (so far!) has been the growth of the LMP2 class. From a very unconvincing start, where the new junior prototypes were humbled by the GTE runners, and the transitional year to a cost capped formula was racked with a raft of effective sub-classes, cars with waivers, grandfathered cars etc etc. It all made for a less than encouraging introduction. As the year went on though the cars were finding pace and, in some cases, reliability too. In the wet at Imola, the Nissan powered Oreca even humbled the factory diesels in early running! The major appeal though of the ‘new’ LMP2 appears to be cost, the option for a gentleman driver, and/ or a commercially minded team, to get into Prototype racing at a competitive level (and in the case of the WEC with an assured Le Mans entry too!) is now a lot cheaper than previously, so much so indeed that it is beginning to give GTE a hard time in terms of attracting competitors to the class! The ILMC in 2011 attracted but three cars whilst the FIA WEC’s Sebring entry in the class numbers three times that number, with double figures likely elsewhere, there’s three (and probably four) class entries from the ALMS to add to the grid too (covered in Gary Horrocks’ Preview) so there’s plenty of depth and variety to examine here. Where there’s no variety though is in the tyre department – the whole field are shod with Dunlops as Michelin pulls back from LMP2 and the hoped for Hankook entry at this level fell to the increasing need for the Korean manufacturer to boost their DTM commitment. There is though variety both in the chassis department (five different manufactiurers) and in the engines powering the cars too (three different motors) On the chassis front at Sebring the WEC entry has a trio of Oreca 03s matched against three Lola Coupes with singleton representatives of the Morgan (Oak), Zytek and HPD chassis also on the list. In the engine department there is a solo HPD twin turbo V6 up against a pair of Judd BMW powered cars with the other six benefiting from the 4.5 litre Nissan V8, the Japanese powerplant proving a popular choice after some excellent results last season. #23 Signatech Nissan - Oreca 03 Nissan Jordan Tresson
Franck Mailluex
Olivier Lombard Signatech once again have promised a pair of full season entries but thus far are only fielding a single car, this the pacey but (in 2011 trim) fragile, Oreca 03, now updated with the shark fin and new aero, plus a host of developments designed to iron out the electronics and power steering niggles that cost several Oreca runners dear in 2011. Signatech took the ILMC class title in 2011 and are back in the WEC, again with Nissan technical support. Franck Mailleux stays aboard for the new season and the new Championship but is joined by a pair of newcomers to the team. Olivier Lombard was a revelation at Greaves last year, the young Frenchman a perfect foil for the pace of Tom Kimber Smith – He now deservedly steps up to the WEC with another Nissan powered team and will benefit too from not being the junior driver again. That’s because the seat filled in the ILMC last year by 2009 Nissan GT Academy Champion Lucas Ordonez is this year filled by his 2010 successor Jordan Tresson, the Frenchman looking to emulate Ordonez’s Championship winning form on his debut at this level, and again to underline the astounding success of what, just three years ago was seen by many as a flash in the pan marketing exercise! #24 OAK Racing - Morgan Judd (BMW) Jacques Nicolet
Oliver Pla
Matthieu Lahaye OAK are the only team to have a car in both LMP classes in the World Championship and whilst the basic chassis for both cars is pure Pescarolo the badge on the LMP2 car says Morgan, the result of a marketing deal to help push forward OAK (and their chassis manufacturing subsidiary Onroak) as a commercial entity and also to mark the 50th anniversary of Morgan’s Le Mans class winning run ion 1962. The Morgan is fitted with the Judd BMW, a perhaps unfashionable choice but there are many that say that this is the more promising package. Le Patron Jacques Nicolet again climbs aboard ‘his’ car and is joined by a very talented pair of team-mates. Olivier Pla is another man who was rumoured to have been very close to a Peugeot deal for 2012, and very deserved it would have been for one of the quickest men in this or any field. He’ll have breathed a sigh of relief at the availability of an alternative and will relish the opportunity to measure himself against some of the talent ranged here for the season. Matthieu Lahaye, as with Pla, steps down from the OAK LMP1 effort from 2011 to the P2 car, another very quick young Frenchman he’ll be keen to show that Pla’s pace is within his grasp. All in all this is a very good rounded package, much will depend on the capabilities of the new Morgan and the Judd that powers it. #25 ADR-Delta - Oreca 03 Nissan John Martin
Robbie Kerr
Tor Graves An absolute newcomer to this level of sportscar racing, ADR are nonetheless a very experienced squad and will be looking to show what they know in a very professionally occupied class. The team have opted for the Oreca Nissan package so their performance benchmark will be a pretty easy one to gauge with two other teams fielding identical machinery. The driver squad is an intriguing one too – John Martin has raced successfully for the team in Superleague Formula but has little endurance racing form, Robbie Kerr has, of course strutted his stuff in LMP cars before as a favoured man in the Zytek camp in years past – He has pace and racecraft on his side too. Tor Graves meanwhile has shown that he is far from a makeweight in an FLM Oreca, now he’ll get the opportunity to show what he can di in the FLM09’s big sister! #28 Gulf Racing Middle East - Lola B12/80 Nissan Fabien Giroix
Maxime Jousse
Jan Charouz #29 Gulf Racing Middle East - Lola B12/80 Nissan Frederic Fatien
Keiko Ihara
Stefan Johansson The only two car WEC team in LMP2 at Sebring is an intriguing one. Fabien Giroix campaigned a Gulf liveried Aston martin last year before a parting of the ways with his team-mates for 2012 saw the backing split between a European based GT effort (McLarens in Blancpain and Aston in ELMS) and this two car effort in LMP2 for the Dubai based squad headed by Giroix and his backer Frederic Ftien. The team have chosen the Nissan engine but, for the first time, it will be fitted in Lola chassis, the very pretty Huntingdon designed and built Coupes could well have an aero advantage in certain places this season. On the driver front there’s an intriguing mix too – The team’s #28 car has the experienced Giroix teamed with Maxime (younger brother of Julien) Jousse and Jan Charouz. That could well be a very competitive line-up if the brand new cars are race ready. The #29 car meanwhile sees Frederic Fatien with Japanese lady racer Keiko Ihara and the evergreen Stefan Johansson, a line-up that initially looks less balanced but might throw up a few surprises. #31 Lotus - Lola B12/80 Lotus (Judd BMW) Thomas Holzer
Mirco Shultis
Luca Moro This effort, fronted by Romulus Kolles (father of Colin Kolles) but with Kolles the Younger firmly in control features a Lotus that isn’t a Lotus (it’s a Lola) powered by a Lotus V8 that isn’t a Lotus (it’s a rebadged Judd BMW). The Lotus link seems to be branding only and without being party to any commercial agreement between the Team and Hethel it’s difficult to see what else could be in it for the OEM. It certainly isn’t, as has been reported elsewhere, a Lotus development chassis – Firstly Lola would surely not permit that to happen with a car that is essentially their intellectual property, and secondly development of LMP2 chassis is not permitted in the current cost-capped formula. As for the driver line-up – Thomas Holzer is a quick man with some GT (but no LMP) experience, Mirco Shultis and Luca Moro have plenty of FLM experience, Shultis was the gentleman driver in the LMS title winning Pegasus line-up – This is a classic Pro-Am line-up in a Championship which has more Pros than Ams – They look likely to struggle on pace. #41 Greaves Motorsport - Zytek Z11SN Nissan Christian Zugel
Ricardo Gonzalez
Elton Julian Greaves Motorsport were pretty much untouchable in 2011, LMS and Le Mans Champions, they would have been ILMC Champions too if they had entered, such was their points dominance at the qualifying rounds that they did take part in. That success came courtesy of a rapid and (crucially) very reliable Nissan powered Zytek and a driver line-up that clicked well once Olivier Lombard joined the party in the second third of the season. For 2012 there’s a 2 car effort at Le mans and one car each for ELMS and the WEC, both feature brand new Zytek chassis and the WEC squad features ex LMPC talent from the American Le Mans Series. Elton Julian is the pro here, he arrives from an ALMS/ LMS programme in 2011 with gentleman racer Christian Zugel with Genoa Racing. They’re joined by another LMPC man, Ricardo Gonzalez impressed many observers with his ALMS performances last year, a gentleman driver he may be but the pace he showed elevates him to the RLM dubbed ‘Sportsman’ sub-category. Will the combination be enough to compete for class podiums or better? – Time will tell. #44 Starworks Motorsport - HPD ARX-03b Honda Enzo Potolicchio
Ryan Dalziel
Stéphane Sarrazin One of the surprises of the WEC entry was the elevation of Peter Baron’s Grand-Am stalwart Starworks squad to the Championship. Their choice of the Honda powered HPD is interesting, off season reliability tweaks and a hoped for better Balance of Performance might just see this combination prove an inspired call. On the driving front the very effective combination of quick Gentleman Enzo Potolicchio and very rapid Scot Ryan Dalziel already looked like putting the #44 squad amongst the class favourites and then the team announced the addition of Stéphane Sarrazin to their squad, Peugeot’s demise had put one of the world’s most complete racing drivers onto the market and the shrewd Baron snapped him up. If the car is anywhere near the pace this is a team to watch! 49 Pecom Racing - Oreca 03 Nissan Luis Perez-Companc
Pierre Kaffer
Soheil Ayari The only team to be racing the same car with the same driver squad in both the WC and the ELMS, Pecom Racing are yet another squad with a new look for the coming season. The team, still with a technical crew provided by AF Corse, have parked their 2011 cost capped Lola Judd and have instead acquired an Oreca 03 Nissan, in search of the edge that they couldn’t find in last season’s Le Mans Series. Whilst Luis Perez-Companc returns (of course) together with Pierre Kaffer, Mathias Russo has left, replaced in the team by the hugely experienced Soheil Ayari. Ayari’s insight into the team’s new car, courtesy of both race experience with Signatech last year and a test role for Oreca, could prove invaluable – This is very much an effort worth keeping an eye on. GG | 
