LMS Monza - Friday Afternoon Notes

Still bright and sunny at Monza for the second free practice session of the day and for the most part it was ‘as you were’ in the timing stakes.

The Peugeots though found more time than most with Gene in the #7 908 blasting round in a 1:33.113, Sarrazin just over half a second behind with the Audis a further second further behind.

In the petrol driven stakes it was again the Aston martin powered Lola coupe to the fore, Stefan Mucke producing a 1:35.346, almost a second up on the other petrol cars but well over two seconds slower than the fastest diesel!

Encouraging progress for the Courage Orecas, both of which are now in 2008 spec and both of which bettered the rest of the open topped petrol cars, Panis and Ortelli 6th and 7th quickest.

At Creation Bruce Jouanny explained that there were a couple of new car issues holding back the brand new #15 car “The car has the wrong diff fitted for this track (a supplier issue) and we have some porpoising which is quite uncomfortable. All in all though it is a good car, very comfortable and with a lighter touch than some other LMP cars that I have driven.

The LMP2 pace was upped considerably this afternoon with the van Merksteijn Motorsport Porsche RS Spyder again making the running, despite having a wheel sensor problem which meant no traction control and electrical issues which meant no shift change lights either. Verstappen was into the 1:37s and over a second clear of the second quickest car, Speedy/ Sebah’s Lola Judd coupe with the Essex racing Porsche third fastest and Fernando Rees in the Barazi Epsilon Zytek fourth quickest over the session.

GT1 closed up rather with the four runners separated by around a second whilst in GT2 the #77 Felbermayr Proton Porsche ended the day as it began on top of the times, Marc Lieb though was a little bemused by it all:

“The car feels no different at all than at Barcelona but we are quicker. The car still has the same problems, turn in oversteer, mid corner understeer. We’re closer to the Ferrari but I’m not sure we’ve seen their best yet.”

Allan Simonsen was bouncing around with enthusiasm for the battle ahead: “No problems and the car feels good too.” Whilst the JWA Porsche just a few garages along is riding high too, Aiden Watt revealing that the car “has the 08 gearbox in now, in fact everything is updated bar the bodywork and that might be the package to have here.

On the driving strength for the weekend is none other than 2005 Porsche Cup winner Tim Sugden, clearly enjoying his return to the LMS paddock and revealing something of a surprise to this writer “I haven’t driven a 997 before.” Really? Could the JWA combo of Sugden, Palttala and Paul Daniels prove a dark horse in Sunday’s race?