CARS

RML, in association with AD Group, entered the international sportscar arena in late 2003 with an ex-works MG Lola EX257 in the inaugural race of what was then called the Le Mans Endurance Series, or LMES.

Over the next five years the team remained loyal to the MG brand, actively developing the chassis in partnership with Lola Cars of Huntingdon, and winning the LMP2 class in the Le Mans 24 Hours two years in a row; 2005 and 2006. Throughout this period the regular driver pairing of Thomas Erdos and Mike Newton established a reputation as front-runners in LMP2 prototype racing, adding the 2007 Le Mans Series drivers' title to their haul of race wins and lap records.

At the same time, the cars they drove were enhanced and developed, and underwent a series of name-changes too. The AER-engined MG EX257 was replaced by the EX264, initially with Judd V8 power (2005), and then reverting to the turbocharged two-litre AER engine for the 2006 season. Further development allowed the EX264 to complete a second season in 2007, which netted the Le Mans Series LMP2 titles not only for the drivers individually but also the team as a whole. A comprehensive upgrade for 2008, including updated MG XP-21 engine, resulted in re-homologation of the chassis as the MG EX265. This culminated in the MG marque's last-ever appearance with RML AD Group when the MG EX265C coupé made its debut (and, it transpired, one-and-only race) at Silverstone in September 2008.

With the MG-derived engine reaching the end of its development potential, and with no sign of the promised support coming from MG's new owners in China, a line was drawn under what had been a remarkable period of success for RML AD Group in endurance racing.

The signing of a new engine and technical support deal with Mazda at the end of 2008 heralded a new era, and in February 2009 the Lola Mazda Coupé took to the track for the first time at Snetterton. Regrettably, the unit's early promise was never truly realised, and the 2009 season was punctuated by a succession of disappointing engine failures that denied the team any degree of success. Despite this, the car was consistently on the pace, and amongst the quickest in LMP2, but never dependable enough to reward the team's efforts. Ironically, for the final round of the 2009 season at Silverstone, the decision was taken to refit the old MG XP-21 engine, and Mike and Tommy duly recorded their best result of the year, claiming a fittingly emotional swansong podium for what was, in effect, a briefly reborn MG EX265c.

In February 2010 RML AD Group revealed a new engine deal with Honda Performance Development Inc (HPD) that saw the team's Lola B08/80 Coupé fitted with the naturally-aspirated HPD LM-V8. The combination of well-sorted Lola chassis - a product hugely familiar to the RML engineers and much cherished - and a powerful, reliable and equally well-designed engine gave RML AD Group a solid foundation for a return to form.

Andy Wallace joined the regular driver line-up for the start of the 2010 season, with former Stig Ben Collins seeing out the second half of the year. RML's Lola HPD proved to be fast and reliable. It duly took third in the LMP2 class at Le Mans in June, and then wrapped up 2010 by securing the LMP2 team and drivers' titles for Mike and Tommy in the Le Mans Series.

Despite winning races and titles, 2010 revealed a raw truth in the fact that another chassis; the HPD ARX, was undeniably quicker. Fitted with the same engine, the HPD consistently outqualified RML's coupé, and the decision was taken, reluctantly, to end an eight-year association with Lola and move whole-hog into the Honda Performance Development camp. In March 2011, RML AD Group debuted the team's new HPD ARX-01d in the official ACO test at Le Castellet, and campaigned the car throughout 2011.

For further details about the RML AD Group HPD ARX-01d, click on the image below. To discover more about some of the team's previous LMP2 sports prototypes, chose between the smaller links on the right.