Let Battle Resume

There is perhaps even more anticipation ahead of the 79th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours than there usually is - and there's usually a great deal!

The intense rivalry that has developed over recent years between the two main factory teams; Audi and Peugeot, seems to have increased general public awareness of what happens in central France each June. Advertising campaigns by both companies have hit the magazines, streets and broadcast networks, bringing images of the two main contenders into sharp focus. There have even been previews and features in some of the national papers in the UK, and that doesn't happen every year.

2010's astonishing ending - when an almost-certain Peugeot victory went up in smoke almost within sight of the chequered flag, handing Audi a memorable 1-2-3 finish - left the French giant even more determined to regain national honour in 2011. Over the winter a new version of the blisteringly quick but ultimately fragile 908 was developed, and hopes were high when the teams arrived at Sebring for the season's first major enduro. Remarkably, a Peugeot 908 did win the 12 Hours . . . but it was the wrong car. One of last year's 908s, in the hands of the privateer Oreca squad, took top honours, despite running to "grandfathered" rules which are supposed to slow down the older chassis.

On that occasion, in March, Audi gave their R15 a final outing, but in the days immediately after the race revealed their new contender. The R18 sees Audi adopting the coupé format for the first time since the elegant R8C of 1999, but this new one lacks the svelte finesse of that Peter Elleray-designed hard-top from 12 years ago. Where that earlier coupé had a delicate, almost feminine styling, the new R18 (left) majors on rugged good looks and an almost sinister determination.

When the two factories went head-to-head for the first time at Spa last month, Peugeot emerged victorious, beating the all-new Audi R18 of Kristensen, Capello and McNish into third behind a pair of the 2011-spec 908s. On paper it appeared to be an emphatic result, but on track it looked more as though the R18s, first time out in anger, just needed a little more time. Where the 908 hustled through the corners looking a little edgy and nervous, the R18s were smooth as silk, composed and stuck to the track on magnets. Four weeks down the line and we can expect much more from the Audis at La Sarthe.

Those same four weeks have been vitally important for everyone at RML. The accident that befell Mike Newton in second free practice on the Thursday before Spa's 1000 Kilometre race effectively wrote-off the original ex-De Ferran HPD ARX-01 chassis. Following the team's return to Wellingborough the tub was subjected to detailed ultrasonic examination which confirmed that the carbon fibre construction was beyond safe repair.

The challenge was then to find a replacement, but off-the-shelf examples are hard to come-by at such short notice. Various avenues were explored, including some fairly ingenious possibilities, but in the end the only viable solution was to source a second original unit from the States.

On the evening of Thursday 26th May, just eight days before the team was scheduled to depart for France, the former Andretti Green tub arrived at the workshops from America. Working through the weekend and several nights as well as following days, the engineers and mechanics at RML had the car fully rebuilt in time for a shakedown test at Snetterton on June 3rd. "It went very well," said a satisfied Phil Barker, relieved no doubt to have seen the car complete over 250 kilometres of the Norfolk track. "That was a little more than we'd intended," he admitted, "but it ensured that all three drivers had a session, and everyone's slotted neatly back into the groove."

So, in the nick of time, everything came together, and the RML AD Group HPD-ARX-01d headed off to France to join the 55 other cars destined to prepare for the 79th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. The full entry list is as follows:

M = Michelin Tyres, D = Dunlop Tyres

The overall winner might fairly be expected to come from within the ranks of those factory Peugeots (left) and Audis, but that shouldn't preclude strong runs from several others in that list. The Oreca 908 is, of course, the Sebring winning car, and came very close to the podium at Le Mans last year as well. The #16 Pescarolo will certainly be the French fans' favourite, with local hero Henri Pescarolo looking for his first win as a team owner to add to his four personal victories as a driver. The car (right), "grandfathered" for 2011, won at Paul Ricard in April and will be among the quickest of the petrol-engined cars.

If the two Rebellion Lolas, with Toyota power this season, can work together more effectively, and keep out of their respective garages, then the gold and red coupés should be close to the pace as well, but the one likely to eclipse them all (excluding the diesels, of course) is the Quifel ASM Zytek 09C. Olivier Pla and Warren Hughes should have no problem matching the pace of the best petrol-powered cars, and Miguel Amaral is a very competent amateur. The very experienced squad moved up from LMP2 this season, and has been consistently quick, perhaps even the quickest of the "petrol" class.

Representing something of an "unknown quantity" in LMP1 will be the two AMR-One open-topped prototypes from Aston Martin Racing (above). In a supremely bold venture, Aston Martin elected to "go it alone" in 2011, abandoning the Lola chassis that served them well in 2010 (and returns to Le Mans with Kronos this year) to design and develop not only their own chassis, but also a completely new straight-six engine as well. The project incurred some serious delays over the winter, missing Sebring and the Paul Ricard test, before making a brief debut at the opening round of the Le Mans Series in April. The singleton entry retired after 96 laps. Two cars then appeared at Le Mans for the official test at the end of the month, but neither ran cleanly and more engine woes were diagnosed. However, just last week the AMR-One was reputed to have completed some extended and much more successful runs at Monza, so could yet deliver a surprise after all.

The final entry of note in LMP1 is probably the Hope Racing entry #5, right. The partnership between an Oreca chassis and Swiss Hytech mechanicals passed the ACO's stringent entry requirements for hybrid technology at the end of May. It will be the first hybrid prototype to take the start of 24 Hours. It is powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder Swiss Hytech engine, combined with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) developed by Flybrid Systems of Silverstone. It will also be driven by Jan Lammers, making his 22nd appearance at Le Mans.

LMP2

The full LMP2 entry for the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours is listed below. Click a thumbnail to view an enlarged photo.

	LMP2
26		Signatech Nissan	FRA	D	Oreca 03-Nissan	Franck Mailleux (FRA) Soheil Ayari (FRA) Lucas Ordoñez (FRA)
33		Level 5 Motorsport	USA	M	Lola Coupé-HPD	Scott Tucker USA Christophe Bouchut (FRA) João Barbosa (PRT)
35		Oak Racing	FRA	D	Pescarolo - Judd BMW	Frédéric da Rocha (FRA) Patrice Lafargue (FRA) Andrea Barlesi (BEL)
36		RML AD Group	GBR	D	HPD ARX-01d HPD V6 turbo	Tommy Erdos (BRA) Mike Newton (GBR) Ben Collins (GBR)
39		Pecon Racing	ARG	M	Lola B11/40 Judd V8	Luis Perez Companc (ARG) Matias Russo (ARG) Pierre Kaffer (GER)
40		Race Performance	SUI	D	Oreca 03 Judd V8	Michel Frey (CHE) Ralph Meichtry (CHE) Marc Rostan (FRA)
41		Greaves Motorsport	GBR	D	Zytek Z11SN Nissan	Karim Ojjeh (SAU) Tom Kimber-Smith (GBR) Olivier Lombard (FRA)
42		Strakka Racing	GBR	M	HPD ARX-01d HPD V6 turbo	Nick Leventis (GBR) Danny Watts (GBR) Jonny Kane (GBR)
44		Extreme Limite AM Paris	FRA	D	Norma M200P Judd V8	Fabien Rosier (FRA) Philippe Haezebrouck (FRA) Jean-René de Fournoux (FRA)
48		Team Oreca Matmut	FRA	M	Oreca 03 Nissan	David Hallyday (FRA) Alexandre Premat (FRA) Dominik Kraihamer (AUT)
49		Oak Racing	FRA	D	Pescarolo - Judd BMW	Shinji Nakano (JPN) Nicolas de Crem (FRA) Jan Charouz (CZK)

M = Michelin Tyres, D = Dunlop Tyres

With the exception of the Strakka Racing HPD, all these cars took part in the official Test Day at Le Mans in April. On that occasion, as they have throughout the season, the Nissan-powered Orecas set the pace around the full thirteen kilometre Sarthe circuit, and we can largely expect a repeat performance in qualifying for the 24 Hours. However, the Greaves Zytek is sure to give them a close run, and so too perhaps the Pecon Lola, which has shown a brisk turn of speed this season.

In our Spa-Francorchamps Preview, as well as to a lesser extent in the Test Day Preview, we examined the complexities of LMP2 this season, and tried to unravel the mystery of quite how a set of rules can be applied so differently within a class of around a dozen cars. Since then there have been further changes to the regulations, with the Judd-engined cars receiving bigger restrictors and an improved fuel-flow system to enhance their performance when compared to the Nissan-powered cars.

These revisions have been applied in two stages, with the cost-capped cars (which already have a performance advantage) being offered a better deal (larger restrictors, better fuel flow) than the "grandfathered" MG Lola EX265 Judd run in the Le Mans Series by RLR Motorsport. The ex-RML MG looks set to be even further disadvantaged as a result, although as the EX265 is not racing at Le Mans we won't know for certain until the LMS arrives at Imola in July.

How this change will affect the relative performance of the two HPDs remains to be seen. Prior to Mike's accident at Spa, and with the benefit of having witnessed the Strakka HPD claim third in the race, it might appear that the HPDs have edged a little closer to the outright LMP2 pace. Certainly the car performed better at Spa than it had at Paul Ricard, but with the benefit of having left Belgium with a car still in one piece, it may be the Strakka drivers that are first to determine the true situation at Le Mans. Although the Snetterton shakedown will have helped RML enormously, it may take a few hours of tracktime before Tommy and the guys at RML find the best set-up for the fully re-built #36 HPD.

Even if the two HPD squads still lack outright pace, they should be able to counter that with experience and professionalism. Strakka took the LMP2 crown at Le Mans last year with a record-breaking run to 5th overall, while the RML squad has two class wins and eight consecutive years of Le Mans experience behind them. Both teams will be aiming for reliability, efficiency and a clean run. The acknowledged fuel economy of the HPD V6 (largely thanks to the strangulating restrictors!) may also help, with longer stints between pit stops, and all enhanced by slick pitwork and driver changes.

There are two or three other drivers - apart from our own! - to look out for in LMP2. In the #26 Oreca we have Lucas Ordoñez, the first graduate from the Playstation GT Academy. Lucas started his racing career sitting in front of a computer screen at home, playing Gran Turismo on his PC - when he wasn't working towards his degree in Business Studies at Madrid University. In 2008 a joint venture between Nissan and Sony saw the launch of GT Academy, a sort of "X-Factor" for motor racing, and Lucas was the first winner. His reward was three months intensive training at a racing school in the UK and then a drive in the 2009 Dubai 24 Hours with Johnny Herbert. Two years later and he finds himself making his Le Mans debut, and proving that it is possible to make the transition from virtual racer to the real thing.

Another one to watch is Tom Kimber-Smith in the Greaves Zytek. By his own admission this is "make or break" year for TKS. There's no denying his pace, and he had the same chassis on pole for the Le Mans Series race at Silverstone in 2007, co-driving with Danny Watts.

It's not clear what this says about the chassis, the current regulations, Danny Watts, or TKS himself, but whatever the interpretation, it was a stunning achievement. A couple of fairly barren years ended with the offer of the drive with Greaves, and he shone instantly and earned himself a permanent seat in the #41.

Our final mention in this LMP2 preview goes to the #48 Team Oreca Nissan 03, and for two reasons. On the one hand, we have David Hallyday in the cockpit, son of legendary French crooner Johnny Hallyday. Partnered by Alexandre Premat and Dominik Kraihamer, Hallyday is the 'gentleman' in the cockpit, but no mean driver in his own right and likely to be part of a highly competitive entry . . . but there's the rub. LMP2 is supposed to be the domain of the privateer team, with an amateur driver at the heart of each squad, so the presence of what is undeniably a factory outfit in LMP2 has raised a few eyebrows in the media.

For an in-depth preview of LMP2, team by team, listen to the Radio Le Mans discussion between John Hindhaugh and Dailysportscar's editor Graham Goodwin. Click this link: RLM LMP2 Preview and listen to the podcast as we press on here, briefly, with the GT classes.

GTE-Pro

As explained in our Paul Ricard Preview, the class system in GT has changed significantly in 2011, and the two classes embraced by the ACO are, in simple terms, last year's GT2 split into "Professional", usually with all-pro driver line-ups, and "Amateur", with no more than one professional driver in each squad. In addition, the cars in the "Am" category have to be at least one year old.

GTE-Pro is anybody's game this time around, with well over half the grid in with a fighting chance of a podium. There are very few, if any, weak links in what is an impressive list of teams, drivers and machines. Former Grand Prix drivers will be battling it out with sportscar champions, and the spectators are assured of some of the closest and most entertaining on-track duelling here in the tin-top classes. The wildcard entry is Lotus JetAlliance, with a two-car Evora entry. Fresh out of the box and looking marvellous, but largely untried and untested. They could surprise, but they might equally well prove to be too green to stay with the pack.

GTE-Am

M = Michelin Tyres, D = Dunlop Tyres, H = Hankook

To distinguish the classes - and it can be difficult - each category bears a distinctively coloured number panel:

LMP1	LMP2	GTE-Pro	GTE-Am

Ben Collins, the Man in the White Suit

Ben joined RML mid-way through 2010, and enjoyed a win first time out in the Algarve. At that time his alter ego as Top Gear's The Stig was still a (not so well kept) secret. Then, in September 2010, his day job became public knowledge, and eight years as the enigmatic driver in the white suit was revealed. His "outing" as The Stig is a tale of complex legal technicalities and injunctions, but a fortnight after the news broke, Ben's autobiography, The Man in the White Suit, was released.

The book has now released in paperback and will be on sale in the official ACO Boutique in the Museum at the
Le Mans circuit, and Ben will be signing copies of the book during the official Drivers Autograph Session
on Tuesday 7th June, starting at 5:00pm. He will also be at the ACO Boutique in the Museum on Friday 8th June between 14:30 pm and 15:30 pm.

The Man in the White Suit is published in paperback by HarperCollins, priced 10 euros. You can read a details review of the book here on the website: Ben Collins Book Review.

Schedule for the Week

All cars will go through a thorough scrutineering process on the Sunday or Monday in Le Mans town centre. The pitlane will be open to the public for most of Tuesday, with a designated autograph session starting at 5:00pm. There will be four hours of Free Practice on Wednesday afternoon, followed by the opening period of Qualifying that evening. There are two more qualifying session on Thursday. Highlight of Friday will be the evening parade through the town centre, and then the race starts at 3:00pm on Saturday. The following timetable is subject to change and the circumstances and events of the day.

Sunday 5th June / Dimanche 5 juin 2011
14:30 – 19:00 Scrutineering / Vérifications Administratives et Techniques (Place Centrale des Jacobins)

Monday 6th June / Lundi 6 juin 2011
09:30 - 17:30 Scrutineering / Vérifications Administratives et Techniques (Place Centrale des Jacobins)

Tuesday 7th June / Mardi 7 juin 2011
17:00 Drivers Autograph Session / Séance Autographes Pilotes (Pit Lane)

Wednesday 8th June / Mercredi 8 juin 2011
16:00 – 20 :00 Free Practice 1 / Essais Libres 24 Heures du Mans
22:00 – 24:00 Qualifying Practice 1 / Essais Qualificatifs 24 Heures du Mans     

Thursday 9th June / Jeudi 9 juin 2011
19:00 – 21:00 Qualifying Practice 2 / Essais Qualificatifs 24 Heures du Mans
22:00 – 24:00 Qualifying Practice 3 / Essais Qualificatifs 24 Heures du Mans

Friday 10th June / Vendredi 10 juin 2011
10:00 – 20:00 Pit Walk / Découverte des stands
14:30-15:30. Ben Collins Book Signing. Museum Shop.
18:00 – 19:00 Grand Parade of Drivers / Parade des pilotes (Town Centre / Centre Ville)

Saturday 11th June / Samedi 11 juin 2011
09.00 - 09:45 Warm-Up 24 Heures du Mans
14:22 Beginning of the start procedure. Clear the grid / Début de la procédure de départ
15:00 Start of the 79th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours / Départ 79ème édition des 24 Heures du Mans

Sunday 12th June / Dimanche 12 juin 2011
15:00 Finish of the 79th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours / Arrivée de la 79ème édition des 24 Heures du Mans

Media Coverage

The 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours will be broadcast extensively live by Eurosport, Eurosport 2 and Eurosport Asia-Pacific. The following times are in BST:

Wednesday June 8th  

15.00 - 19.00    Free practice
21.00 - 23.00    Qualifying 1
 
Thursday June 9th

18.00 - 20.00    Qualifying 2
21.00 - 23.00    Qualifying 3
 
Saturday June 11th

08.00 - 08.45    24 Hours Warm-Up
09.05 - 09.50    Le Mans Legends Race
13.30               Grid formation
14.00               Start 79th Le Mans 24 Hours
 
Sunday June 12th

14.00               Finish and podium celebrations
14.30               End of live coverage
 
In addition to the live coverage listed above, Eurosport will also be offering a Le Mans 24 Minutes magazine each evening, with highlights of the day's events. Live Internet streaming of the race is also available on the Eurosport Player web TV service and on mobile phone apps.

Le Mans would not be the same without Radio Le Mans. In-depth coverage of all the week's events will be available live (on-line and via radio at the track) and as podcasts from John Hindhaugh and the crew. They will be providing blow-by-blow reporting throughout the week, with special features, driver interviews, and roving reporting all accessible from the RLM website. Click the button below for access.

Please also note that we will be providing regular updates throughout the week here on www.rml-adgroup.com.