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LMS Test, Paul Ricard – Preview Much To Look Forward
To With a fully subscribed series announced back
in January, is it a disappointment that only 28 cars will be present at this
weekend’s test in the south of
As we will see shortly, there is little that is carried over from 2008
for the majority of teams present. New cars, new engines, new classes, new to
the series – at least one of these challenges will be facing 21 of the 24
attendees.. Testing takes place on Sunday and Monday, but
unlike in previous years, there will be no option for a 24-hour test; track
action ending at LMP1 – All Change Seven of the dozen full-season entries in the top class will be present
when the event gets underway on Sunday, but the absence of the Pescarolo-Judds
and Kolles Audis will in no way detract from what should be a fascinating couple
of days. For each of the five teams present, 2009 will bring a fresh
challenge. Aston Martin Racing will be debuting its two LMP1 Lola Aston Martins
after an intensive and well-documented build programme, and it is to be hoped
that the focus quickly switches away from the naming issues and onto the track.
Such has been AMR’s schedule – the car’s only pre-Ricard shakedown having to be undertaken without full bodywork - that it would be foolish to expect anything spectacular from this weekend’s activities; but perhaps we’ll get a hint of its potential.
The benchmark has to be a 1:42.105 – the best time set by the Charouz
Racing System Lola B08/60 Aston Martin at the 2008 test – although we need to
bear in mind that the new car will be running to 2009
regulations. Speedy Racing - Team Sebah will also be using that same benchmark as it makes its LMP1 debut with the ex-Charouz Lola, both of the team’s Lolas featuring new for 2009, and very striking liveries – you won’t mistake this pair for anything else on the grid.
We’ll have a full report on the team’s preparations shortly, but this
weekend the car will be running in 2008 spec., making the benchmark time a bit
more meaningful. Matching the Lolas – numerically at least – will be a trio of
Courage-Oreca LC70s. Team Oreca Matmut is very familiar with the car, unlike newcomers Signature Plus, but Hugues de Chaunac’s team will this year be powered by AIM engines and this will be our first opportunity to see how it compares to the Judd-powered version of Signature. Indeed it will be the first time that we’ll effectively see a back to back comparison of Judd vs AIM in the same chassis.
Testing of the AIM engine appears to have gone well so far, but this is
an ambitious partnership and we can expect a strong showing from this
experienced French team. Although not yet confirmed, rumours suggest that Petter Solberg will be
signing on the dotted line soon. With no rally taking place this weekend, might
the Norwegian ace be found lurking in the HTTT pits this
weekend? Does the seventh LMP1 present have more of a
claim to be the ‘official’
Strakka Racing’s Ginetta Zytek 09S has already proven to be a very strong
package and certainly has the potential to be the fastest car this
weekend. Let the games begin! LMP2 – A Level Playing
Field? Only five of the 16 full-season LMP2 entries will be present chez
Bernie’s, but, with the addition of Team Essex – only expected currently to race
at Spa - this half-dozen represents a good cross-section of the entrants and
should give an indication as to whether the non-Porsches have shifted the
balance of power. Team
One thing is for sure – the class is stuffed full of ambitious teams, and
it is likely that the action in this class will be more relevant to the season
ahead than that of LMP1. RML and Speedy Racing Team Sebah both bring their Lola B08/80 Coupés to the circuit for the first time, with the Wellingborough team hoping its Mazda power plant will have an advantage over the Judd engine used by its Surrey-based rivals.
RML have tested extensively already over the close-season, but Speedy
Sebah have a year’s experience with the car and bring a number of significant
updates to the field of play in 2009. Jacques Nicolet’s Saulnier Racing Pescarolo-Judd was highly competitive
in 2008 and the switch to Mazda power and Dunlop rubber is intended to only
enhance that competitiveness. Now known as Oak Racing, this team should continue
to be a front-runner this season.
The latest entry list shows that only one of the pair of full season
entries will be present. The Quifel-ASM Lola was exactly half a second off the Team Essex time last year and it’s fair to say that its expectations are markedly higher this year. Now fielding a Ginetta-Zytek 09S2, the team is already reportedly faster in testing than the 2008 Spyder.
Pegasus Racing may not be expecting to make
headlines on its LMS debut with the Courage-Oreca LC75-AER, but the team comes
to the series as VdeV victors and will not be there just to make up the
numbers. They are welcome additions
to the LMS grid and will be looking to put the disappointment of rejection for a
GT1 – The Final
Fling Just three representatives of the doomed class will be present this weekend (50% of the full entry), consisting of a Slovenian Saleen, a Russian Lamborghini and a French Corvette.
The cars are unlikely to throw up any surprises, but we should get to see
whether the S7-R and Murcielago can carry the fight to the Corvette, or whether
it will foretell an ALMS-like domination of the class by the Luc Alphand cars in
the absence of DBR9 competition. GT2 – Lots Of New
Faces A dozen cars for GT2 this year – the only category to see an increase in
numbers over the 2008 test – and the class will be demanding a great deal of
attention; both at the test and during the
season. Rob Bell returns as two-time champ, but now with JMW Motorsport after the split from Virgo. Given that he will again have Gimmi Bruni alongside him in what is the winning car from last year, and be surrounded by a significant core of the winning team, he must again be rated as the one to beat.
And there are many challengers. Virgo is back of course with a brand new Ferrari, a new look
backroom team and a trio of new drivers, Michael Vergers joining Sean and
Michael McInerney. Team Hankook – Team Farnbacher returns, Pierre Ehret’s car sporting its third
different tyre make in less than a season’s racing with the welcome arrival of
the Hankook brand to European ACO-rules racing.
Class stalwarts JMB are back too with yet another Ferrari F430 GT. We await news of drive squads for the Monagasque equipe. Total newcomers to the LMS are Italian FIA GT occasionals Easyrace. Guess
what they are running in GT2? Go on, Italian team, sportscar racers – yup you’ve
guessed it – Michelotto must be rubbing their hands with
glee! Drayson Racing arrives in the LMS with a surge of momentum carried over from an encouraging end to 2008 in the States and a wave of good news so far this year. The team’s Vantage GT2 is sure to be a significant presence right from the off.
IMSA Performance Matmut takes a brace of Porsche 997 GT3 RSRs to the
test, with a third Porsche fielded by Team Felbermayr-Proton. The German team
was the only one to consistently take the fight to Virgo in 2008 and finished as
runner-up in the championship, Has the 2009 spec 997 got enough in the tank to
do the same, or go one better, in 2009? Snoras Spyker Squadron returns with one of its
popular C8 Laviolette GT2-R, a single car entry this year in LMS and at
Variety is, as they say the spice of life and that’s never truer than in
endurance racing – 28 cars at the test and barely an identical car (apart from
the GT2 Ferraris!) amongst them – It could prove to be a very interesting
weekend’s action. We’ll bring it all to you here on DSC.
MH/GG |
