Le Mans Series

Paul Ricard Test Days – Sunday morning report

© Planetlemans – Marcel ten Caat

Nearly six months after the end of the 2009 Le Mans Series season the 2010 season got underway at the Circuit Paul Ricard HTTT. From all over Europe 41 teams made their way to Southern France to find out where they are compared to rival teams. At 9.30 am the track went green and the cars went out for their first four hours of testing.

Richard Westbrook joined Marco Holzer in the ProSpeed Porsche 997 GT3 RSR this morning. The demise of the FIA GT2 European Championship meant that ProSpeed will move into the Le Mans Series, taking Westbrook with them. For JMW Motorsport it means only Sugden and Bell are testing here at Paul Ricard. Uwe Alzen joined BMW Team Schnitzer on their BMW M3 while the AIM-Team ORECA #6 car saw Soheil Ayari getting company from Andy Meyrick and Didier André.

Despite a rather chilly atmosphere, lots of wind and a light drizzle at the start of the first test session most teams opted to go out and make the best of it. One hour into the session 33 cars had set a lap time. Just before a red flag briefly halted the session.

At 11 o’clock, with the rain still coming down but clear skies and the sun visible over the mountain it was the Oreca 01 AIM of Ayari/Meyrick/André that had set the fastest lap time in 1:44.954. The Team ORECA Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP (#4) was second fastest in 1:47.128, with the Beechdean Mansell Motorsport Ginetta-Zytek 09S third fastest in 1:47.970.
Quifel-ASM Team was fastest in LMP2 (1:49.042), the #61 Matech Competition Ford GT set the fastest time in GT1 (1:59.582) and in GT2 it was the #96 AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT of Bruni/Melo that was quickest.

An hour and a half and another brief red flag later the time set by the Oreca 01 AIM was still the fastest on the timing screens. By now the Rebellion Racing Lola B10/60 Rebellion had moved into second place, despite several spins in the session, just a tenth behind the Oreca. And at 12:40 the session was again interrupted for a few minutes as the flatbed transporters were sent out to pick up another car.

Soon after the track went green again the cars went out again for the final thirty minutes. Even though at the front positions did not change the times throughout the field were improving. Interesting to note is that the majority of the GT2 cars finished this session in front of the new specification GT1 cars.

One thing could be crucial for this year again…tyres. Straight out the factory, one small shakedown and on Dunlop tyres the JMW Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage was fastest in GT2, the quickest car on the track was on Dunlops and so were the fourth and fifth placed LMP1 cars. In fact the Signature Plus Aston Martin LMP1, on Dunlops, beat the works car, on Michelin tyres.

Here are all the times of the Sunday morning session:

#6 – AIM Team Oreca – Oreca 01 AIM– 1:44.954
#13 – Rebellion Racing – Lola B10/60 Rebellion – 1:45.069
#4 – Team Oreca Matmut – Peugeot 908 HDi FAP – 1:45.280
#5 – Beechdean Mansell Motorsport – Ginetta-Zytek 09S – 1:45.662
#008 – Signature Plus – Lola Aston Martin – 1:46.713
#009 – Aston Martin Racing – Lola Aston Martin – 1:46.901
#42 – Strakka Racing – HPD Acura ARX01c – 1:47.378
#40 – Quifel-ASM Team – Ginetta-Zytek 09S – 1:47.984
#25 – RML – Lola B08/80 HPD – 1:48.958
#35 – OAK Racing – Pescarolo 01 Judd – 1:50.283
#41 – Team Bruichladdich – Ginetta-Zytek 09S – 1:51.074
#12 – Rebellion Racing – Lola B10/60 Rebellion – 1:51.359
#30 – Racing Box – Lola B09/80 Judd – 1:52.526
#24 – OAK Racing – Pescarolo 01 Judd – 1:53.042
#29 – Racing Box – Lola B09/80 Judd – 1:54.301
#45 – Boutsen Energy Racing – FLM09 – 1:54.352
#39 – KSM – Lola B08/47 Judd – 1:55.765
#49 – Applewood Seven – FLM09 – 1:56.065
#27 – Race Performance – Radical SR9 Judd – 1:56.478
#61 – Matech Competition – Ford GT – 1:59.582
#92 – JMW Motorsport – Aston Martin V8 Vantage – 1:59.649
#70 – Marc VDS Racing Team – Ford GT – 1:59.817
#52 – Young Driver AMR – Aston Martin DBR9 – 1:59.853
#96 – AF Corse – Ferrari F430 GT – 1:59.901
#43 – DAMS – FLM09 – 1:59.919
#89 – Hankook Team Farnbacher – Ferrari F430 GT – 2:00.175
#95 – AF Corse – Ferrari F430 GT – 2:00.243
#91 – CRS Racing – Ferrari F430 GT – 2:00.594
#50 – Larbre Competition – Saleen S7R – 2:00.667
#76 – IMSA Performance Matmut – Porsche 997 GT3 RSR – 2:00.806
#94 – AF Corse – Ferrari F430 GT – 2:00.884
#75 – Prospeed Competition – Porsche 997 GT3 RSR – 2:01.150
#68 – Marc VDS Racing Team – Ford GT – 2:01.376
#77 – Team Felbermayr Proton – Porsche 997 GT3 RSR – 2:01.709
#90 – CRS Racing – Ferrari F430 GT – 2:02.263
#78 – BMW Team Schnitzer – 2:02.813
#46 – JMB Racing – FLM09 – 2:03.663
#87 – IMSA Performance Matmut – 2:04.763