Le
Mans Series 2007
Round 3. Nurburgring 1000 Kilometers. June 29th - July 1st
2007
Race Press Release. Issued July 1st 2007
RML
MG Lola wins LMP2 at Nurburgring 1000 kms
The
RML driver pairing of Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos secured
a memorable LMP2 victory in the Nurburgring 1000 kilometres
today for Round 3 of the 2007 Le Mans Series.
In
a race where few cars encountered the usual problems, it
was an especially sweet win for the Wellingborough-based
team. The knowledge that they had beaten tough opposition
on pace alone came as rich reward after the disappointment
of missing out on a hat-trick of class wins in the Le Mans
24 Hours just a fortnight ago. That sensation also came
as some recompense for the many occasions over the past
two seasons when near-certain victory has been snatched
away at the last moment by a bizarre failure or unforeseen
mishap. This time, against one of the toughest grids yet
amassed for the Le Mans Series, the RML AD Group MG EX264
swept through from start to finish in a supreme demonstration
of pitlane efficiency and unbeatable pace.
Following
on from claiming pole on Saturday, Thomas Erdos drove a
faultless first double-stint. The red, white and blue MG
lead the LMP2 class all the way, save for a three-lap break
created by an early pitstop for fuel, and he handed over
at the end of two hours with a lead of over a minute from
the second-placed Quifel ASM Lola.
Mike
Newton, who had already demonstrated a considerable improvement
in speed during free practice, maintained that level of
pace for the next third of the race. Lapping consistently
and without drama, he was able to hand back the MG for the
final two hours with the advantage comfortably intact. It
then rested with Thomas Erdos to steer the car home; a feat
he achieved with considerable finesse, not only extending
the lead, but setting a new race lap record along the way
of 1:49.031.
“That
was absolutely brilliant!” said an overjoyed Erdos.
“This is why we do what we do. To come here and beat
the opposition purely on pace alone is a great feeling.
The car was perfect, and it was a simple fact that nobody
had an answer to what we were able to do.”
Adam
Wiseberg, Motorsport Director for AD Group, shared that
exuberance. “What a performance by everyone in the
team,” he said. “The pit crew, the team manager,
and most of all, the two drivers. What they have achieved
today is simply remarkable. That first double-stint from
Tommy broke the back of the opposition, and a cool, mature
drive from Mike maintained the advantage. This has been
a fantastic race to win, not least because it has come as
a result of our maintaining a faster pace than everyone
else.”
Part
of that credit must go to the pit crew. The RML MG spent
less time in the pits than any other car save one, and that
achievement was wholly down to the efficiency and experience
of the engineers and mechanics servicing the car. “The
guys achieved some excellent pitstops,” agreed Phil
Barker, Team Manager at RML. “The car was consistent,
and both drivers were on top of their game, and it was a
great all-round performance.”
Mike
Newton could not take the smile off his face. “We
wondered at the start of the year if we would be able to
match the pace of the new chassis and drivers line-ups when
we came to a race where everyone ran clean and strong. We
quite expected we’d have to settle for second, or
worse. This has been that race, and yet we’ve won,
on pace alone. Up against the toughest opposition, we’ve
beaten them all, and that feels very, very good.”
The
next round is at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on August
19th. After the rush of the last ten days, since Le Mans,
the next few weeks will come as a welcome break for the
team.
Top
Results in LMP2
Pos |
No. |
Overall |
Team |
Driver |
Car |
Distance |
1 |
25 |
6 |
RML
AD Group |
Erdos/Newton |
MG
Lola EX264 |
189
laps |
2 |
32 |
7 |
Barazi
Epsilon |
Vergers/Ojeh/Barazi |
Zytek
07S |
187
laps |
3 |
40 |
10 |
Quifel
ASM |
Amaral/de
Castro/Burgueno |
Lola
B05/40 AER |
187
laps |
4 |
27 |
11 |
Horag
Racing |
Lienhard/Theys/Van
der Poele |
Lola
B05/40 Judd |
186
laps |
5 |
45 |
13 |
Embassy
Racing |
Hughes/Cunningham |
Radical
SR9 AER |
185
laps |
6 |
31 |
14 |
Binnie
Motorsports |
Binnie/Timpany/Buncombe |
Lola
B05/40 Zytek |
183
laps |
7 |
35 |
15 |
Saulnier
Racing |
Nicolet/Filhol/Jouanny |
Courage
LC75 AER |
182
laps |
8 |
20 |
30 |
Pierre
Bruneau |
Rostan/Bruneau/Pullan |
Pillbeam
MP93 Judd |
170
laps |
9 |
21 |
35 |
Bruichladdich |
Moseley/Greaves |
Radical
SR9 AER |
165
laps |
10 |
29 |
42 |
T2M
Motorsport |
Longechal/Yamagishi |
Dome
S101.5 Mader |
159
laps |
11 |
44 |
NC |
Kruse
Motorsport |
Burgess/de
Pourtales/Siedler |
Pescarolo
C60 Judd |
151
laps |
High
resolution images from Nurburgring may be viewed and downloaded
from the Nurburgring gallery.