Le Mans Series – Spa 1000kms – Saturday Morning Notes

Cool and Dry – But that’s enough about me and my sense of humour!

An update on Le Mans entry list prospects.

Spyker Squadron confirm that they have a car available should the need arise for further changes in the entry list.

Beyond that though several teams are very interested indeed in competing if the opportunity (or the need) arises.

Andrew Kirkaldy was keen to emphasise that CRS has made clear to the ACO that they have a full package (car, logistics and driver squad) available with Pierre Bruneau making similar overtures on behalf of the Race Performance Radical squad and Racing Box too offering the availability of their second Lola Judd LMP2 car.

A significant factor in the comparative times for the factory diesels is a complete difference in approaches to the weekend between Peugeot and Audi.

Peugeot are running their 908s with a high downforce front end and are also utilising a significant proportion of ‘lifed’ components, part of an effort to examine the durability in racing conditions of key components.

Audi meanwhile are running in full Le Mans low downforce spec, clearly a major factor in explaining the gap in lap times between the 908s and R15s.

Another quick clarification from yesterday – Allan Simonsen did set the fastest time in the early wet session on Hankook Intermediates, the car was then fitted with slicks but went slower, the track still too greasy for the Ferrari to take full advantage of the grippier rubber.

And there’s a change to the detail on the entry list – Racing Box are running Pirelli rubber on their #30 Lola Judd but have switched the #29 car to Dunlops – Is this a pre-Le Mans evaluation exercise?  We’ll find out.

All cars took to the track early with one notable absentee: the #8 Audi sitting in the pits with a fuel leak.

In LMP1 the initial pace was set by Audi, Allan McNish putting his marker at 2:00.5, 1.5 seconds ahead of Lamy and Sarrazin’s Peugeots and the #9 Audi, Rockenfeller all settling at 2:02’s.

20 minutes in and Lamy and Sarrazin set fastest sector times in S1 and S2, backing off in S3... whatever their approach, they’re at it again. Audi responds with Rockenfeller posting a 35.5 second first sector.

Lamy brings the #3 car’s lap time down to 2:01.3

30 minutes in and Sarrazin finally sets a fastest sector 3 time – notice of intent?

Yup!  He goes quickest overall with the first sub 2 minute time of the day (1:59.428)

Elsewhere in P1, Belicchi is the fastest petrol-fuelled man, 8th in class with 2:04’s.  Pierre Ragues’ #008 Signature Plus Lola 9th is at the tail of the class setting 2:05’s. The #8 Audi is still to show.

40 mins in and Kristensen takes his turn aboard the #7 Audi ; Bourdais is in the #3 Peugeot , Wurz now aboard the #1 car. Timo Bernhard climbs aboard the #9 Audi and Nicolas Prost takes over the #12 Rebellion Lola.

With less than 10 minutes of the session left, the #8 car finally joins the field with Treluyer aboard, immediately setting 2:05’s to go 9th. Sarrazin still fastest, Bourdais is pushing 2:00 times in second. Nicolas Prost has stopped at Blanchhimont with the car reportedly out of fuel!

The LMP2 runners started their day with a steady session - Gillaume Moreau’s Oak Racing Pescarolo Judd setting the early pace in the 2:09’s ahead of Nick Leventis’s HPD ARX, 2 seconds back. Andy Wallace finally gets aboard the RML Lola, settling into 2:12’s in third.

Things are fairly settled until Jonathan Kennard surprises by putting his #39 KSM Lola to 3rd in class with 2:10.8.

Danny Watts then shakes things up by taking Strakka to the top with a very quick 2:06.882, 1.5s ahead of the #35 Oak car, now driven by Richard Hein.

Erdos meanwhile took the RML Lola HPD to 2nd fastest with a 2:07 followed rapidly by a 2:06.   Wattts though stretched his advantage once again, a 2:05.322 good enough to comfortably secure the session bragging rights

Ebbesvik’s Bruichladdich Ginetta Zytek was next to join the party, pushing out the Pesca for 3rd fastest with 2:07.8

One car not showing in the top echelons was the #40 Quifel ASM Ginetta Zytek, Miguel Amaral explaining that the team had opted to reduce the downforce on the car for this session but the reduced grip then caught him out, the car into the wall backwards and requiring repairs before qualifying this afternoon.

Late improvements from both Racing Box Lolas meanwhile saw both of them leapfrog the KSM car.

Nico Verdonck was the fastest man in FLM early on in the #48 Hope Polevision car before being bettered briefly by fellow local man Nicolas de Crem. 

Verdonck though prevailed 2:14.809 again getting close to the back of the LMP2 pack.

The refettled #47 Hope Polevision car meanwhile was third fastest in the session after its dramas yesterday

In GT1 the timesheets saw a Ford GT 1-2.  Markus Palttala the first man to break 2:20 before his 2:18.7 was bettered by Thomas Mutsch’s #60 Matech car’s 2:17.822.  

In GT2 the session pace was relatively steady at around 2:20 mark, the #76 Imsa Performance Porsche (Patrick Pilet) heading Bruni, Kaffer and Fisichella’s Ferraris initially.

Darren Turner does the majority of the work for JMW, but after early pace drops to 9th fastest by the end of the session.

BMW Team Schnitzers pair ended the session at the tail end of the lead group, rather oddly though, after trailing the field in terms of top speeds at Le Castellet the M3s were fastest of the lot through the speed traps here yesterday.

Pierre Ehret had a harmless spin for the #90 CRS Ferrari but recovered and was back on track immediately.

Team-mate Andrew Kirkaldy though was the overall pacesetter in the #91 CRS 430 with a 2:19.4 late in the session, leading the way ahead of 2:20s from Lieb, Pilet, Bruni and Kaffer all in the 2:20’s.

GG/ ML