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:
|
LMP1 |
|
|
|
1 |
Audi
Sport Team Joest |
M |
Audi R18 TDi |
Bernhard
((DEU), Dumas (FRA), Rockenfeller
(DEU) |
2 |
Audi
Sport Team Joest |
M |
Audi R18 TDi |
Fässler
(CHE), Lotterer (DEU) Treluyer
(FRA) |
3 |
Audi
Sport N. America |
M |
Audi R18 TDi |
Kristensen
(DNK)
Capello (ITA),
Mcnish (GBR) |
5 |
Hope
Racing (Hybrid) |
M |
Oreca
Swiss HyTech |
Zacchia
(CHE), Lammers (NED),
Elgaard (DNK)
|
7 |
Peugeot Sport Total |
M |
Peugeot 908 |
Wurz
(AUT), Gené (ESP), Davidson (GBR) |
8 |
Peugeot Sport Total |
M |
Peugeot 908 |
Montagny
(FRA), Sarrazin (FRA), Minassian
(FRA) |
9 |
Peugeot Sport Total |
M |
Peugeot 908 |
Bourdais
(FRA), Pagenaud (FRA), Lamy (PRT) |
10 |
Team Oreca Matmut |
M |
Peugeot 908 |
Lapierre
(FRA), Duval (FRA), Panis (FRA) |
12 |
Rebellion Racing |
M |
Lola
B10/60-Toyota |
Prost
(FRA), Jani (CHE), Bleekemolen
(NED) |
13 |
Rebellion Racing |
M |
Lola
B10/60-Toyota |
Belicchi
(ITA), Boullion (FRA), Smith (GBR) |
14 |
Quifel
ASM |
D |
Zytec
09C |
Amaral
(POR), Pla (FRA), Hughes (GBR) |
15 |
Oak Racing |
D |
Pescarolo - Judd |
Moreau
(FRA), Ragues (FRA), Monteiro (FRA) |
16 |
Pescarolo Team |
M |
Pescarolo Judd |
Collard
(FRA), Tinseau (FRA), Jousse (FRA) |
22 |
Kronos Racing
|
M |
Lola Aston Martin |
Ickx
(BEL), Martin )BEL), Leinders (BEL) |
24 |
Oak Racing |
D |
Pescarolo - Judd |
Nicolet
(FRA), Hein (MCO), Yvon (FRA) |
007 |
Aston Martin Racing |
M |
AMR-One |
Mucke
(DEU), Turner (GBR), Klien (AUT) |
009 |
Aston Martin Racing |
M |
AMR-One |
Primat
(CHE), Fernandez (MEX), Meyrick
(GBR) |
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.
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
|
|
|
|
|
51 |
AF Corse |
M |
Ferrari 458 Italia |
Fisichella
(ITA ), Bruni (ITA ), Vilander (FIN) |
55 |
BMW Motorsport |
D |
BMW M3 GT |
Farfus
(BRA), Muller (DEU), Werner (DEU) |
56 |
BMW Motorsport |
D |
BMW M3 GT |
Priaulx
(GBR), Muller (DEU), Hand (USA) |
58 |
Luxury Racing |
M |
Ferrari 458 Italia |
Beltoise
(FRA), Jakubowski (FRA), Deletrez (CHE) |
59 |
Luxury Racing |
M |
Ferrari 458 Italia |
Ortelli
(MCO), Makowiecki (FRA) Melo (BRA) |
64 |
Lotus JetAlliance |
M |
Lotus Evora |
Hartshorne
(GBR), Rich (GBR), Slingerland
(DEU) |
65 |
Lotus JetAlliance |
M |
Lotus Evora |
Hirschi (CHE),
Rossitter (GBR), Mowlem (GBR) |
66 |
JMW
Motorsport |
M |
Ferrari
458 Italia |
Rob
Bell (GBR), Sugden (GBR), Maassen
(FRA) |
71 |
AF Corse |
M |
Ferrari
F458 Italia |
Kauffman
(ITA),
Walltrip (USA), Aguas (PRT) |
73 |
Corvette
Racing |
M |
Corvette C6 - ZR1 |
Milner
USA, Garcia (FRA), Beretta (MCO) |
74 |
Corvette
Racing |
M |
Corvette
C6 - ZR1 |
Gavin (GBR),
Magnussen (DNK), Westbrook (GBR) |
75 |
Prospeed
Comp'n |
M |
Porsche
997 RSR |
Goossens
(BEL), Holzer (GER),
Jaap van Lagen (NED) |
76 |
IMSA
Performance |
M |
Porsche
997 RSR |
Narac
(FRA), Pilet (FRA), Armindo (FRA) |
77 |
Felbermayr-Proton |
M |
Porsche
997 RSR |
Lieb
(DEU), Lietz (AUT), Henzler
(DEU) |
79 |
Jota |
D |
Aston Martin Vantage |
Hancock
(GBR), Dolan (GBR), Buncombe (GBR) |
80 |
Flying
Lizard |
M |
Porsche
997 RSR |
Bergmeister (GER),
Long (GER),
Luhr (GER) |
88 |
Felbermayr-Proton |
D |
Porsche
997 RSR |
Al
Faisal (SAU), Miller (USA), Tandy
(GBR) |
89 |
Hankook-Farnbacher |
H |
Ferrari 458 Italia |
Farnbacher
(DEU), Simonsen (DNK), Keen (USA) |
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
|
|
|
|
|
50 |
Larbre Competition |
M |
Corvette
C6 - ZR1 |
Bornhauser (FRA),
Canal (FRA) Gardel (FRA) |
57 |
Krohn
Racing |
D |
Ferrari
F430 GT2 |
Krohn (USA),
Jönsson (SWE), Rugolo (ITA
)
|
60 |
Gulf AMR Middle East |
D |
Aston Martin Vantage |
Giroix
(FRA), Goethe (DEU), Wainwright
(GBR) |
61 |
AF Corse |
M |
Ferrari
F430 GT2 |
Perazzini
(ITA), Cioci (ITA), Breslin
(DEU) |
62 |
CRS Racing |
M |
Ferrari
F430 GT2 |
Ehret
(DEU), Lynn (GBR), Wills (NZL) |
63 |
Proton
Competition |
M |
Porsche
997 RSR |
Felbermayrs
Jr (GER) and Snr (GER),
Reid (GER) |
68 |
Robertson Racing |
M |
Ford GT-Doran |
Robertson
(USA), Robertson (USA), Murry
(USA)
|
70 |
Larbre Competition |
M |
Porsche
997 RSR |
Bourret
(FRA), Gibon (FRA), Belloc (FRA) |
81 |
Flying
Lizard |
M |
Porsche
997 RSR |
Neiman (USA),
Law (CAN),
Pumpelly (USA) |
83 |
JMB Racing |
M |
Ferrari F430 |
Rodrigues
(FRA), Menahem (FRA), Marroc (FRA) |
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:
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.