RML
AD Group heads back to La Sarthe this June
for the team's seventh consecutive stab
at the Le Mans 24 Hour sports prototype class.
Circumstances have changed dramatically since
2009, when the team arrived in France already
steeling themselves for what seemed the inevitability
of an engine failure. Twelve months later
and the prospects look better than they have
in years, with a new engine package that
has not only secured two podiums
for the Lola HPD already, but also established
a slim lead in the race for the Le Mans Series
title for its three drivers;
Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos and Andy Wallace.
Back-to-back
wins in the LMP2 category in 2005 and 2006
(right) stand out as triumphant
peaks amid a sea of class-leading runs, and
while the Le Mans hat-trick eluded them in
2007, they did gain the alternative satisfaction
of taking the Le Mans Series title instead.
Even so, a third LMP2 victory in the 24 Hours
remains top of the team's list of aspirations,
but this is Le Mans we're talking
about, and nothing can ever be taken for
granted.
The
competition in 2010 is as tough as ever -
perhaps tougher - with four or five entries
being openly touted as potential winners.
In addition, the days when the LMP2 field
was considered fragile are a fading memory.
These days almost any one of the eleven
candidates now stands a fair chance of reaching
the chequered flag, and at Le Mans, that
in itself is as good as a win on any other
circuit.
Just
a handful of days before the car was loaded
into the transporter and began the journey
across the Channel, Thomas Erdos and the
squad descended on Snetterton in Norfolk
for a final shakedown (below). "The
car ran faultlessly all day," said the
Brazilian. "I
just kept on going round and round the track,
looking for anything that needed additional
fine-tuning, but I couldn't fault it. The
car felt very easy to drive, very comfortable,
and as final shakedowns go, it couldn't have
been better. Yes, a very positive way to
complete our Le Mans preparations, and I'm
happy to be heading over there now in a car
that handles so well."
In
partnership with Lola Cars of Huntingdon,
the team had been working on some revised
aerodynamics, better suited to the high-speed
straights of the fifteen kilometre La Sarthe
circuit. "Sometimes a low-aero kit can
make a car feel difficult to drive, skittish
perhaps, and with less grip through the corners
than you'd truly like, but I was so impressed
with the way the Lola behaved during the
test. It felt very stable, and the mechanical
grip was impressive. We also
made significant strides with regard to the
suspension set-up and our understanding of
the new tyre compounds from Dunlop. All things
considered, I think we have an excellent
package now for Le Mans," said Tommy.
There
was a BBC film crew on hand to witness the
car's final test before heading for France,
and a short piece about Lola and RML was
prepared for the local evening
news programme; Look
East. If we can find
that hosted on-line, we'll add a link here,
but last month the team's drivers were interviewed
by the producers of Channel 4's Mobil
1 The Grid, as part of a review
of the Spa 1000 Kilometres, and that clip
is now available on the programme's dedicated
website, and is embedded here.
If the video clip doesn't play properly, then
click here for a direct link to the original.
Bumper
Grid for 2010
Despite
a series of late withdrawals, mostly from
teams with mechanical, financial or logistical
problems, there's guaranteed to be a bigger
than ever grid for the Le Mans 24 Hours
this year. In fact, not since 1955 have so
many taken to the famous La Sarthe circuit.
A total of 56 cars is now anticipated, thanks
to the announcement from the ACO, just a
week before the teams were expecting to arrive
at the circuit, that an additional garage
has been added to the pitlane. Room was found
between the original pit complex and the
low-level extension added a couple of years
back, and work on the new garage has just
been completed.
Ultimately,
the occupant of this extra space is destined
to be chosen by the ACO to represent the
innovative nature of motorsport, and the
slot will be awarded, at their discretion,
to a team considered most worthy of a place
on the grid, based upon this criteria. In
time, this is expected to encourage participants
with new technology systems, combining hybrid
engines with, perhaps, pure electric drive,
or even hydrogen-power. Time will tell. For
2010, however, the surprise and delight of
a late invitation has gone to Race Performance.
The team has been a regular in the Le Mans
Series this season, with a Radical SR9, but
was not even listed as a reserve until the
name appeared on a press release on May 28th.
Technically still first reserve, the wording
of that ACO announcement hinted
that the Radical was almost guaranteed a
run, and even suggested that further reserves
were being considered. A few days later the
56th entrant was officially confirmed.
For a brief examination of
the entry list this year, we begin with the
one of keenest interest to RML AD Group and
the team's followers; LMP2 . . .
LMP2
The
inclusion of the Race Performance Radical
(left) means an almost complete complement
of Le Mans Series LMP2 runners at Le Mans
this year, with only the #30 Racing Box Lola
absent. Within the ranks, just a few driver
changes, and one chassis update catch the
eye.
The
Pegasus Racing team have exchanged their
regular Courage LC75 for an all-new and untried
Norma M200 Judd, making this a very high
profile debut for a new car.
Significant
driver changes within the class include the
appearance of Jan Charouz (ex-Aston Martin)
in the #35 Oak Racing Pescarolo, and the
arrival of Gary Chalandon in the Bruichladdich
Ginetta Zytek. The Frenchman's nomination
has been prompted by Thor Ebbesvik's high-impact
meeting with a concrete wall at Spa last
month. The Norwegian sustained a compacted
vertebra and has been ruled unfit for Le
Mans, although the promising and very speedy
youngster is expected to return in July for
the Algarve round of the LMS.
In
other respects, the line-up looks remarkably
familiar . . . until one notices the bright
lime-green and black car bearing the number
26. The
interloper is also, perhaps, the most significant
addition to the whole grid this year.
The
Patrón Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01c,
with last year's Le Mans winner David Brabham
sharing cockpit duties with Marino Franchitti
and three-time winner Marco Werner (for Audi),
arrives in France having just won the Laguna
Seca ALMS race outright.
The
Stateside LMP2 front-runner has regularly
made mincemeat of the opposition, starting
last weekend's race from the back of the
grid, yet running fifth overall within four
laps and eventually winning by a margin of
seven. Cars left trailing included a Porsche
Spyder, similar to the one that won LMP2
at Le Mans last year, and the Dyson Racing
Lola Mazda.
The
pundits certainly have the American squad
pencilled in amongst the favourites for this
year's 24 Hours, but it's by no means cut
and dried.
Strakka
Racing has claimed pole in the opening two
rounds of this year's Le Mans Series in their
similar HPD chassis (left), while
RML's trio of drivers remains a firm favourite
amongst those that value experience and reliability
over outright speed.
The
RML Lola HPD is no slouch, of course, and
the speed traps at Paul Ricard, where the
cars were using low-downforce Le Mans configurations,
clocked the Lola as quickest along the Mistral
on more than one occasion. All three share
the same Honda Performance Development naturally
aspirated V8.
Others
tipped for a tilt at the podium include the
Quifel ASM Ginetta Zytek, which won at Spa
last time out. The Portuguese team was
testing a new aero kit in the final days
before heading for France, and declared themselves
impressed by a fresh injection of pace.
Neither
would the wise dismiss the
two Oak Racing Pescarolos (left).
Now powered by Judd V8s, despite the Mazda
logo on the nose, these cars now perpetuate
the name of Pescarolo at Le Mans, although
Henri himself has vowed that he won't attend.
Their surprising pace in this year's first
two LMS races hint, perhaps, at the potential
that might have been realised by the Frenchman's
LMP1 chassis this season. Now, and regrettably,
we may never know, following the recent failure
of the team to find a buyer. Another significant
development may be the swapping of the #30
Racing Box Lola from Pirelli to Dunlop rubber;
back-to-back testing apparently convincing
the Italian squad that perhaps all bar one
of the other class runners had a point.
The
remaining entries may not necessarily be
the most highly favoured, but the Le Mans
24 Hours is ever an unpredictable race, and
no eventuality can be ruled out until that
flag falls on Sunday afternoon.
The
full LMP2 entry is as follows:
LMP2
24
Oak
Racing
FRA
D
Pescarolo
- Judd
Jean-François
Yvon (FRA)
Richard Hein (MCO)
Jacques Nicolet (FRA)
25
RML
AD Group
GBR
D
Lola
HPD Coupé
Tommy
Erdos (BRA)
Mike Newton (GBR)
Andy Wallace (GBR)
26
Highcroft
Racing
GBR
M
HPD
ARX -01c
David
Brabham (AUS)
Marino Franchitti (GBR)
Marco Werner (GER)
28
Race
Performance
CHE
D
Radical
SR9 - Judd
Pierre
Bruneau (FRA)
Marc Rostan (FRA)
Ralph Meichtry (CHE)
29
Racing
Box
ITA
D
Lola
Coupé B09 Judd
Marco
Cioci (ITA)
Piergiuseppe Perazzini (ITA)
Luca Pirri (ITA)
35
Oak
Racing
FRA
D
Pescarolo
- Judd
Matthieu
Lahaye (FRA)
Jan
Charouz (CZE)
Guillaume Moreau (FRA)
37
WR
Salini
FRA
D
WR-Zytek
Philippe
Salini (FRA)
Stéphane Salini (FRA)
Tristan Gommendy (FRA)
38
Pegasus
Racing
FRA
D
Norma
M200 - Judd
Julien
Schell (FRA)
David Zollinger (FRA)
Frederic Da Rocha (FRA)
39
KSM
GER
D
Lola
B08/47 Judd
Jean
de Pourtales (FRA)
Hideki Noda (JPN)
Jonathan Kennard (GBR)
40
Quifel
ASM
PRT
D
Ginetta-Zytek
09S
Miguel
Amaral (PRT)
Olivier Pla (FRA)
Warren Hughes (GBR)
41
Team
Bruichladdich
GBR
D
Ginetta-Zytek
09S
Karim
Ojjeh (SAU)
Tim Greaves (GBR)
Gary Chalandon (FRA)
42
Strakka
Racing
GBR
M
HPD
ARX -01c
Nick
Leventis (GBR)
Danny Watts (GBR)
Jonny Kane (GBR)
LMP1
It would be hard, and perhaps
wrong, to view LMP1 as a single class. There's
little debate now over the relative capabilities
of the diesel cars compared to those
with petrol-power. In truth, there's no contest.
The winner overall this year will, almost certainly,
be whisper-quiet and hustled along by several
tankfuls of diesel.
In effect, the petroleum-fuelled
cars will be in a class apart, even if not
technically classified that way.
No less than nine of the eighteen
LMP1 prototypes will employ diesel engines,
including four Peugeot 908s, three Audi R15s
(above) and two Audi R10s. The R10s are being
entered by the works-supported but independent
Kolles outfit, and arrive at Le Mans having
done no racing at all this year. Their performance
in 2009 was hardly stellar, considering the
pedigree of their machines, but better perhaps
than lacklustre showings in the Le Mans Series
had suggested. Even so, the final victor is
most likely to come from amongst the rest -
all of them works-entered save the privateer
Team Oreca 908. Take your pick - probably out
of a hat, as any one could win.
The petrol-engined car that's
almost guaranteed to gain the most media attention
is the Beechdean Mansell Ginetta Zytek, carrying
three Mansells and the emotive number 5.
Having Nigel Mansell and his
sons sharing a car at Le Mans has already got
the daily papers interested in the 24 Hours
for the first time in years, but being pragmatic
for a moment, they have little chance of a podium,
and almost no hope at all of a win. Indeed,
they'll be hard pressed to claim top slot amongst
their immediate rivals, with the two Rebellion
Lolas, a pair of factory Lola Aston Martins,
plus the Signature Plus version, and Team Oreca's
open-topped AIM all with a better chance of
success, on paper at least.
So,
as we contemplate yet another diesel win at
Le Mans, it's hard to believe that Rudolf Diesel's
original engine of 1892 ran on coal dust, and
the first diesel-powered car to race at Le
Mans was a Delettrez special in 1949.
The Delettrez
was entered several times, but never made it
to the finish. After its final appearance
in 1951, no further attempts were made to race
with diesel power at Le Mans until Taurus Sports
turned up with a Lola B2K/10 in 2004. With
a 5-litre twin-turbo V10 engine,
it managed just 35 laps before retiring. Fellow
competitors muttered about fumes that reminded
them of Saturday nights down at the fish and
chip shop, but it set a precedent. Two years
later Audi arrived with the diesel-powered
R10, and won outright. The gestation, from
concept to motor racing domination, was perhaps
longer in coming than one might think, but
these days, it almost goes without saying that
one of the nine diesel cars in this year's
race will take top honours again.
GT
Eight GT1 cars are entered
in 2010, and the key interest here will be
to see how the new Ford GT performs over 24
Hours. The car, launched in 2005, was inspired
by the GT40 that Ford created in the early
Sixties (with help from Lola) with the sole
intention of breaking Ferrari's stranglehold
on Le Mans. That original model won Le Mans
four times in a row, from 1966-1969, and if
current form is anything to go by, the latest
incarnation has every chance of repeating at
least some degree of that success.
Three
Ford GTs take on a pair of Luc Alphand's Corvette
C6Rs, one works-supported Aston Martin DBR9,
and a singleton Saleen S7-R. Entered by Larbre
Competition, the S7-R remains a favourite with
the crowd, and with RML. Rather like Ford
with the GT40, Saleen turned to Europe for
the design and concept of their first bespoke
musclecar, and chose RML to help in the creation
of the S7. It remains a stylish and
capable machine, although championship success
in shorter races has never quite been repeated
at Le Mans.
The equal largest class is
GT2, with another eighteen listed entries.
The size of the grid, and the popularity, reflects
the even playing field. Almost anyone has a
fair crack of the whip here, although there
are favourites, of course. These include the
Team Felbermayr Porsche of Marc Lieb et
al, and the two AF Corse Ferrari 430s,
with the likes of Jean Alesi and Mika Salo
in the driver line-up. BMW is back at Le Mans
with a two-car M3 works entry, and General
Motors returns to the site of so many GT1 victories
with a pair of GT2 Corvettes. If driver pedigree
is any sign of good prospects, then the Corvettes
must be in with a chance - and if not, why
swap classes?
Eight different marques are
represented in GT2, with plenty of British
interest in the form of the JMW Aston Martin
Vantage and a the RSR Jaguar XKRS.
If you like
quirky, then a few pennies on Spyker (left)
might not go unrewarded. Dutch designed, but
with a factory now in Coventry, Spyker has
been a regular at Le Mans since 2002 and finished
5th last year. Don't dismiss them.
If
you would like to download or view a full
listing of all the entrants for this year's
Le Mans 24 Hours in PDF format, please click
this link.
Spotters' Guides
If you are going
to be trackside at La Sarthe for this year's
race, then your indispensable guide to who's-who
on track might well be a copy of Andy Blackmore's
famous Spotters' Guide.
Each year Andy creates a series
of guides covering the American Le Mans
Series, British Touring Car Championship, Formula
1 and Le Mans 24 Hours. As we prepare this
preview he's still working on the final details
for this year's Le Mans guide, but it should
be ready in time for Scrutineering on Sunday
6th June. He'll then revise and update the
guide, based upon any logo or livery changes
he's noticed, and re-issue the guide before
practice and qualifying, probably on Wednesday
9th June. There will be one sheet for prototypes
and a second sheet for GT cars.
Visit the website by clicking
on this link,
or the image above, and download the latest
version as a high-resolution JPG file. You
can then print out copies at either A3 or A4,
and use them to help identify the cars as they
speed past on track, or follow the TV commentary
crew as they use exactly the same sheets to
help them keep pace with the latest on-screen
broadcast.
New Website for Le Mans
Just in time for this year's
24 Hours, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest has
completed a radical overhaul of the official
Le Mans website. In association with French
design agency, SQLI, and 6TM, the new site
went live on May 17th. It offers easy access
to booking tickets for events at the Sarthe
circuit, a history of the 24 Hours, live
timing, information for visitors, data downloads
and regular updates during the course of races
at Le Mans.
There
is an on-line
"Fan
Zone" with e-shop for official merchandise,
videos, copies of official posters from years
past, books, branded clothing and much more.
Also
revealed on the new website is an on-line game
being promoted in association with French tyre
manufacturer Michelin. Players are invited
to set up their own team and, using strategy
and skill (and perhaps a bit of luck) "win"
the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The ACO is, of course, a club
in much the same vein as the RAC in the UK,
and full membership affords a variety of benefits
to anyone who is a regular visitor to France,
including road-side recovery and legal support
in the event of an accident. However, for a
little less (39€ a year, in fact) you may
also join the dedicated
supporters club for the 24 Hours. Members
enjoy various perks not available to regular
racegoers, including phone text and internet
updates, a special "supporters pack" that
includes a full set of the data sheets from
the race week, booklets and guides, and 10%
off all official merchandise when they show
their membership card.
The
Full Week Schedule
Sunday
6 June
14:30 – 19.00
Scrutineering
Monday
7 June
09:30 – 17:30 Scrutineering
Wednesday
9 June
16:00 – 20
:00 Free practice sessions 24 Heures du Mans
20:30 – 21:30 Free practice sessions
Porsche Carrera Cup
21:00 – 24:00 Concert
22:00 – 24:00 Qualifying practice sessions
24 Heures du Mans
Thursday
10 June
16:00 – 17;00
Qualifying practice sessions Group C
17:30 – 18:30 Qualifying practice sessions
Porsche Carrera Cup
19:00 – 21:00 Qualifying practice sessions 24
Heures du Mans
21:15 – 21:35 Qualifying practice sessions GP
ELEC
22:00 – 24:00 Qualifying practice sessions
24 Heures du Mans Friday 11 June
Friday
11 June
10:00 – 20:00 Pit Walk
18:00 – 19:00 Drivers' parade (City centre)
Saturday 12 June
09.00 - 09:45 Warm-Up 24 Heures du Mans
10:00 – 10:40 Race Porsche Carrera
Cup
11:05 – 11:50 Race GP ELEC
14:22 Beginning of starting procedure
24 Heures du Mans
15:00 Start of the 78th race of the 24 Heures
du Mans
21:00 – 00:00 Concert
Sunday 13
June
15:00
Finish of the 78th race of the 24 Heures du
Mans
TV
and Radio
The best way for racegoers to keep tabs on
what's happening, not only during the
race but also in the days leading up to
it, is to tune in to Radio Le Mans. The
crew at RLM must be amongst the most knowledgeable
in motor racing anywhere, and as well
as anchor man John Hindhaugh's seemingly
endless banter, the Man from up North
will be joined by twinkle-toed pitlane
reporter Graham Tyler (known as GT, no
less), Joe Bradley, Nick Damon, Bruce
Jones and Dailysportscar's Graham Goodwin.
Tune in to 91.2 FM, or log on to www.radiolemans.com.
This year the feed to the web won't be
exactly the same as the live broadcasts,
with the Internet offering access to
some pre-recorded interviews as
well as blow-by-blow action.
As
was the case last year, the Radio Le Mans
commentary will also be relayed through the
Kangaroo TV system. These lightweight,
handheld TV monitors were introduced a couple
of years ago, and have proved to be a popular
way to keep tabs on all the happenings at
Le Mans.
Not
only is there a live feed of TV footage,
with accompanying RLM commentary, but it
is also possible to access timing screens
and leaderboards class by class. Coverage extends
across most of the Le Mans circuit, with
guaranteed feed throughout the section from
the Porsche Curves through to Tetre Rouge,
everywhere within the Village, Paddock, Tribunes
and Bugatti Circuit. There is also some
chance of picking up the signal in the central
campsites.
The
Kangaroo TV costs 55€ to hire for the duration
of the event, and can either be reserved
in advance by visiting the website, or picked
up on arrival at the circuit. Demand is likely
to be high, and it is possible that units
could run out, so sign up now if you're interested.
Last year the main drop-off and collection
point was just outside the eastern Paddock
entrance.
If
you don't want to be bothered with carrying
a Kangaroo around with you, there will be
11 massive TV screens spread around the circuit
this year, between Arnage and Tetre Rouge.
If
you are unable to make it to La Sarthe this
year, and want to follow the 24 Hours on
TV, then coverage will be extensive in 2010.
Eurosport will be offering extended live and
review programmes for most of this year's event,
from practice and qualifying, through to
the end of the race. Although subject to
change,
the following outline schedule has been
released. Times are for the UK:
Monday 7th June
23:45. Le Mans update on
British Eurosport and British Eurosport 2.
(30 minutes)
Tuesday 8th June
08:15. Le Mans update on
British Eurosport, (30 minutes)
08:30. Le Mans update on
British Eurosport 2. (30 minutes)
08:45. Review of Spa 1000
Kilometres on British Eurosport. (60 minutes)
12:00. Le Mans update on
British Eurosport 2. (30 minutes)
18:35. Le Mans update on
British Eurosport. (30 minutes)
22:00. Le Mans update on
British Eurosport. (30 minutes)
23:15. Le Mans update on
British Eurosport. (30 minutes)
Wednesday 9th June
07:45.
Le Mans update on British Eurosport. (30 minutes)
12:00. Le Mans update on
British Eurosport 2. (30 minutes)
15:30. Le Mans LIVE Practice
on British Eurosport 2. (180 minutes)
18:30. Le Mans LIVE Practice
on British Eurosport. (30 minutes)
20:15. Le Mans update on
British Eurosport 2. (30 minutes)
21:00. Le Mans LIVE Practice
on British Eurosport 2. (120 minutes)
Thursday 10th June
18:00.
Le Mans LIVE Qualifying
on British Eurosport 2. (30 minutes)
18:30. Le Mans LIVE Qualifying
on British Eurosport. (30 minutes)
19:00. Le Mans LIVE Qualifying
on British Eurosport. (30 minutes)
21:00. Le Mans LIVE Qualifying
on British Eurosport. (120 minutes)
Saturday
11th June - Sunday 12th June
18:00.
Le Mans LIVE Qualifying
on British Eurosport (45 minutes)
10.00. Group C LIVE Race
on British Eurosport (60 minutes)
13.15. Le Mans Build up and Start on
British Eurosport (120 minutes) - 15.15 Eurosport
15.15. Le Mans LIVE Race
on British Eurosport 2. (5 hours)
18.30. Le Mans Race
Roundup on British Eurosport. (30 minutes)
21.00. Le Mans Race
Roundup British Eurosport. (30 minutes)
21.30. Le Mans Race
Roundup British Eurosport 2.
(30 minutes)
22.15. Le
Mans LIVE Race
on British Eurosport. (45 minutes)
23.30. Le
Mans LIVE Race
on British Eurosport. (10 Hours)
08.00. Le
Mans Race Roundup British Eurosport 2.
(30 minutes)
09.30. Le
Mans LIVE Race
on British Eurosport 2. (2 hours 45 mins)
12.05. Le
Mans LIVE Race
top Finish on British Eurosport. (2 hours 30
minutes)
To double-check the latest schedule, please visit
the Eurosport website.
If you can’t receive satellite, it is
still possible to view Eurosport’s coverage
on-line by subscribing to their Live On-Demand
service. Similar to the BBC’s iPlayer,
the service is available world-wide, and prices
start from £3.99 per month, or £34.99
per year. More details here.
The
Track
For
a general view of the circuit, we repeat
the high-resolution images we created for
the race in 2008, based upon the excellent
Google Earth mapping program.
The
image above depicts the entire circuit, with
the Bugatti Circuit almost hidden away in the
bottom left. North is to the left, with the
overall orientation being East to West, top
to bottom.
The
second image, on the left, is a close-up
of the pit, paddock and Village area. Clicking
the images will open enlargements in new
windows, and these can be navigated by using
the slider bars to the right and base, depending
on the size and resolution of your screen.