Interviews

Larbre’s Jack Leconte targets Le Mans triumph

© Planetlemans - Gabriel Portos

In order to prepare you properly for the upcoming 75th edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours Planetlemans has structured a team by team analysis this time for each class. As well you can print out our spotter’s guide in pdf format with the latest information on teams, drivers and with the latest and greatest car profiles. So let’s get going with LMP1.

Audi Sport - Audi R10 TDI- Numbers 1,2,3
What can we add to what already has been said about the Ingolstadt team? Perfect organization, one year of diesel experience, excellent drivers and a car that has speed and is solid as a rock. All the ALMS discussion won’t count: this is Le Mans and the LMP2s will be far far behind, their rivals are in this class. Probably the biggest news will be whether or not Tom Kristensen will be driving, we will know that June 11th in Copenhagen so something smells bad in Denmark I’m afraid but I do hope to be very wrong…. The other interesting news is car number 3 with the "young guns", some people said this will be the Audi "hare" to break the Peugeots, I say think again, those tactics do not exist anymore at the pace we run these days around La Sarthe, these guys will be going for it just like the other two!!

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Swiss Spirit- Lola B07/10 Audi- Number 5
Only their second race of the season, the Swiss team with official Audi support and the all-conquering R8 petrol engine has been announced as the proof that rules are even for diesel and petrol cars. Well, while the car is good as is the line-up I do not think they will have a shot at the win. Most probably they will be around at the chequered flag time given the engine they have but the battle between them, Charouz, Racing for Holland, Creation, Arena, Rollcentre and Pescarolo promises to be extremely tough.

Peugeot Sports- Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP- Numbers 7,8They have won both LMS races and come to La Sarthe unbeaten. However both times there were glitches and in Valencia even a retirement. Even when they claim they are "learning", test day showed they have the speed to challenge and beat Audi. Their driver line-up is second to none and while Gené and Villeneuve are a bit behind in terms of endurance experience there will be a lot of sparks flying whoever is on the car. Reliability is ther big question mark but if the cars see the morning after it won’t be far away from P1 and Audi will have something to really worry about.

Creation Autosportif- Creation CA07 Judd- Number 9
The art car number 9 will be making its debut at Le Mans so everything apart from the solid performance before and at test day is close to speculation. Solid line-up, good speed, they will be in the "best of the rest" fight for sure but their lack of mileage might be a disadvantage despite their track record.

Arena International- Zytek 07S Zytek- Number 10
Impressive debut at Valencia with top drivers Johansson and Shimoda (the third one is still unconfirmed) but the recurring throttle cable problem has been a big nuisance for an otherwise very strong team. This car should have the speed to challenge seriously in the melee behind the diesels, the question is for how long.

Courage Competition- Courage LC70 AER- Numbers 12,13
The lead car totalled starting a marathon to get a new one ready for next week was the balance of test day for the Courage team and definitely not the way to start celebrating 25 years of Le Mans presence. While the change from Mugen to AER engines has given the team the reliability they were looking for desperately last year, they have had cooling issues and some drop in speed that have relegated them a bit in the class. With the confirmation of Val Hillebrand but Guillaume Moreau still in doubt next to Jean Marc Gounon, the team from La Sarthe does not come to the 24 Hours the way they’d want to.

Racing for Holland- Dome S101.5 Judd- Number 14
In a reversal of fortune from a below par performance at Monza and Valencia the team from Jan Lammers seems to feel very much at ease at Le Mans. Experience, strong official assistance from Dome and a reliable engine combined with a very good and consistent line-up that knows how to bring the car home might mean a good finish for the team of the Low Lands in 2007.

Charouz Racing System- Lola B07/17 Judd- Number 15
A pleasant surprise in the Le Mans Series, the Czech team will also be in contention for the quickest petrol engined car. Although they were not quick at test day we should see much more performance from this team when the "real thing" starts on Wednesday with the first qualifying session. All ingredients very strong here as well, although one of their drivers has not made many friends lately…

Pescarolo Sport- Pescarolo Judd- Numbers 16,17
The only team that can be realistically challenging the diesels during the race, Pescarolo has not had the best of luck during their yearly appearances at La Sarthe. With a bit more of fortune Pescarolo could be back on the podium should any issue appear on the front running cars, dark horse for the win even? Car 16 should be the one to watch but do not underestimate number 17, both will be very strong runners with their new aerodynamic and the very reliable Judd engine.

Rollcentre Racing- Pescarolo Judd- Number 18
Martin Short’s team will not be using the new Pescarolo aero update as Joao Barbosa told Planetlemans but still should be very much in contention with the "gasoline powered" group. Often with some kind of misfortune ruining great races, the Rollcentre guys should be aiming at a top 5 or 7 position if they last the race.

Chamberlain Motorsport- Lola B06/10 AER- Number 19
After a very positive Paul Ricard test early in the season, the British team with the yellow Lola has not been able to progress as much as the rest of the field and will probably not be able to mix in the fight with the Pescas, Zytek, etc. However, speed is not all at Le Mans so come Sunday afternoon they could still be getting a good result if everything works well during the gruelling night

To be continued with LMP2 soon…

gabriel@planetlemans.com

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