Le
Mans Series 2008
Round 5. Silverstone 1000 Kilometres. September 12th - 14th
2008
Sunday Review
Morning
There
was no warm-up for Round 5 of the Le Mans Series, so the
morning's activities were restricted to the Radical European
Masters race from nine through nine-forty-five, and then
the traditional autograph session. As has become the habit
of late, this was staged in the paddock, with teams setting
up tables alongside their trucks. Unfortunately, Mike had
commitments elsewhere, so Tommy had to fulfil this appointment
solo. There was still a deep crowd opposite the blue RML
tractor unit, and Tommy signed dozens of HeroCards.
The
autograph session embraced the fifteen minutes of 'quiet'
assigned to the Church Beak, during which teams are prohibited
from running their engines. That ended at five past ten,
and the first car to head out on track after that might
- just might - have been allowed to run during the Church
service. The new Peugeot Hybrid was revealed to the assembled
media on Saturday evening, and combines both diesel and
electric motive power. Nic Minassian brought the car past
the pit straight under diesel power first, and it mimicked
the whisper quiet performance of the current 908 HD1-FAP
racecars.
Perhaps
it was just a little too noisy to meet the vicar's expectations,
but next time the car swept by the pit wall, it did so using
its powerful electric motor . . . and aside from the seashore-wail
of the tyres on tarmac, it was virtually silent. As confirmed
by Saturday's ACO press conference, the future lies in bio-friendly
fuels and environmental awareness in motorsport. Hybrid
cars are one of the avenues being encouraged, and Peugeot
is only the first of several manufacturers preparing to
introduce hybrid-powered racecars. Zytek too is exploring
this route. The only drawback at the moment (apart perhaps
from cost) is the fact that the ACO has suggested that cars
racing with hybrid power in 2009 will not be eligible to
score points, although how this is expected to encourage
teams to adopt the novel alternative is unclear.
The
pitlane was opened to the public between ten and ten-forty,
but within five minutes of the crowds being cleared, the
pitlane opened, and the first of the Le Mans Series competitors
started easing out towards the grid. Most completed an installation
lap, and returned promptly to the pitlane. A few took this
as an opportunity to give new tyres a one-lap rubbing down,
but all had to refit the same tyres they used in qualifying
before taking up their positions on the grid.
To
the accompaniment of a marching band, the grid girls had
taken up their positions during the walkabout. Now the cars
themselves arrived - the two Peugeots among the first, the
two Audis behind them on the second row, the last. RML's
MG Lola looks even more like a jet fighter from this angle,
below.
The
Race
Race
coverage was created "live" from approximately
two hours into the event, with driver quotes and additional
observations added later. This can lead to some inconsistency
with tenses, for which we apologise.
For
links to live timing and Radio Le Mans live radio coverage,
please see Silverstone
intro page. After the race there are archived recordings
of interviews and race reporting.
RACE
START
11:20
The cars move off the grid at dot on twenty-past - perhaps
a little late, as it's taken great endeavours from the marshals
to clear the track of team members, journalists and guests.
With stirring music being played over the public address,
the cars complete their green flag lap behind the pace car
. . . and then a wonderful noise erupts from between the
massed grandstands around Luffield and Woodcote as the Peugeots,
Audis and other leading P1 cars accelerate across the start
line.
It
looks to be a good, fair start, at least from the Woodcote
end of the pit straight. At the other end, as the leaders
stream through the flat-out right-hander, there's a lot
of jostling, and contact between Allan McNish and one of
the Peugeots. McNish recovers quickly, but the #7 Peugeot
drops about ten positions.
Also
having another bad opening lap is Fernando Rees in the #32
Barazi Zytek, and he completes the first lap in last place
overall having been tipped into a spin by the #40 ASM Quifel
Lola.This is the only significant change in order within
LMP2. "The leaders seemed to accelerate away very early
at the start," thought Tommy. "By the time we
came through Woodcote it was already quite clear, and the
run through Copse wasn’t the jostle it might have
been. That gave me time to settle in, and we had a good
first lap."
End
of Lap 1
Tommy is putting enormous pressure on the #41 Trading Performance
Zytek.
The
two prototypes starting from the back - the #20 Epsilon
from the rear of the grid, the Rollcentre from the pitlane
- are making great progress through the tail enders.
End
of Lap 2
Tommy is up to 9th in class, having passed the #41.
End
of Lap 3
Tommy's next target is Warren Hughes in the #45 Embassy,
although only briefly, as Warren then overtakes Darren Manning
in the sister #46 car.
End
of Lap 4
Having dispensed with the two slower cars, Tommy is now
making rapid in-roads onto the #46, and occupies a comfortable
8th place in class.
End
of Lap 5
The order in LMP2 is: #34 Van Merksteijn Porsche leads from
the #3 Speedy Lola, with the #31 Team Essex Porsche a close
third. The ASM Lola is fourth, narrowly ahead of the #27
Horag Porsche, with Warren Hughes sixth, Manning seventh,
and Tommy eighth.
End
of Lap 6
Tommy is running really well, and closing quite rapidly
on the #46 Embassy car. Phil advises Tommy that he's right
on the pace of all those ahead of him, and to "keep
it up". It's unlikely the Brazilian had considered
relaxing just yet.
11:32
Tommy passes Manning for seventh. The order in LMP2 is now:
34, 33, 31, 40, 27, 45, 25 and then Darren Manning in the
#46, falling back.
11:38
Darren Manning pits the #46, evidently with problems.
The
#8 Peugeot leads overall from the #1 Audi, then the #2,
with the Charouz Lola fourth and the #7 Peugeot, recovering
from that first lap spin, in fifth.
11:44
Tommy laps the GT1 leader, and this brings him even closer
to Warren. There's only a few yards between them. "Warren
had so much more pace than us on the straights, but over
the course of a full lap, it was clear that we were just
a bit quicker." said Tommy. "Warren wasn’t
about to give way easily, and he was firm, but fair."
In
GT2, the Virgo Ferrari (below) leads, but only
by a second from the #76 Porsche, with the Felbermayr#77
third. All three are very tightly positioned.
11:46
Tommy starts his next lap right under Warrens tail, but
he has the race-leading #8 Peugeot right behind him. He
will have to give way, and perhaps lose ground on Warren
in the process.
11:49
The exchange works out well for Tommy, and having let the
Peugeot through, Warren then has to give way too, and Tommy
follows the Peugeot closely. When they start the next lap,
they're almost touching as they belt through Woodcote, at
somewhere around 150 miles an hour.
Order
now: 34, 33, 31, 40, 27, 45 and then Tommy.
11:51
Tommy is now so close, he must be able to make it stick!
Unfortunately, he has the third-placed Audi right on his
tail, and as they come through to start the next lap he
has to back off and allow the P1 car through.
11:53
They start the next lap side by side through Woodcote, but
Warren squeezes Tommy up against the bollards on the right
and the MG drivers relents, dabs the brakes, and snicks
in behind for the run down to Copse.
12:00
This time Tommy has fallen back, mainly through traffic,
and the gap has extended to half a second.
12:03
The duel is resumed, and Tommy has recovered all those lost
yards, and is now right back on the case again.
Further
ahead, the gaps are larger. The #34 Porsche leads by eight
seconds from the #33 Speedy Sebah Lola, which is half a
second clear of the #31 Team Essex Porsche. More than ten
seconds separates the metallic blue #31 from the matt-black
and blue AS LOla, fourth. Fifth is occupied by the #27 Horag
car, four seconds clear of Warren, who has just a cigarette
paper between his rear wing and the MG's front splitter.
It couldn't be much closer.
Tommy
says he's "happy" with the car, but is told to
prepare for his first scheduled pitstop at the end of the
next lap. This spurs him on . . .
12:06
Tommy overtakes Warren Hughes in the #45 Embassy WF01 for
sixth position. "He looked to put a wheel on the grass
at the exit of Club," was Tommy's explanation for why
the move had ended up so easy. "He was forced to go
wide around a GT2 Porsche, and it took him out onto the
apron that acts as run-off there. It finishes quite abruptly,
and suddenly becomes grass. I was amazed, but he stayed
with his foot to the floor, and kept going. The car was
bucking around, but he corrected a few times got it back
onto the track, but he was still pushing very hard."
It was a moment's satisfaction for the Brazilian to get
ahead, but half a lap later he was taking to the pitlane.
12:07
FIRST PITSTOP
It's a smooth and untroubled pitstop for the RML crew. It
is also an opportunity for Russell, the engine technician
from AER, to address a possible issue with the engine. For
reasons as yet unclear, the telemetry had suggested that
the engine was running hotter than was ideal, so the decision
was taken to de-tune the XP-21. This would mean a loss of
power, perhaps of around 50 horsepower for the rest of the
race, but a better chance that it would go the distance.
It took just a matter of seconds to plug in the laptop and
adjust a few settings, and Tommy is quickly back out on
track again.
12:08
The Van Merksteijn Porsche pits from the lead. Many others
are now heading for the pitlane as well. It's the first
round of scheduled pitstops.
12:13
Tommy has come back out right in the midst of a serious
LMP1 battle, yet he seems to be holding his own.
12:18
After the pitstop, and allowing for others who have done
the same, the MG is now lying sixth in LMP2, fourteen seconds
behind the #27 Horag Porsche, but at current pace Tommy
is taking two seconds out of the Swiss car with every lap.
Hour
2
12:20-13:20
12:21
Van Merksteijn leads from the #33 second, #31 third, #40
fourth, then the #27, and Tommy sixth.
12:24
The gap between Tommy and the #27 has dropped to just 5
seconds in the space of two laps. "Looking good!"
says Tommy from the cockpit.
12:26
Despite his pace over the #27 Porsche, he can't resist the
charge from Jos Verstappen in the #34, which sweeps by at
Brooklands to lap the MG.
12:30
It appears as if Verstappen has made a minor error - he
comes back round for the next lap well behind Tommy, who
is continuing to bear down on the #27 Porsche.
12:33
Tommy warns the team over the radio that there has been
an accident on the Hangar Straight, and he thinks there
may be a safety car. Phil advises him - and the rest of
the team - to prepare for a pitstop.
12:34
SECOND PIT STOP and
SAFETY
CAR
Tommy pits for fuel only,
and it's a quick pitstop, and he's out again in time to
catch the tail of the safety-car procession.
It
appears that the leading Peugeot, with Nic Minassian at
the wheel, has had an incident with the #76 Porsche. Having
followed the Porsche through the complex between Maggots
and Chapel, he then cuts across the front of the Porsche
a little too soon, and they touch. Both cars are badly damaged.
Tommy
asks Phil what the cockpit temperature is, and is told it
isn't anything he really needs to know, but since he insists,
it's around 27 or 28 degrees. This is well within the limits
set by the regulators, and both drivers later agree that
the environment is "comfortable". Maybe summer
has returned to Britain for the Le Mans Series weekend!
Tommy is happy with that, but not with the fact that his
water bottle doesn't seem to be working.
12:51
The field is preparing for the restart, and the safety car
has allowed the tail-enders through and is about to pick
up the leader. Tommy is somewhere near the middle of the
field, and has ended up just behind the second Peugeot.
The
Audi #2 R10 now leads from the #1, with the #8 Peugeot third
- on track, immediately in front of Tommy.
12:57
RACING RESUMES.
The
order in LMP2 is: #34 still leading, as it has for the entire
race (barring a brief interlude between pitstops), with
the #33 Lola second and the #31 Team Essex Porsche third.
13:00
The #8 Peugeot and the #1 Audi have tangled somewhere, and
the Peugeot appears to have fared worse. The #1 Audi bears
the scars down the left-hand side, where the cill is damaged
and a large round wheelmark scuffs the panels (below).
Both pit for repairs and a check-up, but McNish is the first
to resume the race.
13:07
Tommy is closing down on the #46 Embassy car, and asks if
it is for position. The answer is 'no', as the Embassy car
is 12 laps down already. Instead, it is Jonny Kane in the
other Embassy car, eight seconds further ahead, that is
Tommy's next target. The MG is lying sixth in LMP2.
13:11
The #32 Barazi, distantly down the class order, has a coming-together
with the #91 Porsche at Bridge. The Barazi is able to regain
the track - after a cross-country excursion - but the Porsche
is a retirement.
13:12
Tommy loses a place to the #40 ASM Lola as they hustle through
the final complex. MG now 7th.
13:17
The #45 pits, so Tommy moves back up to sixth.
13:18
The #95 spins at Brooklands, immediately behind Tommy. There
would look to be oil on the track. Yes, the red and yellow
striped flag is being shown at Priory. Several more cars
risk spinning at the same spot, including Tommy, who radioes
through to advise the team.
13:21
The #31 Team Essex Porsche makes a slow return to the pitlane
with the front left-hand wheel missing completely.
It
remains very tight for the overall lead, and pitstops determine
the top slots. Currently, the #10 Charouz Lola leads from
Audi #1 and then the #5 Matmut Courage third.
Hour
3
13:20-14:20
13:24
Tommy moves through into fifth in LMP2.
13:26
On the very next lap, he inherits fourth.
13:34
Reporting from now on was added "live",
and the preceding material added from notes. Please excuse
any apparent errors in tense, as it's a little difficult
writing 'now' and also 'then'.
The
RML MG Lola EX265C, in its debut race, currently lies fourth
in LMP2, eleventh overall, after an incident-packed opening
stint for almost ever one of 46 cars on the track.
13:36
Jos Verstappen in the #34 Porsche leads LMP2 from an impressive
fourth place overall, but not having everything his own
way. The Speedy Lola #33 is just half a lap in arrears.
These two are well clear of the third-placed Lola, the #40,
with fast man Olivier Pla setting some quick laps in the
black and blue ASM car. He now has a lead of just over a
minute on Tommy. Fifth is Warren Hughes in the #46 Embassy
WF01.
13:40
Sebah Lola goes off big-time into the wall at Luffield,
having been negotiating the GT1 Lamborghini. Xavier Pompidou
is not happy, thinking he's been taken of, but the Spartak
driver looked to have held his line well. Tommy is a witness
to all this, and was rounding Luffield One at the time,
preparing to pit. He predicts a safety car.
1342
THIRD PIT STOP and
SAFETY CAR
Mike leaves the pitlane, having taken over from Tommy. Mike
is advised of the situation, and confirms over the radio.
He resumes in fourth place, it seems.
13:45
Miguel Amaral pits in the ASM Lola under the safety car.
He rejoins on cold tyres, and promptly spins the car. He
resumes, and works less enthusiastically to catch up with
the tail of the queue.
Confirmation
that the #33 Speedy Sebah Lola is likely to be a retirement.
Car is badly damaged. Replay suggests something broke following
an earlier nudge on the Lamborghini.
Clarification
also of the order in LMP2, which has Lienhard just ahead
of Mike, having just rounded Copse before the MG got up
to speed. Mike is waved by the safety car and has a clear
lap in which to catch up with the tail-end. He promptly
sets his fastest lap of the weekend so far; a 1:46, which
improves on his previous best by almost four seconds!
One
more lap under the safety car expected.
13:54
RACING RESUMES
Mike
gets a fairly good restart, but is aware of one of the LMP1
Peugeots right behind him as he heads down to Copse.
13:55
Incident at the start of Club Corner, with contact between
two prototypes - it's the #46 car being punted by the Quifel
ASM Lola. "All hell broke loose through Vale after
the restart," said Mike, who arrived seconds later.
"The first prototype - the Embassy I think - had half-spun,
and I managed to jinx around that, only to find the ASM
Lola head-on to me in the middle of the track. I thought
I was going to drive straight up the front of him! I swerved
to the side, but even then I wasn’t sure I was going
to miss him. That would have been a very nasty accident."
Moments
later, the Rollcentre car goes off at Brooklands, one wheel
missing. The two P2 cars back at Club resume, although Joey
Foster's #46 has sustained a puncture. The Rollcentre P1
car may be a retirement.
13:58
The Vulcan completes a flypast! It is due here next weekend,
so this is an extra treat.
14:00
Order in LMP2 is now: #34 leading handsomely now, with the
departure of the #33 Lola. The Van Merksteijn car still
occupies fourth overall. Second position has fallen to Warren
in the #45 Embassy WF01, with the Horag Porsche third and
then Mike Newton inheriting fourth.
14:02
Rollcentre Pescarolo limps back to the pitlane, scattering
gravel everywhere, but the team clears out as much as possible,
fits a new wheel, and resumes. Team suggests that the wheel
may have broken, as there was no obvious contact.
14:05
Amaral is just six seconds behind Mike, but the gap is being
held pretty even, with Mike setting low 44s, sometimes a
fraction quicker than Amaral, sometimes a tad slower, but
not a lot between the two. Mike is about 20 seconds behind
Lienhard in the #27.
14:12
Hughes into the pitlane from second in LMP2. Lienhard moves
up to second, and at much the same time, Amaral gets ahead
of Mike, after a slower lap from the AD Group CEO. Both
go by on the pit straight before Hughes can rejoin.
14:19
Minor lapse in concentration perhaps from Mike, and a 1:48
lap allows Jonny Kane straight by in the Embassy #45. The
MG slips to 5th in LMP2, 13th overall.
Hour
4
14:20-15:20
Overall,
the #2 Audi leads from the #10 Charouz Lola with the #6
Courage third. The second (#1) Audi is fourth, and after
their various incidents, the two Peugeots are effectively
out - one of them a confirmed retirement, the other still
running but 34th overall. Is this the title decided already?
14:26
Lienhard pits the #27 Horag Porsche, and hands over to Jan
Lammers. The pitstop costs them several places. Kane, in
the #45 Embassy car, moves back into second, ahead of Amaral
(by about ten seconds) and then Mike in fourth, a further
twenty seconds behind. Lammers resumes in fifth.
14:33
Mike does one of his best laps, a 1:43, but then follows
it with a 47. It will be his last flyer on this stint, as
Phil confirms "in this lap".
14:34
The #46 Embassy WF01 - well down the order - has a spin
onto the grass. He resumes a few minutes later, but heads
straight for the pitlane.
14:35
FOURTH PIT STOP
Into the pitlane comes Mike Newton in the #25 MG Lola. He
stays in the car while the team refuel the car and clear
the ducts of any debris. No new tyres, and smoothly away.
However, the MG relinquishes several places as a result,
and comes out in sixth, 14th overall.
14:43
The ASM Lola enters the pitlane for what is a scheduled
pitstop. Amaral vacates third as a result, and Jan Lammers
moves through. Mike is 20 seconds behind Lahaye in the #35
Saulnier car, which crept ahead during the last pitstop.
Mike regains fifth.
15:00
Mike is circulating strongly, although has just been lapped
by the #45 Embassy WF01. He's lying fifth, roughly fifty
seconds behind Lahaye in the #35 LMP2 Pescarolo, but a similar
distance ahead of Amaral.
15:03
Hughes pits the #45 from second in LMP2. The pitstop begins
normally, but Kane cannot get the car to restart properly.
He stutters down the pitlane on the starter motor. It finally
fires up as he reaches the pitlane exit, and away he goes,
but the delay has cost him at least a lap.
15:06
Manning pits in the sister #46 Embassy WF01, but is way
down the order now.
15:13
A pitstop for the leading #34 Porsche has finally given
the timing screen a more defined appearance, with the top
eight places occupied by LMP1 cars, and then the next eight
belonging to the bulk of the LMP2 contenders.
The
#34 car leads by nearly a lap from Jan Lammers, now second
in the #27 Porsche, with Warren Hughes still holding third,
despite his pitlane stutter. Lahaye is 21 seconds behind
the Embassy car, with Mike then roughly half a lap further
down the track.
Hour
5
15:20-16:20
15:23
Jan Lammers pits the #27 Horag Porsche from second in class.
15:25
Lahaye pits in the #35 Pescarolo, and it's a lengthy stop.
The green, white and black car drops down the order. Mike
moves up to fourth as his stint nears its end.
15:30
FIFTH PIT STOP
Mikes makes his second and final pitstop, handing over to
Tommy, who should stay in the car to the finish now. It
all goes relatively smoothly. “Getting in and out
is OK – not exactly slick, yet, but acceptable,”
says Mike. "In
the open car we’d got the process down to a pretty
fine art. We were pretty quick there, but it’s fair
to say that today did not feel very slick! Even so, I don’t
think we lost any significant amounts of time in the pits."
15:38
Amaral pits in the ASM Lola, and Tommy may pass him for
fourth if it turns out to be a lengthy pitstop. The Brazilian
had been five seconds quicker than the Portuguese car on
the previous lap.
15:41
The #6 Courage pits with suspension problems from9th overall.
Amaral
managed to get out ahead of Tommy, but now has just nine
seconds advantage over the MG.
15:44
Gap is down to 8.4 seconds, and Tommy is taking a second
or more out of Amaral's advantage with each lap.
15:49
The leading LMP2 car, Peter Van Merksteijn in the cockpit,
heads for the pitlane. It's a scheduled pitstop and driver-change
to Verstappen. Apparently, one set of wheel-top louvres
is missing.
15:50
Amaral has responded, and picked up his pace. The gap has
extended over the last few minutes to 17 seconds.
15:57
Scheduled pitstop for Warren Hughes in the #46. This time,
no problems on the re-start, and the #46 is away, now with
Jonny Kane at the wheel. Will he retain third?
15:58
Tommy and Amaral are matching times almost exactly, and
the gap has stabilised at around 18 seconds.
16:02
The Creation Aim (Lewis driving) is off and into the gravel
- not sure where.
Amaral
has just done the ASM Lola's fastest lap, a 1:38.448. Tommy's
best to date (also recently) is a 1:39.054.
16:10
Verstappen (above) has restored his massive advantage,
and heads LMP2 by two laps from Lammers second, but the
Dutchman is a pitstop down, so may have to stop again soon.
Third is the #45 Embassy WF01, with Kane in charge. Amaral
is fourth, and then Tommy holds fifth. Amaral has posted
another fastest lap for the ASM Lola, shaving his best down
to 1:38.032, almost exactly a second quicker than the best
Tommy has been able to achieve in the MG.
16:16
Jan Lammers makes his predicted pitstop. He takes on fuel,
but refused the tyres, even though they were offered to
him.
16:17
While Tommy may be concentrating on Amaral ahead of him,
John Nielsen is not that far in arrears. The gap in front
is 32 seconds, but the margin behind is narrowing.
16:18
It no longer matters, as Nielsen pits the #31 Team Essex
Porsche, although Tommy is also due another pitstop shortly.
16:19
FINAL PIT STOP
Tommy into the pitlane. Scheduled pitstop, and no dramas.
Hour
6 - Finish
16:20-17:20.
16:27
Vergers goes off at Becketts in the Barazi Zytek. It's seriously
buried.
16:28
SAFETY CAR
The safety car is deployed while Verger's car is recovered.
Tommy finds himself directly behind the safety car. Jonny
Kane pits in the #45 - is this an extra pitstop? He exits
the pitlane under a red light! That will make him liable
to a three-minute stop.
16:30
Tommy waved by, and heads off in hot pursuit of the tail-end
of the queue.
Several
other LMP2 contenders also pit - Amaral in the #40, and
then Verstappen in the #34. It may take a few more minutes
for any effect this may have on the order to be revealed.
16:37
RESTART
Racing
resumes, with sixteen laps still to go. It's like the race
start all over again, as the whole pack hammers down towards
Copse.
Order
in LMP2 as we near the end of this 1000 kilometres is: #34
Porsche leads from 6th overall, on 175 laps. Second is Lammers
in the #27 Horag car on 172 laps. Third, for now, is Jonny
Kane, gamely battling on in the Embassy WF01 and 11th overall,
while the team awaits the stewards' decision. Fourth is
Amaral in the ASM Lola, and fifth is Tommy in the MG, 13th
overall.
Out
at the sharp end, Dindo Capello leads the race for Audi,
the #1 R10 heading the Charouz Lola by three laps. Third
is currently the #16 Pescarolo. Critically, after a late
garage stop for attention, is the #2 Audi, which needs to
finish fifth or better to award Rockenfeller and Premat
the title. Premat is just a second behind Boullion in the
Pescarolo, and Boullion has just set the #16's fastest lap
of the race. Determined to hang on to that podium he's done
a 1:35.794.
16:43
A new fastest lap for Tommy as well, who posts a 1:38.940.
16:43
Premat moves through at Stowe to take third overall. His
hold on the title grows stronger lap-by-lap.
16:46
Premat is given a one-second stop-go penalty. He takes this
on the following lap, and rejoins some 20 seconds behind
Boullion.
16:53
Seven more laps for the leader. While Tommy is concentrating
on maintaining his position, Premat is trying to recapture
third overall. He's narrowed the gap to 17 seconds. No sign
yet of any penalty for the #45 Embassy, so they may get
away without the stop.
GT1
looks set to go to the #59 Team Modena Aston Martin, by
one lap from the #55 Lamborghini, the 72 Corvette third,
three laps further back, and the Strakka Racing fourth by
one more lap.
GT2
has Rob Bell, already the new title winner, leading in the
Virgo Ferrari from Marc Lieb in the #77 Porsche, Kaffer
third in the #90, and then Tom Coronel fourth in the #85
Spyker.
16:58
Three laps to go, and Premat is pushing so hard!! He is
desperately keen to regain that final podium step.
17:00
The gap between Premat in the #2 Audi and Boullion is just
5.5 seconds.
17:01
The leading Audi, on his last lap, overtakes Tommy, who
then finds himself chasing Amaral towards the chequered
flag.
17:03
CHEQUERED FLAG
Capello
takes the flag for the #1 Audi - McNish leans out through
the pit wall fence to congratulate his co-driver. Stefan
Mucke takes second for Charouz, and Boullion holds on to
third for Pescarolo. The gap to Premat is just 2.8 seconds
as they cross the line.
Victory
in LMP2 to the 2008 Champion Jos Verstappen in the #34 Van
Merksteijn Porsche, with second going to the #27 Horag Racing
RS Spyder. Third, pending any stewards' decision, is the
Embassy #45, and fourth the #40 ASM Lola.
"Fantastic
effort! We have a great race car here, Thanks very much,"
says Tommy as he crosses the line, fifth in LMP2 on the
screen, but may yet be elevated to fourth if the anticipated
penalty is applied to the #45 Embassy WF01. "Just to
say a great stint from Mike there in the middle," said
Tommy from Parc Fermé, "and thanks to everyone
for putting together such a great car. Well done everyone."
Within
minutes of the race ending confirmation came that the Embassy
team had been issued with a five-minute penalty. This dropped
them from third to sixth position. It transpires that the
car had been suffering from clutch problems for much of
the race, and at the final pitstop, Jonny Kane had been
unable to stop the car without stalling the engine, and
had he done that, there would have been little chance of
a restart. In a snap decision, he pressed on through the
red light, believing that a car stranded in the pitlane
exit, as his would have been, was a worse problem that any
sanction he might face later. Unfortunately, instead of
introducing a stop-go during the race, the stewards delayed
imposing their penalty until after the chequered flag, and
it cost the team dearly.
LMP2
- Result
| Pos |
No. |
O/all |
Team |
Driver |
Car |
Laps/gap |
Time |
| 1 |
34 |
7 |
Van
Merksteijn M/s |
Bleekemolen/Verstappen
|
Porsche
RS Spyder |
191 |
1:35.675 |
| 2 |
27 |
23 |
Horag
Racing |
Lienhard/Theys/Lammers |
Porsche
RS Spyder |
187 |
1:36.319 |
| 3 |
40 |
12 |
Quifel
ASM |
Amaral/Pla |
Lola
B05/40 AER |
185 |
1:37.746 |
| 4 |
25 |
13 |
RML
AD Group |
Erdos/Newton |
MG
Lola EX264 |
184 |
1:38.940 |
| 5 |
31 |
10 |
Team
Essex |
Nielsen/Elgaard |
Porsche
RS Spyder |
68
secs |
1:36.852 |
| 6 |
45 |
14 |
Embassy
Racing |
Hughes/Kane |
WF01
Zytek |
104
secs |
1;38.738 |
| 7 |
41 |
17 |
Trading
Performance |
Ojeh/Gosselin/Sharpe |
Zytek
07S |
183 |
1:39.828 |
| 8 |
44 |
21 |
Kruse
Schiller |
de
Pourtales/Noda |
Lola
B05/40 |
182 |
1:41.559 |
| 9 |
35 |
9 |
Saulnier
Racing |
Ragues/Lahaye |
Pescarolo
Judd |
174 |
1:38.934 |
| 10 |
26 |
34 |
Bruichladdich |
Rostan/Petersen/Lueders |
Radical
SR9 AER |
160 |
1:42.231 |
| 11 |
46 |
11 |
Embassy
Racing |
Manning/Foster |
WF01
Zytek |
158 |
1:37.967 |
| |
|
|
NOT
CLASSIFIED |
|
|
|
|
| 12 |
32 |
16 |
Barazi
Epsilon |
Barazi/Vergers/Rees |
Zytek
07S |
162 |
1:37.417 |
| 13 |
33 |
16 |
Speedy
Sebah |
Belicchi/Pompidou/Zacchia |
Lola
Bo8/80 Coupé |
75 |
1:37.264 |
| 14 |
37 |
43 |
WR
Salini |
Salini/Salini/Gommendy |
WR
Zytek |
3 |
1:42.791 |
POST
RACE COMMENT
Mike
Newton
“I’m
delighted – chuffed to bits!” said a grinning
Mike Newton. “When you compare this to where we might
have been, after the events of the last couple of days,
this has got to be an excellent result.” This was
a reference to the fact poor weather had severely curtailed
the team’s preparations for the race, offering them
little opportunity for establishing a suitable set-up for
what was always expected to be a dry race.
“I was
pleased with the pace. We had tuned down the engine after
the first stint, but even then, our times were fair. I think
I could have done a forty-two, but there was always something
to slow me down through the complex at the end, and I never
got a really clear lap.”
“The guys
did an amazing job to put this car together so quickly,
and to achieve a trouble-free run is an exceptional achievement.
Add in the lack of development and track time we’ve
managed so far, and it’s a great result.”
Mike was evidently
very pleased with the car, and also his own performance
– bearing in mind he’d only driven five laps
before he started racing. He was very raw to the car when
he climbed into the cockpit for his first stint in anger,
yet that opening lap after the restart saw him improve on
his previous best lap in the coupé, set on Friday,
by four seconds. “The driving experience isn’t
quite wind-in-your-hair,” he said. “It’s
also not as hot inside the cockpit as I’d expected.
In fact, it was really quite comfortable today.”
Thomas
Erdos
“Under
the circumstances, the car felt good,” said Tommy.
“The guys at RML built this car in just a few days,
and to do all that and have it run so reliably was an exceptional
achievement. The chassis is not perfect yet, and we had
a few small issues with the handling, but nothing major,
but we now have a very good idea of what we’re dealing
with. All we need is the opportunity to fine-tune the car,
but that will take track time and testing. Even so, we’ve
learned such a lot today, and all of it very encouraging.”
During his first
stint, the engine had started to run hotter than the team
would have liked, and the technicians from AER used the
first pitstop to de-tune the XP-21 unit slightly. “That
means we had to run below power for most of the race, perhaps
by forty or fifty horsepower. That slowed us down a lot
on the straights, but kept the engine safe. In that respect,
fourth is a great result for the team,” he added.
Phil
Barker
“I’m
happy with that finish,” said Phil Barker, Team manager
for RML. “To have got to the chequered flag in a six-hour
race with a newly-built car is an achievement that I’m
pleased with. It’s a great start to the life of the
new car, and is a good basis from which we can look forward
to next year. Races are always won or lost on how you’re
able to deal with them under the circumstances you encounter,
and fourth place is a fair result.”
“I’d
also like to say that Russell (Sames, Engine Technician
from AER) did a great job on safeguarding the engine. He
de-tuned it a little bit, and kept it safe for the rest
of the race.”
Adam
Wiseberg
“We said
all along that we were making this a test session, and as
with most tests, it just got better and better,” said
Adam, Director of Motorsport for AD Group. “All in
all, a very pleasing first race. We made no unscheduled
stops, the car ran cleanly, the build was clearly excellent,
and given some more time with it, I think we’ll achieve
the kind of performance we expect.”
“The
other thirteen cars in the class have all been running since
the beginning of the year. They’re well-developed
cars and the teams understand exactly how they work. We’ve
come into this race with a car that is essentially new,
and while we’ve been working with most of the major
components for a year or more, the way they interact with
the updated body style is an unknown to us. To have finished
ahead of ten of those other cars is very satisfying.”
There
are high resolution images posted in the Silverstone
Gallery. With thanks to Peter May and David Lord
of dailysportscar
and David Stephens of Studio
21 for additional images this weekend.
To
catch up on the action moment-by-moment, why not check out
the podcast archive from Radio Le Mans? Much discussion
about the new MG Lola Coupé during the coverage for
Friday's first Practice Session, and then full coverage
of the race. Click here
for access to the Silverstone archive.
During
the races it is possible to follow live timing on the Internet,
visit the Le
Mans Series website and click on the highlighted panel
in the centre of the page. Full results details can also
be downloaded in PDF format from the Le Mans Series website.
Click here
for access.
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