LMS – Silverstone 1000kms – Race Preview Part Two - LMP2

There’s plenty to savour here amongst the now 12 LMP2 entry (with the announced withdrawal of the pair of Racing Box Lola Judds due to “budgetary difficulties”). 9 different chassis and five different engines still though make for a real mixed bag

With attrition, even the minnows could be in the points – It’s fair to say though that the AER engined Courages of Pegasus Racing and Ibanez Racing Services, the Judd engined Lucchini of the Q8 Hache Racing team and the Zytek engined WR Salini can all safely be regarded as outsiders.

The Radical SR9 has shown flashes of speed this season but again with the crew of Pierre Bruneau, Francesco Sini and Tim Greaves, the #26 team will be looking to reliability for themselves, and issues elsewhere to score well.

Amongst the remaining Lola Coupes there is some real potential – The now absent Judd engined Racing Box pair have been very quick all season but reliability and incident prevented the #30 crew from from repeating their success of the opening round of the season.  The youngsters in #29 meanwhile found both pace and reliability – They were still title contenders had they raced at Silverstone.

The similar Speedy Sebah car is another that has seen its real pace blunted by too many mistakes and issues, too many indeed to leave it in the hunt for title honours.

Next up there’s the Mazda engined RML Lola.

RML are amongst the very best of the LMS teams, Tommy Erdos has lost nothing of his pace and Mike Newton plays rear gunner very well indeed.  The issue all season for the #25 team has been engines.  Reliability, whether fuel quality related or otherwise has conspired to make 2009 a miserable points-free year for all concerned.  Will they be back in 2010 – Yes – will it be with a Mazda engine?  Wait and see!

Having a little more luck with their Zoom Zoom have been Oak Racing, their pair of Pescarolos also feature the MZR-R turbo unit but with a steadier pace the team seem to have better fortune – steady rather than spectacular scoring all season has been the order of the day.

That leaves us with the other three Zytek-engined cars on the entry.

First things first, welcome back Johnathan France and the ex Embassy,Racing, now Team WFR.

The #45 car is an updated WF01 featuring several upgrades which the team hope will see the reliability woes of their 2008 season seem like distant memories – Warren Hughes and Darren Manning should squeeze the very best from this package – and 2009 British GT GT4 Champ Jody Firth has impressed in pre-race testing too. There will be plenty in the grandstands looking for this team to pull off a dream comeback too.

The GAC Racing Team Zytek 07S is another car that has shown some real pace this season, particularly when Philip Peter was at the wheel.  Early season incidents though left the team out of the title hunt .  Expect the car to be very quick around the wide open Silverstone spaces this weekend though.

Possibly not quite as quick as the team now certain to take the title honours.  The Ginetta Zytek 09S was new for the 2009 season to Quifel ASM and the team haven’t regretted it for a moment.

Olivier Pla has revelled in the pace that the Ginetta Zytek has provided and Miguel Amaral has provided reliable support to his quick French driver.  The #29 Racing Box Lola could have challenged for the title but the fact that it won’t should take nothing from the season long achievement of the #40 crew.