Le Mans Series

Paul Ricard Test Days – Pre-Testing Roundup

© Planetlemans – Gerlach Delissen

The traditional Paul Ricard test weekend is right around the corner, time for a quick roundup of the latest pre-season testing news.

As expected ORECA will bring its Peugeot 908 HDi FAP and the Oreca 01 AIM to Le Castellet for the Test Days. The Oreca 01 AIM will be run in a completely black livery, out of respect to Hiro Kaneda. The Japanese engineer who died in January was responsible for the V10 Judd and he was also one of the moving forces behind the AIM engine. In order to prepare the car for next month’s race Soheil Ayari will be testing.

The team’s Peugeot will be in its 2010 livery at the Paul Ricard test and will have all three drivers onboard. “These tests are the continuation of our apprenticeship phase of the 908 HDi FAP, which began last week in private testing on the HTTT circuit,” explains David Floury. “Olivier and Nicolas have to finalise their driving positions and familiarise themselves with how the car works. It’s the same thing for the mechanics. We wanted to test in all kinds of conditions and we completed our programme; we were able to run on a wet track, a drying one and finally one that was completely dry. That gave us a fair amount of information: now it’s time to move on to the next stage of our programme.”

Aston Martin Racing will enter its LMP1 coupe for Primat, Buncombe, Fernandez, Mücke and Turner. After a successful test in Sebring, despite the crash at the end, the team is now heading over to France for more pre-season preparation. Harold Primat explains: “In France, the objectives are slightly different. Sure, we’ll prepare for the eight-hour race there in April, but it’s also important to conduct some specific Le Mans set-up work which we couldn’t at Sebring. The track is certainly more suitable than in Florida which is very bumpy and not particularly quick.”

AF Corse will be present with three cars; one for Perez Companc and Russo, one for Fisichella, Alesi and Vilander and one for Bruni and Melo. Priority for the team is practice. Alesi, Fisichella will join Nigel Mansell for questions from the press on Sunday at the annual Le Mans Series press conference.

Two days before the start of the test the Applewood Seven FLM09 has been withdrawn from the entry list, reducing the number of cars taking part on Sunday and Monday to 40. The full entry list can be found here.

More to come this weekend as Planetlemans will be covering the event live from France. If you are in the area, the test days at Paul Ricard are open for spectators!

Rendez-vous on Sunday!