2010 PAUL RICARD HTTT Official Test

7-8 march 2010

The two-day official tests that for many years has been actually opening the season of Le Mans Series, this year has been ravaged by a winter that doesn’t want to hear any more about leaving the old continent. While in half a Europe snow was dominating, the teams, appearing on Paul Ricard circuit to prepare the new cars or test the new drivers, had to adapt themselves to adverse weather conditions: 5-8 degrees of atmospheric temperature, cold wind blowing in gusts of 50 km/h, rain in small doses and even some snowflakes during the night session. For once the rolling shutters of stands have been lowered not to hind some technical innovations but to let technicians work in acceptable conditions.

They had been working on track feverishly since the first tests on Sunday morning, when a small pause has permitted the sun to peep in the circuit. Public attention was all drawn to the Peugeot 908 HDI, entered by Oreca for the championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans and showed to press on Saturday afternoon in the central hall of the circuit itself. The team, after testing the performance of the car during private practice which took place last week, has kept the drivers busy for collecting any information on as many as possible technical details, by running a good 4000 km with best time of 1:43:756. Beside Panis and Lapierre there was Loic Duval, who immediately adapted himself to the features of the 908, which impressed him favourably. The driver born in Chartres, former favourite of Renault Driver Development and recent winner of the Formula Nippon championship, will go on his adventure at the wheel of a home Peugeot prototype, under Piet Mondrian style, to take part in next eight hours of Le Castellet and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, thus completing an all-French crew.

The racing team managed by Hugues de Chaunac has also lined up a model of the Oreca 01, technically updated in comparison with the 2009’s, which was driven by Ayari, beside the official driver the car was alternatively driven by Meyrick and Didier André who, however, shouldn’t have to share the team in the course of the season. The “barquette” named after its shape has managed to qualify first in the classification during every session in which it took part, recording 1:42:963 best time, and all that in spite of an engine problem and a long work made on the new Dunlop coverings. Among the other P1 racing cars, the Rebellions (ex-Speedy Racing) made a good impression, respectively third (1:44:025) and fourth (1:44:264), on which the engineers worked out a good balancing and, during the night session, tried a new generation of lights in view of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For the first time all team drivers were reunited, with Marco Andretti and Guy Smith who came directly from the United States in order to be familiar with new Lola 10/60 powered with Judd engine prepared by Rebellion. The two Aston Martins were less performing on track with the prototype managed by Signature that was faster than the one registered by the home company, at the wheel of which, among others, there was Adrian Fernandez the famous Mexican driver. As soon as the Bourges team came into first contact with the car, they concentrated on the collection of data on aerodynamics and tyres without looking for fast performance. Finally, we have to positively judge the two-day test of Beechdean Mansell team. Ginetta Zytek left running for a long time on track was driven by Greg and Leo, while Nigel limited himself to running some laps and to check the situation from the pit lane. Finally the time of 1:44:633 gets us to hope for his cutting a fine figure in the course of the season.

The experts were greatly interested in the Acura appearance and entry into Strakka Racing which has passed to the P2 category this year after the 2009 disappointments; the “barquette” of home Honda was for the first time engaged in Europe, after its success in the ALMS, has immediately shown great qualities of speed and handling. The car, the only P2 mounting Michelin tyres, was brought onto the track by Watt, Laventis and Kane, the drivers who are going to form the crew for the full season: while the first driver has been running for a long time in search of the best set-up with the new aerodynamic group purposely arrived for the French circuit and also recording the best time of 1:46:174 in the class, the two team mates have eaten up the miles so as to look for the right feeling for driving, declaring themselves fully satisfied both with chassis and engine. In confirmation of the good quality of the engine there is the third best class time achieved by Lola RML (1:47:313), passed from Mazda engine to the more performing HPD.

If Acura seemed to be the favoured car in the running for the title, the only ones in a position to trouble it there should be Amaral-Pla, formerly champions in 2009 at the wheel of their Ginetta-Zytek, able to run under half a second of delay: on the occasion the Portuguese team has also lined up Warren Hughes, the British driver who would probably like to join the team on next 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The other P2s were heavily late, with the cars of Lola Racing Box fourth and fifth with a gap of 3 sec. from Acura and Pescarolo Oak cars, much more outdistanced. On the contrary there is an uncertainty as for the Ginetta of Bruichladdich Team, even if not recording any interesting time during these tests it should represent the third strong point in the championship.

As for category GT1, among the five entering cars the Aston Martin DBR9 of Young Driver AMR dominated over three Ford GT cars which came to the tests in view of the World GT1 Championship and ran into many off-tracks, while Saleen of Larbre took only part on Sunday day sessions, obtaining not very important times.

On the contrary, there were many novelties among GT2 cars, starting from the Piacenza team AF Corse that has lined up three F430 Ferrari’s, two of them have been given to exceptional crews: Alesi-Fisichella-Vilander and Bruni-Melo. While the two ex-drivers of Formula One were trying to find the right familiarity with the car (Just Giancarlo, during a press conference, has explained how difficult it was to be familiar with the cars having less adhesion and major roll), and Vilander was testing different set-ups, Bruni and Melo undertook the research into the limits of the car, getting the third time in the class (1:59:391) but resulting the most constant ones in the summation of the four sessions. The fastest drivers were, on the contrary, the Belgians of Prospeed Competition (1:59:213) who came from FIA GT Championship at the wheel of Porsche 997 GT3, followed by the Ferrari 430 GT of CRS Racing driven by Kirkaldy-Tim Muller-Larini (1:52:272): however the pace of these two crews has seemed distant in the long-run in comparison with the one obtained by Bruni and Melo. While Lieb and Lietz, champions in charge, were remaining anonymous, Aston Martin Vantage made a good impression: it looked like another car in comparison with the car which was entered the 2009 championship by Dryson team: JMW team seems to have taken up seriously the challenge to bring the English car to the top, so as to sign up Turner, beside Bull, just during the tests. Finally, there was a real delay from the BMW M3 of team Schnitzer, for the first time competing with its rivals, which has been running for a long time on track till when, after the night session on Sunday, a failure of the engine convinced the managers of stopping the schedule so as to immediately go back to Monaco headquarters.

As usual, the two-day tests were accompanied by a conference press for the opening season, where among others, Mansell family, Panis, Alesi and Fisichella took part in it. Patrick Peter, the manager responsible for Le Mans Series, has explained that, starting from this year the management of TV rights will be given to Cotterill & Associates, with the intention of increasing the visibility of such category; the presence of new car makers and international famous drivers should also lead the way. Together with Gérard Neveu, the circuit manager, it has been presented the eight-hours of Le Castellet, the championship first test, which thanks to a major length of time, will be a test bed in view of the 24 Hours of Le Mans; on the circuit the works for lengthening the stands are finishing, so as to host all entry teams as well as the new platform for the spectators at Signes level. Among the interventions of the drivers we have to mention Nigel Mansell’s typical English humour, who spoke ironically about the elapsing time: "from the first paid driver now I find myself as a third driver who has to pay the tyres!".

Dulcis in Fundo, just on the day devoted to women we have two welcome novelties: an entry for Matech Competition at the Spa 1000 km of an all female crew formed by Swiss Cyndie Allemann, Natacha Gachnang and Rael Frey, and Vanina Ickx as the third driver of the Signature for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Next meeting on 9-11 April at the eight hours of Le Castellet in which also the Audi R15 cars will take part; we are waiting for you on our Connectingrod website!

Marco Zanello
Photos by Giacomo and Marco Zanello

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