Le
Mans Series 2006
Round 2. Spa 1000 Kilometers. May 12-14th 2006
Qualifying.
Issued
May 13th 2006
Second
Successive Pole for RML
RML
starts on class pole for the second successive race following
an impressive run in difficult conditions at Spa-Francorchamps
in Belgium for round two of the 2006 Le Mans Series. Heavy
overnight rain had been followed by another torrential downpour
shortly before the start of the twenty-minute qualifying
session, but Brazilian Thomas Erdos took the slippery circuit
in his stride to emerge nearly a second-and-a-half clear
of the field in LMP2.
“I’m
delighted of course, but it’s such good effort from
everyone in the team,” insisted Erdos afterwards.
“ We knew the track would be drier towards the end
of the session, and we worked hard towards making the most
of that knowledge.” This was reflected in the fact
that the RML MG Lola EX264 was one of the last cars to head
out onto the track. “After that, I just went out and
kept trying to go quicker and quicker, right up until my
last lap.” The time was not only fast enough to secure
the class pole, but also to set the MG on the second row
overall, less than a second shy of gaining a valuable front-row
slot. “It’s very encouraging to be so close
to the quickest LMP1 cars,” commented Adam Wiseberg
Motorsport Director at AD Holdings, the team’s principal
sponsor. “To be just two-and-a-half seconds off pole,
less than a second away from the first row, is very impressive.”
During
two days of practice, the RML MG has been consistently quickest
in class, topping the times not only during the dry periods
of Friday, but also when the track has been at its most
treacherous. “I think it was Stirling Moss who said
that nobody actually enjoys driving in the wet, but some
are just better at it than others,” said Mike Newton,
who co-drives the EX264 with Thomas Erdos. “Tommy’s
style clearly suits the wet, and I feel we both cope well
with conditions like this. Generally, we’re very competitive
when it rains. Certainly, a wet race holds no fears for
us!”
The
forecast for Sunday is for changeable conditions, and these
may benefit the RML duo, but memories of their last outing
in Istanbul are still fresh. On that occasion Thomas Erdos
was tipped into the pit wall by contact from another prototype
driver even before they had crossed the starting line. It’s
a concern that is never far removed from the team’s
thinking as they face Sunday’s race. “If nothing
goes badly wrong at the start, we should be able to deliver
another podium tomorrow,” said a quietly confident
Adam Wiseberg. Ray Mallock, team owner at RML, was equally
hopeful. “I’m very pleased with the way the
car has been dialled in for this circuit,” he said.
“We’ve been trying some slightly different parts
on the car and they’ve worked well, and that’s
reflected in good times from both drivers, but we still
need to look forward to a good, clean get-away.”
The
six-hour, 1000 kilometer race starts at half-past twelve
local time tomorrow.