Nürburgring Preview - LMP2
Who Can Stop The Porsches?

Well nobody did at Le Mans, a puncture for the Danish car the only punctuation to an astounding 24 hour racing debut for the RS Spyder. A 1-2 finish there providing food for thought for many that believed the Porsches would wilt!

The van Merksteijn Motorsport car prevailed there, of course, as it has in two of the first three LMS races. The bolstering of the team for the remainder of the season, with Jeroen Bleekemolen alongside Jos Verstappen, will provide little in the way of hope for the competition, but van Merksteijn looks unlikely to add an LMS title to his LM crown. He will miss the race this weekend, because he’s competing in rally Deutschland; the team deciding that the difficulties in co-ordinating an appearance in both were insurmountable.

With van Merksteijn very widely tipped to step away at season’s end, mission accomplished, it will be time for the team and its star drivers to prove their mettle.

Essex Racing, meanwhile, will be keen to build on its already race-winning form, proving that Dunlop is making strides with an LMP programme. The Danes will be pushing hard this weekend to turn the tables on their Dutch rivals; luck was against them at Le Mans, but has a funny way of turning. A Verstappen / Bleekemolen mix vs Nielsen / Elgaard, though, looks to be an uneven struggle.

And then there’s the Horag Racing Porsche – Theys and Lammers are quick and reliable; and if there’s luck to be had at someone else’s expense, then you’d be foolish to write the #27 crew off.

Elsewhere in the 16 car LMP2 field there is variety aplenty. The Barazi Epsilon Zytek has shown some blinding speed, punctuated by misfortune (harpooned by a flying Peugeot included). The Zytek was again stunningly quick at Le Mans, but the team will need to be error-free to bring home a result.

The Trading Performance team meanwhile is beginning to get to grips with its Zytek; there’s a way to go yet, though, for the Belgian-run squad.

There are three other Zytek-powered cars in the field and for two of them, the Embassy Racing WF01s, hopes are high for another step forward after increasingly encouraging form; most recently, of course, a head-turning run at Le Mans. Testing has been providing further encouragement and the re-introduction of Darren Manning to the squad (replacing Mario Haberfeld) will be a further welcome fillip.

In Lola land there’s the usual quartet of Huntingdon-built machinery. The Speedy / Sebah Lola coupe has proved its speed but the crew need to make fewer errors if there is to be a race long challenge for Hugh Hayden’s pretty 2008 weapon.

Of the B05/40 derivatives, RML must surely be due a change of luck. They’ve had plenty so far this year – all of it bad; culminating in an airborne moment for Mike Newton at Le Mans.

Airborne antics on an entirely different scale of course befell the KSM Mazda Lola – There’s been time since then though to completely rebuild the #44 car and, no doubt, to settle Hideki Noda’s nerves! The team professes itself delighted with the MZR-R – time to start up through the field, methinks.

Finally, the Quifel ASM Lola. Olivier Pla has been proving his worth all season, with Miguel Amaral reinforcing his credentials as a quick gentleman. In a field with as much strength in depth as this one, though, the reality is that any pro-am crew is racing in hope of picking up a podium slot.

The #35 Saulnier Racing Pescarolo Judd has been a revelation - the new Judd surely a standard setter for the non-factory P2 class in years to come - with the #35 crew all too often embarrassing their LMP1 team mates. If this one can stay out of trouble, it will be there or thereabouts.

The Team Bruichladdich Radical has struggled all season, both for pace and reliability; one without the other simply won’t hack it now in LMP2 and the team will need to have made some big steps forward if they are to post a points finish.

ACO favourites WR are back with their Zytek-powered prototype. Here’s hoping for a major step forward, too, for the little French team, who rather endearingly loves to do it its own way.

Last, and quite possibly least, there are a pair of Lucchinis on the list. Racing Box is back after its Le Mans scrutineering disaster, hoping no doubt to find its way back onto Daniel Poissenot’s Christmas card list. Its Italian stallion is joined by a second Lucchini – it’s been a while since we had two on a grid for an international event – Ranieri Randaccio making a return to the Le Mans Series with a new shape Lucchini for the first time. Both teams will have reasonably low expectations and are unlikely, therefore, to be disappointed.