The Season Kicks Off

Full entry list

	No.	Class	Tyre	Team	Drivers	Car
1	12	LMP1		Rebellion Racing	Nicolas Prost Neel Jani Jeroen Bleekemolen	Lola B10/60 Coupé- Toyota
2	13	LMP1		Rebellion Racing	Andrea Belicchi Jean-Christophe Boullion Guy Smith	Lola B10/60 Coupé- Toyota
3	16	LMP1		Pescarolo Sport	Emmanuel Collard Christophe Tinseau Julien Jousse	Pescarolo - Judd
4	20	LMP1		Quifel - ASM Team	Miguel Amaral Olivier Pla	Zytek 09SC
5	36	LMP2		RML	Tommy Erdos Mike Newton Ben Collins	HPD ARX -01d
6	39	LMP2		Pecom Racing	Luis Perez Companc Matias Russo Pierre Kaffer	Lola B11/40 - Judd
7	40	LMP2		Race Performance	Michel Frey Ralph Meichtry	Oreca 03 - Judd
8	43	LMP2		RLR Motorsport	Barry Gates Rob Garofall Simon Phillips	MG Lola EX265 - Judd
9	44	LMP2		Extreme Limite AM Paris	Fabien Rosier Jean-Pierre Luco Maurice Basso	Norma M200P - Judd
10	46	LMP2		TDS Racing	Mathias Beche Pierre Thiriet	Oreca 03 - Nissan
11	91	FLM		Hope Polevision Racing	Michael Tinguely Luca Moro	Formula Le Mans-Oreca 09
12	92	FLM		Neil Garner Motorsport	John Hartshorne Steven Keating Phil Keen	Formula Le Mans-Oreca 09
13	95	FLM		Pegasus Racing	Mirco Schultis Patrick Simon	Formula Le Mans-Oreca 09
14	98	FLM		JMB Racing	Nicolas Missilin	Formula Le Mans-Oreca 09
15	99	FLM		JMB Racing	Manuel Rodrigues	Formula Le Mans-Oreca 09
16	51	GTE Pro		AF Corse	Giancarlo Fisichella Gianmaria Bruni	Ferrari F458
17	75	GTE Pro		Prospeed Competition	Marco Holzer Marc Goossens	Porsche 911 RSR (997)
18	76	GTE Pro		IMSA Performance Matmut	Patrick Pilet Wolf Henzler	Porsche 911 RSR (997)
19	77	GTE Pro		Team Felbermayr Proton	Marc Lieb Richard Lietz	Porsche 911 RSR (997)
20	79	GTE Pro		Jota AMR	Sam Hancock Simon Dolan	Aston Martin Vantage
21	86	GTE Pro		Young Driver AMR	Tomas Enge| Alex Muller Christoffer Nygaard	Aston Martin Vantage
22	89	GTE Pro		Hankook-Team Farnbacher	Dominik Farnbacher Allan Simonsen	Ferrari F430 GT
23	61	GTE Am		AF Corse	Piergiuseppe Perazzini Marco Cioci Stéphane Lemeret	Ferrari F430
24	67	GTE Am		IMSA Performance Matmut	Raymond Narac Nicolas Armindo	Porsche 911 RSR (997)
25	70	GTE Am		Kessel Racing	Michal Bromiszewski Philipp Peter	Ferrari F430
26	72	GTE Am		AF Corse	Robert Kauffman Michael Waltrip Rui Aguas	Ferrari F430
27	82	GTE Am		CRS Racing	Klaas Hummel Adam Christidoulou Phil Quaife	Ferrari F430

After last year's packed grid for the pre-season ACO Le Mans Series test at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France, 2011 looks to be kicking off with a much depleted "grid". The entry list of just 27 cars might look like a poor turnout, but the empty garages can can be attributed to several significant factors.

Top of the list of "mitigating circumstances" is the proximity of the test to the opening round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) in America; the Sebring 12 Hours. Perhaps ten or more cars that might have been expected to attend Paul Ricard have diverted to the States, and will be embarking on an even more rigorous test there next weekend, March 19th. That includes the works entries from Peugeot and Audi.

Another squad that had been entered for Sebring, but won't be there either, is Aston Martin Racing with the new AMR-One prototype. More than a month late in being unveiled, the new slab-sided LMP1 contender has reputedly yet to turn a wheel, and rumours suggest may also have encountered some engine issues in rig testing. The intended debut for the AMR-One will now be the opening round of the Le Mans Series on April 3rd, back on the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet.

Perhaps a surprise absentee is Strakka Racing (pictured last year, below). The Silverstone-based outfit has elected to carry out all its pre-season testing in private, but has already clocked up several thousand kilometres in the new V6-powered HPD LMP2, both at Estoril in Portugal and, last week, at Imola in Italy. Both are circuits that the Series will be visiting later this year, so the experience will have helped their understanding of the new car, and also supplied some valuable data on tracks they've never encountered before.

The Strakka car is, in essence, identical to the RML HPD, which made its first public appearance on Thursday afternoon for the official pre-season photo-shoot. The car lined up with other selected entries from this year's Series on the distinctively striped run-off around Virage de la Tour at Paul Ricard.

Equally distinctive, after eight years draped across the bodywork of a succession of Lolas, was RML's red, white and blue livery. The interpretation for 2011 includes some subtle changes over previous seasons, many influenced by the very different aesthetics of the HPD chassis. Most notably, the engine cover and roll-hoops of the open-topped HPD now include a series of red and blue stripes which play homage to the Union Jack.

The individual sponsor logos remain much as before, but a new logo occupies the large side-pod area; Closed IPTV is a new initiative from AD Group that provides enhanced security for companies deploying IP camera security systems on their properties. Further information on this innovative new technology will be added to our Sponsors page shortly.

The Vulcan to the Sky crest is back on an RML AD Group car again this year, and pays tribute to the last airworthy Avro Vulcan bomber, XH558. Mike Newton and his wife Ann continue to be enthusiastic supporters of the Trust's work, providing both financial and technical expertise as the project fights to keep this iconic and stunningly beautiful aircraft in the skies over Britain. Please visit the VTTS website for more information.

Rivals in LMP2

The character of endurance racing changes regularly, and 2011 is no exception. New regulations have altered the look and styling of the latest generation of cars, and have also prompted some teams to change classes. A number of past competitors have departed completely, either moving on to pastures new, or facing facts as economics bite. However, several fresh faces have arrived to challenge the regulars, and there are some new chassis and engine combinations as well.

Of those present at the Paul Ricard test, long-term rivals to RML's Lolas, Quifel ASM, have elected to step up to LMP1. Their uprated Zytek 09SC - now devoid of its association with Ginetta after a rift between the two companies - looks likely to be a front-running privateer this season, but no longer in direct competition with Mike, Tommy and Ben.

Race Performance are back, but now armed with a new Oreca Judd, having replaced the Radical they campaigned in 2010. The RLR Motorsport MG Lola EX265 is another returnee, embarking on a full season in 2011, after joining the series part-way through 2010. The former RML Lola still sports much the same livery that it did when Mike, Tommy and Andy Wallace steered the car to a Le Mans win in 2006. Now fitted with the latest BMW-derived Judd V8, the car has performed well in testing, despite some trying weather conditions (including deep snow at Imola!) and looks set to be a more serious challenger this season.

Pecom Racing (right), flagged as an Argentinian outfit, is a new name in the paddock, but has strong ties with GT regulars AF Corse. This association brings with it a depth of knowledge and many years of race-winning experience in national and international GT racing, so certainly a force to be reckoned with. The team's Lola Judd is one of the latest generation of so-called "cost capped" LMP2 chassis, and can be easily identified by the distinctive "shark's fin" aerodynamics.

We hope to glean further information on Extreme Limite and TDS Racing in due course, although the former is especially interesting, as it combines the latest Oreca chassis with the new-for-2011 Nissan-derived engine.

RML AD Group is now the only team to have competed in ever round of the Le Mans Series, since its inception in November 2003, when the inaugural event (then billed as the Le Mans Endurance Series) was staged at Le Mans in France.

Ben Collins - A full season awaits

Someone else with an identity crisis, of sorts, is Ben Collins. After eight years keeping schtum about his alter ego, The Stig, he is delighted to find himself facing his first full season since he last competed with RML in 2003. That year he won the ASCAR European Oval title, but in the years since then his commitment to Top Gear meant that it was difficult to maintain a regular seat as a professional racing driver. While he's been a frequent competitor in the British GT and FIA GT championships, among others, he has often had to miss races through the year. Visibly relaxed, and enjoying the new opportunity, he can't wait for the chance to get out on track and prove himself.

"This is a proper championship assault," says Ben, with obvious relish. "I joined half way through the season last year, and it was great to be there at the end to see the team win the LMS title. That was quite magical. Now, being here for the first test after weeks and months of champing at the bit is very exciting, and especially important too, as our first race of the year will be here as well, in six weeks' time. We're keen to find out what all the regulation and technical changes have meant to the performance of the car, and discover where that puts us against the younger cars."

"The pedigree of the new car is very impressive, and we all witnessed the way the previous version performed last year, particularly at Le Mans (in the hands of Strakka Racing). There's huge strength in the technology coming out of Wirth, of course, who are responsible for the development of the chassis, and there's also tremendous support from Honda. We're confident this is the car to have. What will be particularly interesting will be to see how we rate against Strakka on the different Dunlop tyres. The car was developed in association with Michelin, so we know we have some catching up to do as we find out how the car works with the different compounds, but it's a challenge we're really looking forward to."

The last fortnight has been pretty hectic at RML. "It's impressive to look into the garage and see how many people are crowded round the car and remember that just a week or so ago it looked just like a bumper box of Meccano, dumped across the floor," observed Ben. "Yet, here we are only a week later and there's a fully assembled car, ready to take to the track. The RML boys have pulled a blinder to get us here in time."

Intriguingly, he's not quite "alone" at Paul Ricard this weekend, as paddock gossip suggests that there might be another "Stig" in residence for this weekend's test.

The image above shows the RML AD Group HPD nearing completion in the Wellingborough workshops last week, while the shot below was taken at Paul Ricard on Thursday afternoon.

The Circuit

Last year our preview to the opening race of the year at Le Castellet included a comprehensive review of the circuit, with a corner-by-corner look at the layout, facilities and atmosphere of this unique track. That feature on the Paul Ricard Circuit can still be viewed here.

The plan of the circuit below was also part of our our preview in 2010. It shows the principal corners and the track configuration being used by the Le Mans Series, which again features the whole uninterrupted length of the Mistral Straight. Click the image to access a full circuit plan (in black and white) at high resolution. If you would prefer this as an EPS file, please request that we email you a copy. (Any use elsewhere must be acknowledged.) Please note that this plan includes the revised pitlane exit and new garage section, which was only introduced in April 2010.

The same view from Google Earth . . .

Click on the image above for a higher resolution image, or use this link to access the Google Earth location directly.