Le Mans Series

Strakka fired up to extend LMS lead at historic Imola

Strakka Racing’s principal aim for 2011 – winning the Le Mans Series (LMS) – will resume in Italy on 1-3 July with the 6 Hours of Imola at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Team drivers Jonny Kane, Danny Watts and Nick Leventis might not be Italian, but they have just as much passion for motor racing as a grandstand full of red-blooded tifosi, and they’ll be pushing their twin-turbo V6 engined HPD ARX-01d to the limit in an attempt to extend their LMP2 championship lead.

The Strakka Racing team has had only eight days back at its Silverstone base to prepare the car for Imola following its return from Le Mans (11-12 June). Reflective on a phenomenal team effort and the disappointment of retirement half way through the 24 hour endurance race, the team is ever more determined to bounce back and focus now on its principal aim for 2011, the LMS title. Strakka currently leads the LMP2 category after finishing third in both previous races at Paul Ricard (1-3 April) and Spa Francorchamps (5-7 May).

The circuit is located 25 miles (40kms) east of Bologna and 50 miles (80kms) east of the Ferrari factory in Maranello. It’s steeped in history and is one of the few major international circuits to run in an anti-clockwise direction. Housing legendary corners such as Rivazza, Variante Alta and the Tambarello Chicane, the infamous Imola circuit has witnessed some of the greatest motor races of all time.

Of Strakka’s three drivers, only Jonny has raced at Imola before when he competed in a Formula 3000 race there in 1998. Nick and Danny are familiar with the track however as Strakka tested at Imola at the beginning of the year. Although productive at the time, the test will provide only small advantage for the forthcoming race as conditions were cold and wet, a stark contrast to those expected on race day when temperatures are expected to sore in the mid-summer heat. The weather will undoubtedly have an impact on tyre wear throughout the race, and the team is hoping that its Michelin shod HPD ARX-01d will fair better in the heat than those on opposition tyres, as previously experienced.

The grid at Imola is expected to contain 50 cars, as it’s also a round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC), so traffic could cause a few issues throughout the race. Add to that the tight and twisty nature of the 3.050 mile (4.909km) circuit and you have the makings of some very exciting racing.

Nick Leventis: “I’ve never raced at Imola, and the only time I’ve driven on the new layout was at our pre-season test. It’s going to be an interesting race. We’ve got a lot of work to do before we get there, and I’ve got every faith that we’ll arrive at Imola as prepared as we possibly can be and be able to get another good result. I said at the beginning of the season that our main aim was the LMS. The title got away from us last year; we’re leading at the moment and we feel that the work we’ve done at the beginning of the season will be to our advantage in the second half of the series.”

Danny Watts: “I’ve never raced at Imola, so I’m really looking forward to it. We tested there in the winter and did some wet and dry running, and the work we’ve done with Wirth Research will give us a good idea of where to set the car up for practice and qualifying. The track is pretty tight and twisty and they’ll be lots of cars on the track. It’s going to be very exciting and a lot of fun. The main aim at the beginning of the year was to try and win the LMS, and we’re leading it at the moment after two races, so we are definitely in with a shout. We’re all one hundred per cent focused on doing that.”

Jonny Kane: “The LMS was definitely something that we felt slipped away from us last year, so that’s always been the main focus for 2011. I’m quite surprised to be leading the championship, especially having seen what our pace was like at Paul Ricard. We’ve just been able to keep pumping in reasonably quick and consistent lap times with the air restrictor that we have and achieved some good solid results. The pleasing thing at Spa was that we finished on the lead lap and Imola should suit our car better than the two tracks we’re been to so far this year. We’ll bounce back from Le Mans. It’s a unique event and our main focus is winning the LMS. I’ve raced at Imola once before, in a Formula 3000 race in 1998. I find that after twenty years, you’ve been to most places – albeit not very often!”

Piers Phillips, Team Principal and Technical Director: “Imola was built in the 1950s and it’s steeped in history, some of it good, some of it bad. It’s my favourite circuit on the LMS calendar. I can’t wait to get there. I love it to bits! We tested there earlier in the year, which was productive, so we know the circuit. With that and the work we’ve done with Wirth Research, we’re confident of arriving there with a good car. As a team, after Le Mans we are all hell bent on getting a good result at Imola – and we want to put the car on pole and win the race. We are all extremely fired up about going there and increasing our championship lead. There will be a lot of cars on track and therefore traffic management will be important. The weather will be important too, because it’s likely to be very hot and the Michelin runners, of which we are one, will have an advantage over the opposition, because the tyre seems to be better in hot conditions.”

The 6 Hours of Imola begins with two 90-minute free practice sessions on Friday 1 July (starting at 12.15 and 16.30 local time), followed by a third and final 60-minute free practice (08.55) and a 20-minute qualifying session (14.25 – 14.45) on Saturday 2 July. Race day on Sunday 3 July starts with a 20-minute warm-up at 09.00, before the start of the race at 12.00.

British Eurosport will broadcast coverage of the race in two one hour programmes on Sunday 3 July, beginning at 11.00 and 23.00.