Front Row Tommy

Brazilian Thomas Erdos secured an LMP2 front-row start for RML AD Group's Lola HPD in tomorrow's Spa 1000 Kilometres by setting a time of 2:05.681 in Saturday's qualifying session.

The prospects had always looked good for the twenty-minute qualifying session after Tommy had set fastest LMP2 time in the second session of free practice on Friday, and was then second quickest on Saturday morning. "We've achieved a set-up now that seems to suit all three of us, and our confidence in the car continues to grow," said Erdos, who co-drives the #25 Lola coupé with Mike Newton and Andy Wallace. "The tyre test we completed with Dunlop in Hungary last week has enabled us to develop a much better understanding of how the Lola chassis interacts with the tyre compounds, and I believe we have an excellent basis for a race set-up. It's still early days for us, in terms of the whole package, and there's no doubt there's a great deal more to find, particularly in the way the car works with the HPD engine, but it's all enormously promising."

Pole went to Danny Watts in the Strakka Racing HPD. "Strakka was always going to be the team to beat here in qualifying," added Erdos. "They have a proven and well-developed car, but in some respects they're almost in a different league. We know the engine is very good, of course, but at the moment they also have a chassis advantage. We're closing the gap, and that two-oh-five is the quickest we've ever gone round here, and nearly 2.5 seconds faster than pole here last year. That's a sign of the progress we've made. I'm really happy with my lap and proud of what the team has achieved with the car in such a short time. The Lola HPD is really quick and comfortable to drive, and I couldn't ask for more than that."

"I'm very encouraged," said Pauline Norstrom, Motorsport and Marketing Director of the team's main sponsor, AD Group. "That was a tremendous drive from Tommy. He always seems able to pull something special out of the bag when it truly matters, but it also demonstrates how we're really starting to see the benefits of the HPD engine. Results like today's suggest that we made the right decision in our choice of engine partner for 2010." AD Group has thirty guests attending the Spa race this weekend, all of them experts in the field of video surveillance technology. "They are particularly interested to see how the drivers' performance can be enhanced by the use of AD's on-board digital video recording technology. It's a great endorsement of our products," added Pauline.

Mike Newton and Andy Wallace have both spent time in the cockpit during free practice. Wallace has huge experience to draw upon, but Mike Newton has also been making great strides in personal performance. His best time places him third amongst the amateur drivers in LMP2.

The race starts at 11:30 am (CET) tomorrow and will be broadcast live on British Eurosport. "We have a good strategy for the race, and I think we have every reason to be confident," concluded Tommy. "We'll keep working at it, make the most of whatever happens tomorrow, and exploit every opportunity that presents itself. It's a six-hour race, and it's never over until the chequered flag falls."

Click any thumbnail for an enlargement.
Please credit photos 1 and 2 to David Lord / Dailysportscar and Photo 3 to David Stephes / Studio 21

RML: Rupert Manwaring, Sponsorship & Marketing Director
Telephone: +44 (0)1933 402440
AD Group: Pauline Norstrom, Director of Worldwide Marketing. Telephone: +44 (0)1928 706 449

Qualifying - LMP2 Times