The Official Test Day Returns
For the last two years the teams competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours have arrived at the Circuit de la Sarthe in June without the benefit of any pre-race testing on the 13.6 kilometre track.
The ACO cancelled the long-established official test day in 2009 and 2010 on the grounds of "economics", suggesting that teams might appreciate the chance to save the many thousands of pounds it costs to attend the test. The result, however, was that those teams arriving with new cars, or first-time drivers, faced a disadvantage. Ever striving for higher speeds, there was also the potential accidents. New cars and revised aerodynamic configurations that had never previously encountered such high-end performance as the 24 Hour circuit allows, could discover unexpected instabilities, potentially with disastrous consequences.
So,in the interests of safety, and in recognition of the sometimes radical design changes necessary to bring cars into line with the latest regulations, the ACO has reintroduced the Official Test. Not only that, but the Easter schedule has also returned.
Up until the year 2000 the April test day was more than just an opportunity for teams to run on the full Le Mans circuit, it was also an assessment of the participants capabilities - a true elimination test. Cars and drivers that failed to achieve the set standards could be denied a race start for the 24 Hours in June. Then, between 2000 and 2004, the competitive element was reduced after all those invited to the Spring test were also assured a place on the June grid. That changed again in 2005, when the date was moved to the first weekend in June, just a fortnight before the big race. The disadvantage then was that teams had little time to address any critical discoveries revealed by the test or, worse still, might have to drop out of the 24 Hours if their car suffered a very serious accident.
On the whole, the reinstatement of the earlier April test has been widely welcomed. Although it is not compulsory for every team or driver to attend, those drivers who have never raced at Le Mans before, or who have not done so in the last three years, are required to participate. For the first time, the Formula Le Mans cars (of which more later) were included in the invitation that went out at the start of the year, making a potential for 76 cars to take part in the test. In the end, 55 accepted the challenge:
If one
is available, clicking on a thumbnail
will reveal an enlargement. M = Michelin Tyres, D = Dunlop Tyres
Lots of interest here then, with the first head-to-head for Audi's new R18, Peugeot's updated 908, and the all-new Aston Martin AMR-One. Each faces very different prospects. Peugeot is reputed to have encountered aerodynamic problems with the latest version of the 908, and a huge crash for Nic Minassian during testing at Paul Ricard suggests the French manufacturer will be watching closely as the trio of cars reaches top speeds along the Mulsanne and on the run towards Indianapolis.
Conversely, Audi may be relishing the chance to unleash the finned R18. The German marque has dominated at Le Mans for over a decade, and achieved a remarkable one-two-three in 2010 despite being comprehensively out-performed by the Peugeots . . . until all the 908s suffered fiery retirements in the closing hours. After giving the R15 a final outing at Sebring, where the older car trailed both Oreca and works Peugeots, and Highcroft's latest LMP1 HPD, Audi let loose the R18 on Sebring's punishing concrete. (The new R18 is illustrated left, heading one of the R15s. Photo: Dailysportscar). No official times were published, but observers stop-watching the Audis claimed the R18s were consistently lapping a second quicker than race pole. Not the news that Peugeot wanted to hear.
There will be a lot of hype attached to the arrival of the new LMP1 offering from Aston Martin, but a modest display at Paul Ricard in the opening round of the Le Mans Series revealed that Prodrive has a lot to do as they hone what is, in ever respect, a very new car. The "test" will be exactly that for the AMR-One, so Aston enthusiasts may have to wait until June to see the true potential of a car that has evidently been designed around function, not form.
Others to watch include the #16 Pescarolo, winner at Paul Ricard and the local favourite. It's an elderly car, "grandfathered" for 2011, but evidently not too long in the tooth to surprise the factory entries. The two Rebellion Lolas, powered by their Toyota RV8 engines, are undeniably quick, and well-sorted. Perhaps they should have won at Paul Ricard, but intra-team rivalry may be one of the team's weaknesses this season. The red and gold Lolas will be sporting a new aero package for Le Mans, including fresh headlight treatment and "swans neck" rear wing supports.
Two hybrid-powered cars round off the appeal of LMP1 this weekend. With the withdrawal of Peugeot's own hybrid 908 (to concentrate efforts on the diesels) the Hope Racing and MIK Racing examples herald the dawn of a new era in Le Mans racing. The Hope car was unveiled at Paul Ricard and tested there a few days later. Based on the ubiquitous Oreca chassis, the Hope hybrid is a joint venture with Flybrid and Swiss Hytech, and is also entered for the 24 Hours. The car will benefit from Briton James Rossiter in the cockpit this weekend.
With several years development behind it, the MIK Racing Zytek 09H Hybrid has the potential, on paper at least, to be the more impressive car. Zytek has been working on hybrid technology for several years, and this car is also based on the same successful Zytek chassis as used by Quifel ASM (unlucky not to claim pole at Paul Ricard) and Greaves Motorsport (LMP2 winners at Paul Ricard), but will not be racing in June.
LMP2
The
full entry list for LMP2 at the official Le Mans test day is as follows:
Most of the names and faces in LMP2 will be familiar to followers of the Le Mans Series, with nearly all the major players represented, and the rest equally well-known from previous seasons.
Oak Racing (left) has elected to contest the new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in 2011, and made the team's debut in America last month for Round 1 at Sebring with a single entry in both LMP1 and LMP2. The P1 car retired after 111 laps, and P2 finished third in class, but 33rd overall. They face a different, perhaps logistical challenge for the Le Mans test, with as many as four cars to manage - a pair each in LMP1 and LMP2, although the second LMP2 (#39) may not actually run. The squad has an impressive 24 Hour pedigree, and can be expected to be a serious contender in LMP2 this year.
Scott Tucker's Level 5 Motorsport also made its competitive debut this year at Sebring with an HPD-powered Lola Coupé and a similarly-engined open-topped "cost-capped" Lola. The coupé was perhaps fortunate to win LMP2, crossing the line 20th overall and behind even the GT-Am winner, but this may reveal more of the true nature of the race. Out-paced by the Oreca 03 Nissan and the Oak Racing Pescarolo, the HPD-powered cars encountered the same issues that hampered the RML and Strakka Racing HPDs at Paul Ricard - a significant lack of power. Only one of the two coupés listed for the test will return for the race..
As announced elsewhere on the Internet, the ACO has accepted that errors were made in the pre-season "performance balancing", and the small restrictors applied to the turbocharged HPD engines for Sebring and Paul Ricard simply asphyxiated the Honda-based V6 and rendered the cars uncompetitive. It was confirmed earlier this week that the HPDs have been issued with a new set of slightly larger restrictors.
While welcomed, it is already being argued that the "break" doesn't yet go far enough. The power gap between the HPDs and the pace-setting Nissan is believed to have been around 70 hp at Paul Ricard. That may now have been halved, but not closed, and with the additional 20 kilo ballast carried by the HPDs, the playing field remains uneven.
What is likely to make more of a difference for the Le Mans test is the ability of the HPD to deploy the low-downforce aero configuration, homologated by the ACO exclusively for use at the Circuit de la Sarthe. With Strakka Racing electing to miss the test - for reasons as yet unexplained - it will be down to RML AD Group to champion the cause, and carry out what is, in effect, development work on the HPD ARX-01d.
The combination of new aero, and increased power, will enable the HPD to compete on more equal terms at Le Mans, but it won't be until the teams arrive at Spa next month that the true impact of the restrictor change will become clear. The medium downforce package (pictured above left) will then have to be used again.
Elsewhere in LMP2, the second Signatech Oreca 03 Nissan has been withdrawn, allowing the Extreme Limite Norma to join the official list, but the #26 will remain to join the TDS example. However, the one to watch may be the Team Matmut Oreca 03 - in effect, the factory car, but making its debut at the test. Co-driven by capable French popstar David Hallyday, son of the legendary Johnny, and former Audi works driver Alex Premat, the Team Oreca entry is assured a lot of press interest. One of these three can be expected to set the class pace.
Running to cost-capped regulations, despite being a venerable car, the Greaves Motorsport Zytek also has Nissan power and the 20 kilo dispensation,so can be expected to give the Orecas a close run, while the Pecon Lola (a fully-compliant cost-capped entry) demonstrated speed and reliability at Paul Ricard, where it finished second behind the Greaves Zytek. The Extreme Limite Norma has shown good straight-line speed, which may help to flatter at Le Mans, but seems to struggle through the corners.
Formula Le Mans
| |
Formula
Le Mans |
|
|
|
|
|
| 91 |
 |
Hope
Racing |
FRA |
M |
Formula
Le Mans
Oreca 09 |
Luca
Moro (ITA)
|
| 93 |
 |
Genoa
Racing |
USA |
M |
Formula
Le Mans
Oreca 09 |
Jens
Petersen (GER)
Elton Julian (ECU)
Christian Zugel (GER) |
| 99 |
 |
JMB
Racing |
MCO |
M |
Formula
Le Mans
Oreca 09 |
John Hartshorne (GBR)
Philippe Mondolot (FRA)
Olivier Lombard (FRA) |
Not eligible to race in June's 24 Hours, the Formula Le Mans teams have nevertheless been invited to attend the official test. Only three teams picked up the gauntlet, but two of those three would have been attending anyway, having cars running in other classes. The exception is Genoa Racing.
Regularly an "LMPC" squad in the American Le Mans Series, Genoa is evidently looking to curry favour with the ACO by attending LMS races as well as the Le Mans test, and is thought to be planning a shot at Le Mans in 2012. The team has a lengthy pedigree, with roots in the Can-Am days of 30 years ago, and includes starts in the Indy 500. The FLM car finished third last weekend at Long Beach (left), with the very capable (and multi-lingual) Elton Julian (defending LMPC champion) leading the charge.
Although ineligible for the race itself, all three can be expected to set a pace that several LMP2 cars may struggle to match - and offer a foretaste of what may come to pass in 2012.
GTE-Pro
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", with all-pro driver line-ups, and "Amateur", with no more than one professional driver in each squad.
The cars in GTE-Am must also be at least a year old. This means that the very pretty Ferrari 458 Italia, with its fancy headlights and shapely curves, is easily distinguished as the car to beat in GTE-Pro, although the highly proficient Porsche teams and factory BMW M3s will be keen to challenge - the latter proving victorious at Sebring and Long Beach.
Most of the cars are regulars in the Le Mans Series, but there are a few interesting additions. The intriguingly-named Luxury Racing are ILMC competitors, last seen at Sebring. JetAlliance will be introducing the exciting Lotus Evora - it will be interesting to see how they rate against the better-established Ferraris and Porsches.
The GM works team will be on-site in June, but for the test they've loaned some of their drivers to Larbre Competition, who will be "testing" the Corvette C6-ZR1 in GTE-Am, although a more professional line-up it would be hard to imagine! Also adding interest will be the two Robertson Racing Ford GTs - one running as a "reserve" and dependant upon another team's withdrawal before it can earn the team's second grid slot in June.
GTE-Am
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:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
LMP1 |
LMP2 |
FLM |
GTE-Pro |
GTE-Am |
The observant will notice several cars with four drivers listed, and others with names not usually associated with the cars they'll be driving. Some are drivers who've not raced at Le Mans before, seeking to complete their regulation laps ahead of June's race, courtesy of another team that is attending. Others may be experienced drivers assisting teams making their debuts with new cars, while a few may be drivers from two-car teams who are running just a single car at the test and doubling-up.
Tickets
Public entry for the weekend is just ten euros, free for under 17s, and anyone buying a ticket will then be eligible for a 10€ discount on the general entry ticket for the race in June. Conversely, anyone buying a General Enclosure ticket for June, available at the test weekend, will be able to get into the circuit for the test free of charge.
Weekend
Schedule
All cars will go through a thorough scrutineering process over the Friday and Saturday prior to the two test sessions on Sunday. Click this link for a detailed Scrutineering Schedule. The
following timetable is subject to
change and the circumstances and
events of the day.
Friday 22nd April / Vendredi 22 avril
09:00–18:00 Administrative Checks and Scrutineering (Circuit) – Test Day
Will include individual driver portrait photos and photos of each car
09:30 Stewards’ meeting (Circuit) – Test Day
Saturday 23rd April / Samedi 23 avril
09:00–15:00 Administrative Checks and Scrutineering (Circuit) – Test Day
Will include individual driver portrait photos and photos of each car
16:00 Drivers and Team Managers’ briefing – Test Day
16:10 Official track photo (One representative from each type of car, including RML HPD)
Sunday
24th April / Dimanche 24 avril
09:00–13:00 Test Day, Morning Session
14:00–18:00 Test Day, Afternoon Session
18:15 Press Conference
Media
Coverage
At the time of writing, it is not expected that any live or highlight TV coverage will be offered from the Le Mans test, but comprehensive coverage
of all the weekend's events and happening's
will be provided live by Radio Le Mans. John Hindhaugh and the crew will be bringing blow-by-blow reporting throughout Sunday, backed up by podcasts and
special features accessible from the RLM website.
Click the button below for access.
Please
also note that we will be providing
regular updates throughout Sunday here on www.rml-adgroup.com.
ARG
