American Le Mans Series

Ginetta-Zytek has encouraging debut at Petit Le Mans

© American Le Mans Series

Ginetta-Zytek brought its new 4.5-litre engined LMP1 contender to the USA this week to demonstrate its undoubted pace. At the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans race it proved not only its speed, particular in the early stages when Danny Watts headed the field of top endurance racers but also its reliability. In a race of attrition it was one of the few LMP1 survivors, having experienced no significant technical issues.

Changes to endurance racing regulations recently announced by Le Mans organiser, L’Automobile Club de l’Ouest will have no significant effect on the specification of the LMP1 Ginetta-Zytek. Therefore, this positive performance indicates that the 07S should prove to be one of the strongest contenders in 2009. Changes to its aerodynamics following some intensive wind tunnel work will further enhance the car that has showed so well at Road Atlanta.

Various problems that arose for the team during the Petit Le Mans race meant that the second half of the race failed to live up to the promise of the first. A significant amount of time was spent behind the wall as accident damage was repaired. Although Danny and Olivier Pla pulled the car back up to fourth in the LMP1 class and 14th overall, it was a scant reward for their tremendous efforts in the opening laps.

“The car showed well very early on. It was very comfortable maintaining its pace at the head of the field,” observes Zytek Engineering managing director Trevor Foster. “However, following an incident with a GT car, after which we lost touch with the leaders, it became simply a matter of running to the end of the race. Our main target had become putting mileage on the new 4.5-litre engine.”

Trevor pays tribute to the three organisations that gelled brilliantly during the week, entrant Team LNT, his engineers from Zytek Engineering and US Indy Car operation, Conquest Racing that helped run the car during its foray to the USA.