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The Planetlemans LMP2 24 Hours preview

By Gabriel Portos ⋅ June 9, 2007 ⋅ E-mail this post ⋅ Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

With fifteen very qualified entries the GT1 grid promises to be much more than the works Aston vs works Corvette battles of the last two years at Le Mans. To begin with, it will be 6 Astons (5 of them with Prodrive support) against 5 Corvettes (Pratt& Miller supporting all 5 in one way or another). But there’s is a third element in the Oreca Saleens which come to La Sarthe for a realistic shot at the class win as well. An old Ferrari Maranello and the non-fully-updated JLOC Lamborghini Murciélago complete the most attractive grid of any GT1 race in 2007.

Larbre Competition - Aston Martin DBR9 - Numbers 006,008

Jack Leconte is targetting a win with his lead 008 car and during test day it was clear why. The Larbre DBR9 has all latest updates and the Bouchut-Gollin-Elgaard line-up is very strong as well (the Dane having substituted for this race LMS regular Gabriele Gardel). While this car is at the top level the second one will be one step behind in terms of pace and line-up trying to bring it home and get a good result for the French team.

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Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin DBR9 - Numbers 007,009

The works team is coming out of the garage for their first race of the season with well prepared cars (although with less mileage than the rest) and spectacular line-ups: Enge-Kox-Herbert and Brabham-Rydell-Turner are both guaranteed to be fighting for the win. Aston has already won twice the 21 Hours of Le Mans, this time they want to go for the full 24. Top challengers for the class win.

JLOC Isao Noritake - Lamborghini Murciélago - Number 53

The Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club is back to La Sarthe after a good performance last year but without the latest updates for the car which puts them slightly behind the rest of the pack. However the good performance of last year suggests we could still see a good finish from this team.

Team Oreca - Saleen S7-R - Numbers 54,55

Very strong performances and multiple LMS victories have proven that the association between the team of Hughes de Chaunac and the revitalized Saleen SR7 is a winning one. For the 24 Hours there will be a "senior" and a "junior" team, both with different objectives but both with a clear potential for a win and a good finishing position respectively. Reliability seems to be strong, the secret will be on the balance of the Saleen and how much speed can be achieved without compromising too much on the behavior in the corners, test day showed it is possible.

Team Modena - Aston Martin DBR9 - Number 59

A renewed line-up after the break-up with Liz Halliday has Christian Fittipaldi and Jos Menten partnering Spanish ace Antonio García in the only privateer Aston Martin on the grid. They might be a whisker short of challenging for the win but they will be extremely competitive. A very strong outsider in this class.

Corvette Racing - Corvette C6-R - Numbers 63,64

Almost like Audi in LMP1 not much can be added to comment on the performance of the all-conquering Corvette team in Le Mans. Solid as a rock and with a very strong pace the only change for this year is the swap between Jan Magnussen and Max Papis in the line-up. The team to beat, they will be going for the 4^th victory in a row.

Convers Menx Team - Ferrari 550 Maranello - Number 67

An emblematic but outdated car and a good line-up will probably not be enough for a podium. Without any races run this year, the team that was a strong contender in 2005 at the LMS should be focussing on a finish and hoping for some attrition to get into a decent position on Sunday.

PSI Experience - Corvette C6-R - Number 70

The Belgian Corvette privateers will certainly not be challenging for victory, however their car should have a very good shot at finishing the race and it might help them to a good finish if they bring it home and are able to develop a good pace.

Luc Alphand Aventures - Corvette C6-R and C5.R - Numbers 72,73

The French team has been going strong lately in LMS and they were on the podium last year at La Sarthe. Both their cars have won here before in the hands of the works team so, in spite of a relatively low performance on test day, both cars could have a shot at a top 5 or even a podium come Sunday 3 o’clock. A team to watch closely.

Aston Martin Racing BMS Scuderia Italia - Aston martin DBR9 - Number 100

The only Pirelli-shod Aston did a better than expected job at test day and have a very strong line -up for the race with Babini-Davies-Malucelli. Even when Michelin-shod cars have typically done better the Italian tyre manufacturer is celebrating 100 years (hence their start number) and will be wanting to show something at Le Mans. It’s the other works-supported team (next to the four "double-0" cars) so another one that could seriously go for a podium finish.

gabriel@planetlemans.com
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