Le Mans 24 Hours - Scrutineering 5

Oak Racing

Oak racing have again mounted a multi-car entry for the 24 Hours of Le mans with a single LMP1 Pescarolo Judd and a pair of Morgan badged LMP2 cars, one each powered by Judd and Nissan.

The LMP1 car suffered a major crash at the Test day resulting in a serious injury for Guillaume Moreau, though the car itself was rapidly rebuilt (it ran that same afternoon!)

The team took the opportunity to remember Moreau’s contribution at the photocall yesterday and made it clear too that late replacement Franck Montagny was expected to compete in the spirit of real competition – To attack!

Montagny himself was perhaps uncharacteristically upbeat about the task ahead:

“Of course it I good to be here, though the circumstances are difficult.

“I should say though that I am particularly pleased to be part of this team, their reputation as a team with a good atmosphere and good attitude has interested me for a long time so I am very keen to see what it feels like from the inside after so long in a factory squad – It is very new for me, this is my first day with them and I have to say I’m pleased to feel no pressure!”

Jacques Nicolet meanwhile was concentrating on the task in hand in LMP2, he is part of the driver squad in the Judd engined #24 car but of course has an interest in seeing both the cars do well as Oak continue to push hard to exploit any available commercial opportunity to expand the junior LMP class.

That didn’t include though any pleasure or opportunism whatsoever at the apparent demise of Lola:

“For every reason it is a bad thing, for the people involved, and for the market – Competition at a high level is a very good thing so losing a major player is bad for everyone.  I feel particular sympathy for Martin Birrane who I know well, in particular because I have, for several years raced my own Lola, a 2 litre T298, in historic racing, it is superb car, one of the best of its kind ever made I believe.”

Moving back to the task ahead though Nicolet was straightforward in his assessment of the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours.

“We have an exceptional LMP2 category this year and I am delighted that we are a strong part of it.  Everywhere there are good cars, good teams and good drivers.  It is not an exaggeration to say that this could be the ‘Race of the race’

Asked whether he had a preference for which of the team’s P2 cars he would like to see win the answer was again very characteristic of one of the most sportsmanlike men on the grid:

“Of course I would be happy with either car doing very well, and hopefully both but I have to say that I do have a preference for the #24 car, and not just because I am driving it! That’s thew car we are running with the Judd engine and we have worked very closely with them for a long time on these projects. 

“Judd are a very good company working hard in what is a very tough market, a very similar company, with similar challenges to our own.  That challenge has been increased with the imposition of a smaller restrictor for the Judd since Spa, an odd decision as the first WEC race was won by the HPD engine and the second by a Nissan, and there has been no further balance for either of those.”

Olivier Pla is the star in Oak’s reasonably priced car, the fast Frenchman drove both LMP2 cars at the Test Day and topped the times in the Nissan engined #35, both Bas Leinders and Maxime Martin missing the test to compete successfully at Silvers tone in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

“All in all we had a very good Test Day.  The times say that the Nissan engined car was the quicker of the two but actually I caught traffic when going for a time in the (Judd-engined) #24 and the data shows that it could have been faster.

“For the race I hope both cars can do very well but this race is just so unpredictable. I know though what I have to do and I will do it!”

Pla’s inclusion in the Oak squad came late, the Frenchman’s original 2012 plan focused around the hard earned and entirely justified Peugeot factory contract that he had in his pocket:

“That was tough!  I had an agreement to race for Peugeot at Spa and Le mans and when that finished so suddenly I spoke to Jacques and he explained that there was a possibility for something but in LMP2 – It may sound strange but not only am I grateful for the opportunity but I have a preference for the P2 programme here – The car is strong and we have a good chance to win in LMPO2, that is rather more difficult in LMP1!

The pink and black Nissan engined #35 car sees fast Belgian duo Martin and Leinders teamed up with Danish privateer David Heinemeier Hansson, the gentleman driver of the trio was buzzing with anticipation for the challenge ahead.

“I was really working hard on set-up at the Test Day but this place is fantastic.

“I’m very pleased with the last minute change to the Nissan engine, I know it well from the ALMS (where he drives the similarly Nissan re-engined Conquest Endurance Morgan) .  It’s powerful and reliable and with Bas and Max with me it feels like the right package.

“I really am a relative newcomer, I started racing in 2007 in Formula Mazda and came upo through the (GT4 spec) Cayman Challenge in the USA and somne IMSA GT3 Challenge and GTC races in the US too.

“Then Jan Kalmar got in touch with the opportunity to do some late season races last year for Jet Alliance in the GTE Lotus and almost before I knew it there were LMP2 opportunities on the table for 2012.  It’s been a fast journey up through the classes but I’m happy with progress so far.

“As the gentleman driver though I’m a firm believer that there is a strength in being the weakest link, adopting a no ego approach and letting the development go ahead as it should – I’m very comfortable working with the team, with Bas and Max, and at the test with Olivier too.

“The problem now is to reel in the enthusiasm, I’ve followed endurance racing for years with Tom (Kristensen) and Jan (Magnussen) being big heroes for me and whilst you start with modest ambition you have to keep it in check because enthusiasm can get the better of you.”

“The fact remains though that there are Danes in cars with good prospects of success in all four classes – Not bad for such a small nation!”