Heading
towards the sunshine . . . for a night race
!
After
seven weeks of thumb-twiddling, and almost twice
as long since the previous round of the Le Mans
Series at Spa in early May, the series leaps
back into action with a "first" in
the Algarve - the first race at the brand new
and exciting Autodromo do Algarve near
Portimão, and a first-ever "night
race" for the ACO's flagship series.
The
timing has thrown up a number of unexpected
challenges for teams, media and, to a lesser
extent, spectators alike. Scheduling the event
for the first weekend in August must have looked
like a very appealing prospect when the organisers
stuck their pin in the calendar last year, but
the reality has shown in ample form that staging
a major motor race in the Algarve at the height
of the holiday season is no easy solution. The
beaches and resorts may be teeming with holidaymakers,
many from the UK, who might be looking for entertainment
on a Saturday evening, but shipping in thirty-five
racecars and the associated entourage of several
thousand mechanics, engineers, support staff
and corporate guests has put a considerable
strain on the local infrastructure, not to mention
the pockets of the teams concerned.
The
sport is currently enduring a period of economic
and financial constraint, with diminishing sponsorship
revenues and increasing costs, and the ACO did
well to anticipate this before the start of
the season. Various regulation changes were
aimed at cutting costs, and the official test
day at Le Mans was cancelled on the same pretext.
Now, mid-way through the season, the teams arrive
in Portugal to discover that hotel rooms that
were a mere 50€ a night in March, when
some came to test at the new circuit, are now
five times as much. That's even assuming a spare
room can even be found.
The
cost of flights too have risen significantly,
to coincide with the peak holiday period, and
the latest news comes through that car hire
companies in the Faro and Portimão area
have run out of spare vehicles for the weekend
of the race. There now seems little doubt that
Round 3 of the 2009 Le Mans Series will be the
most costly race of the year, but will it be
worth it?
On
two counts - both mentioned in the opening paragraph
- the sincere hope is 'yes!'. Most of the top
teams have now had the opportunity to test at
the new Autodromo do Algarve, and there's
been universal praise for the circuit.
From
the drivers' point of view, it is undoubtedly
one of the most challenging, and satisfying,
racetracks in motorsport. Taking full advantage
of the surrounding hills, the track sweeps and
turns through a succession of tantalising bends,
punctuated by a handful of snappy straights
and one very long high-speed "straightaway".
The result is a circuit that tests the drivers'
skills to the utmost, but rewards a good lap
with a supreme sense of achievement. It also
presents the engineers with the task of creating
a set-up that meets the "perfect compromise"
between downforce and mechanical grip. Not such
an easy task, but one that experienced teams
will relish. If you'd like to find out more
about the track, see the link at the foot
of this page.
The
topography that has resulted in dips, dives
and blind crests for the drivers also lends
itself perfectly to creating a natural amphitheatre
from which to view the track. The circuit is
surrounded on three sides by banked grandstands
capable of seating tens of thousands of spectators,
while a massive tiered "tribune" towers
over the main straight to complete the encirclement.
Chosen carefully, a vantage point here will
permit almost every twist and turn to be seen
without having to move once . . . although with
six hours of night racing to savour, that might
be a shame.
And
that's the second count - a night race. Given
that the circuit will be suitably illuminated,
the appeal of a race through the balmy darkness
of a Portuguese evening has got to be a definite
plus. With headlights skywards one moment, and
diving down into the depths of a hollow the
next, or sweeping through from one sinuous curve
to the next, this should be a fabulous spectacle.
Let's just hope it doesn't rain.
On
the Track - through the classes
LMP1:
With the Le Mans 24 Hours consigned to the history
books there are some significant absentees from
the entry list for the Algarve. In LMP1, the
race-winning Peugeots are giving Portugal a
miss. So too the Audi R15, which had a troubled
Le Mans debut.
That
leaves just ten cars to contest LMP1, with the
two Aston Martin Lolas perhaps favourites now
to take another win, although the similarly
powered Speedy Sebah Lola may run them close.
The two Orecas and a single Pescarolo cannot
be dismissed either, but the dark horse in LMP1,
in ever sense, may be the Strakka Racing Ginetta
Zytek GZ09S. The black car surprised everyone
by taking pole in Barcelona in the hands of
former Formula Renault Champion and A1GP winner
Danny Watts. Since then the team has managed
a creditable finish in the Le Mans 24 Hours,
and also consolidated its driver line-up to
just two; Danny and Strakka regular Nick Leventis.
Perhaps
it would be unwise to overlook the two Kolles
Audi R10s. The ex-works diesels were almost
an embarrassment in Barcelona, but had found
added pace by the time they reached Spa, although
were never likely to earn a tilt at the podium.
At Le Mans they made further improvements, and
started to look worthy of the Audi mantle, despite
making the strange decision of dropping their
most consistent driver. Andy Meyrick is back
for Portimão, but it will be interesting
to see if the rest of the squad can match his
efforts.
LMP2:
Those high-profile drop-outs from LMP1 leave
LMP2 as the dominant category in the race, numerically
at least. Twelve cars are listed from the second
prototype category (see below), but
there are also some names missing from here
too.
Barazi
Epsilon, the team that has so often challenged
RML in the past with their Zytek chassis (left,
at Le Mans), will not be taking part, and neither
will Kruse Schiller Motorsport (KSM). The popular
German squad has had a tough time this season,
having fallen foul to a fraudtser pre-season,
and then endured a very difficult Le Mans 24
Hours that eventually saw the team's Lola B07/96
consumed by fire in the pitlane. Sadly, the
team has been unable to make good the necessary
repairs in time for Round 3 and, with regret,
has had to withdraw from the Portimão
race.
Of
the two other non-starters, Pegasus Racing may
not be significantly missed (although the team's
Avon-shod Oreca was nicely turned out at Spa
and certainly didn't disgrace itself) but the
fact that not one single Porsche RS Spyder will
be competing opens the class up totally. Team
Essex might have been expected to race, but
the re-liveried Le Mans winner (right)
is not listed for the Algarve. That leaves seven,
or perhaps eight, of the twelve LMP2 starters
with a fair-to-good chance of a podium.
Aside
from Mike Newton and Tommy Erdos in the RML
Lola Mazda Coupé, who must now be one
of the favourites for the class, there are three
other Lola coupés with excellent prospects.
The Racing Box Lolas ran well at Barcelona and
Spa, although fell short of several hurdles
at Le Mans, but must be ranking high with the
bookies. Likewise, the Speedy Sebah LMP2 Lola
has shown good form, and the Swiss team has
the benefit of having worked with the new chassis
longer than anyone else.
The
ASM Quifel Ginetta-Zytek will be tough to beat,
especially with the added advantage of playing
from home. The Portuguese team has always been
ultra-competitive, whether running the GZ09
or their previous Lola chassis, and will be
keen to make a mark in front of the local crowd.
Likewise
the two Oak Racing Pescarolos. After a lacklustre
season in 2008, when the cars ran as Saulnier
Racing and earned a reputation as tuggers, the
new name and striking livery (left)
has revolutionised the French team. They've
come back in 2009 and been transformed from
also-rans into serious contenders.
Another
car to have shown significant improvement in
recent races is the WR Salini, with its gutsy
Zytek engine. Upping their ante for the Algarve,
the team has brought in the services of Frenchman
Bruce Jouanny - eminently capable of a quick
lap and sure to raise the stakes again. Finally,
there's one more LMP2 entry looking to shine
in the sun, although it may be an uphill challenge.
The Spanish Q8 Oils Hache Team brings in an
all-new all-Spanish driver line-up for Round
3.
GT1:
There are only two GT1 entries for the Algarve,
adding strength to the belief that this is the
last year for what was once the pinnacle of
GT racing. Perhaps last weekend's Spa 24 Hours
will have been the swan-song for this one pre-eminent
category? A sad loss, if so, but when it can
be cheaper for a team to compete in LMP1 than
GT1, perhaps inevitable.
Up
against the solo Larbre Saleen in the race is
a singleton Corvette from Luc Alphand's adventurous
stable, like the #73 seen here (right)
at Le Mans. We are pleased to report that Luc
is making a steady recovery from a serious back
injury, sustained when he came off his bike
during the Rand'Auvergne 400km rally raid event
at the end of June. A major operation on his
spine went well and "Lucho" is now
back at home in Serre Chevalier convalescing
A class win for the one-car entry from his eponymous
team might be just the tonic he needs.
GT2:
The final 11 entries for GT2 bring
the total grid for the Algarve to a respectable
35
Media
Coverage
TV:
It seems you'll have to travel to the Czech
Republic to get full coverage of the Algarve
1000 Kilometres, as that's the only country
broadcasting full live coverage of the event.
What they've done to deserve such comprehensive
coverage isn't clear, but the rest of Europe
will have to make do with the same patchy service
that has been a characteristic of this year's
Le Mans Series.
In
the UK, coverage is restricted to done to a
few live snippets at the start of the race,
and then edited highlights later in the day.
Check out listings for Eurosport and Eurosport
2, where further details will be posted on the
schedules in the days leading up to the race.
Best
terrestrial coverage is in Italy. To find out
more, visit the Le Mans Series website, where
a roundup of anticipated coverage is included
here.
Radio
& On-line: The news on the radio
front continues to be good, however, with confirmation
that Radio Le Mans will be again be offering
full coverage of the Le Mans Series from Portugal.
Their schedule includes detailed analysis and
blow-by-blow reporting on every aspect of the
weekend's events, starting with final practice
and qualifying on Friday. Articles and features
about the Le Mans Series, including highlights
and post-race assessment following the last
round at Spa, are already available as podcasts
from the RLM website, including contributions
from RML's own Thomas Erdos, and Graham Goodwin
of Dailysportscar. Click the link below for
access the new website.
More
information?
If
you're looking for more information about the
new Autodromo do Algarve, then check out our
comprehensive circuit review. Follow this link.
