2011
Le Mans Series ~ Round 4, Silverstone
After
a lengthy mid-Summer break, the 2011 Le
Mans Series resumed with Round 4 at Silverstone.
Almost exactly two months had passed
since the teams last competed in the heat
and humidity of Imola, and the bracing
near-autumnal winds that are were forecast
for Northamptonshire needed to do more
than just blow away a few cobwebs. RML's
trio of Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos and Ben
Collins faced another clean slate,
as they prepared to break-in and set-up
yet another 'new' chassis.
The
former Andretti Green HPD that served them
at Le Mans and Imola, following the accident
that wrote off the team's original car
at Spa, had been rebuilt and sent back
to HPD. In its place Phil Barker's
equipe in Wellingborough had prepared the
first all-new HPD chassis to break cover
for almost two years, and fell to Brazilian
Thomas Erdos to fettle the car in time
for qualifying and the race. RML's hopes
of retaining their 2010 titles seemed remote,
but there was much to prove, and groundwork
to prepare ahead of any announcements about
2012 and beyond . . . .