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Le Mans Series –
Interlagos – Before Qualifying Having badmouthed the circuit earlier, it is time to make amends. All the drivers that I spoke to commented in glowing terms, while the team owners are proud to be among the few that ventured here. Perhaps none more so than Jonathan France, who appreciates the learning experience that the opportunity provides, especially as Embassy Racing is embarking upon considerable expansion. Thierry Perrier had perhaps the rudest introduction to Interlagos. He drove around it in a golf cart and then first drove the Porsche in anger late during the night practice. “The braking points were a bit different than in the golf cart,” cried the long-time team owner. He expects to maybe do one stint and be available as reserve in case the heat bothers the crew. That should not happen as temperatures here are surprisingly low for this latitude, high 20s seems to be the norm for the weekend. The Perspective Racing Porsche has been running well apart from a love tap by the Felbermayr Porsche of Xavier Pompidou. Perrier expects to soon receive a 2008 Porsche, which differs from the current model by having a Porsche built gearbox. He hopes that this will alleviate the spate of gearbox failures that have plagued the marque’s GT2 runners all year. There is a tendency for the extra torque of the 997 to cause internal spinning within the casing that necessitates a rebuild every two races or so. Elsewhere, in the Felbermayr ranks, Guido Quirmbach reports that the team has swapped Johannes Stuck into the No. 79 car. It is thought the youthful 2-driver lineup of No. 88 can make the distance on their own but that the senior citizens of No. 79 will need assistance.
Lars Erik Nielsen is another to speak glowingly of the circuit. He particularly likes the last bit that is a downhill leading to the front straight. It consists of a series of twists that are increasingly fast. “The car gets more and more loose and just when you think that you’re going to lose it, bang, it bottoms and you’re back under control. It’s a little like the 3-4 complex at Road Atlanta.” Like many circuits in the modern idiom, Interlagos has two quite different sections. The front straight ends in a quick set of downhill bends that lead onto a very fast but somewhat narrow back stretch. Then comes a highly undulating complex that can be likened to a very squiggly bunch of esses. It is all quite quick. The Creation Myth became the Creation Truth at about 5 in the afternoon yesterday, some 60 minutes prior to the start of the first practice. The team arrived on Monday and the car was dropped off at the track at 11 o’clock Wednesday morning. Then the team had to borrow tools, jacks and other apparatus to struggle with readying the car. It wasn’t until well past three before the spares delivery finally arrived. Several teams understand that they have to do more than merely finish to look good. Gregor Fisken noted that with only two cars in GT1 a podium is a given—providing they finish. “There are far too many variables in such a long race. The Corvette has it over us on driving lineup but anything can happen.” Brazilian-Canadian Fernando Rees is on the driving strength. The long-time single seater driver is having his first go in a GT1 and had a bit of an off during the morning session.
We have a bit of pre-qualifying drama. With minutes to go a strong wind has built up, clouds have gathered and there is thunder in the air. Stay tuned. |
