Le Mans Series

Beechdean Mansell on the Pace at Official LMS Test

© Planetlemans – Marcel ten Caat

The Beechdean Mansell Motorsport team were able to declare the official two day Le Mans Series test at Paul Ricard HTTT in the South of France a success after setting competitive times on both days. The fledgling British team were fifth fastest overall on day one, third fastest in the morning session on day two and were setting competitive times throughout the test against the more established LMS teams.

The weather conditions played an important part of the two days with a cold northerly wind creating track conditions that didn’t allow the teams to get the best from their cars or tyres. It even snowed for a short period on Sunday night, which wasn’t what the teams expected to find in the South of France.

The Beechdean Mansell Motorsport Ginetta Zytek GZ09S, with Greg Mansell at the wheel, hit the track on Sunday morning and was immediately the fastest car on the circuit. As the morning progressed Greg continued to set competitive times, lapping within a few seconds of the Team Oreca Peugeot 980 HDi-FAP, which had moved to the top of time sheets. Greg finished the morning in third position, just 0.7 seconds off the fastest time before handing over the car to elder brother Leo for the afternoon session, who completed some long test runs on full fuel tanks.

Nigel Mansell completed just four laps at the end of the afternoon, the 1992 F1 World Champion having to abandon his flying lap as the session was brought to an abrupt end by red flags. The team decided to abandon any night running due to the very low track temperature, a decision that proved to be correct when snow was seen falling for a short period in the early part of the session.

Day two began very well for the Beechdean Mansell Motorsport team with Greg Mansell once again finishing his first stint behind the wheel in P2 on old tyres and setting the fastest sector 3 time overall on his final lap. The team fitted a new rubber and the 22-year-old finished the session with a best lap of 1m44.633, just 0.2 seconds behind the Oreca Peugeot. Leo Mansell then completed some further endurance work on the car, setting competitive times on full fuel tanks for lap after lap, allowing the team to work on the car’s performance in race trim.

Nigel Mansell was only able to complete two laps during his stint when a piece of debris damaged the rear of the car and the Ginetta Zytek became airborne for a short while. Nigel brought the car back to the pits but the incident brought to an end an otherwise very encouraging and productive first major test for the newest team on the Le Mans Series grid.

Nigel Mansell: “Overall I think the team has done a fantastic job, with outstanding performances from Greg and Leo. I had a problem in the last session when I hit something on the back straight and went airborne momentarily, which brought the test to an end for us. However considering the weather conditions; that it is our first proper test with big opposition and all the other competitors, it is an outstanding achievement to be so high up the order at the first outing. We’ve obviously got a lot of hard work ahead of us but we have a good base to build on now and we’re looking forward to returning to Paul Ricard for the first race of the season next month.”

Greg Mansell: “The test has gone very well and we’re pleased with the car’s performance. We’ve made some good progress with the development, working closely with Dunlop and there is more pace to come. I’m pleased to be setting times close to the leading pace set by the Orecas. This track, with the long back straight, is going to show up any weaknesses and we’re pleased with the result. I think Zytek have done a fantastic job with the engine, it’s pulling very well and I think it’s exciting to see what we can do this season. We’re certainly moving forward as a team.”

Leo Mansell: “I think it has gone very well. It has been very tough with the air temperature, but it has been the same for everyone. It has been a challenge to keep everything warm but we’ve made some good progress with the car and we look in pretty good shape in terms of competitiveness. It was good to get a good feel for the car on full tanks during the test, it is the first time I’ve driven the car with that amount of weight. We gained some good experience and some good miles; it’s encouraging and very exciting.”

Andrew Howard, Team Principal: “I think the team has done really well and I think the car has performed above expectations. We came here to learn more about the car, which we’ve done and to finish in the top three this morning, and to finish in the top five yesterday, is absolutely fantastic. We now need to use the data we’ve gathered to go forward from here. The car seems very well suited to this circuit and in terms of the competition we’ve seen here in the last two days we are very comfortable, so we’re looking forward to the first race at Paul Ricard next month.”