RML
Le Mans Series News 2008
RML AD Group - the shape of things to come. Issued September
3rd 2008
RML
& AD Group Upgrade to LMP2 Lola Coupé
RML
and AD Group will contest the final round of this year’s
Le Mans Series with a comprehensive upgrade of the MG Lola
EX265 LMP2 sports prototype. In collaboration with Lola
Cars of Huntingdon, the team has today carried out a final
shakedown test of the fully revised EX265C at Snetterton
in Norfolk, where regular drivers Mike Newton and Thomas
Erdos assessed their first experience of the new closed-cockpit
configuration.
RML
began a close association with Lola in 2003, campaigning
one of the formerly works-prepared MG Lola EX257s in the
inaugural Le Mans Endurance Series race at Le Mans. AD Group
CEO Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos then completed a full season
in the LMES the following year, including a run in the Le
Mans 24 Hours, before the introduction of the EX264 and
two successive class wins at Le Mans. Continued development,
both independently by RML, and also in conjunction with
Lola, saw this evolve into the EX265 and a fifth year of
competition for the MG Lola LMP2 sports prototype. Carrying
this process forward to the coupé body style is a
logical and natural progression.
As
was the case with previous incarnations of the MG Lola,
much of the additional development work carried out by RML,
both in terms of chassis refinement and engine, has been
carried over into the EX265C. Almost 75% of the car that
Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos have raced so successfully
for the past two seasons has been accommodated by the upgrade.
“We
have been considering the way forward for several months,”
admitted Adam Wiseberg, Director of Motorsport for AD Group,
principal sponsor of the RML sports prototype programme.
“It became clear very early in the current season
that the latest incarnation of what started life as the
EX257, whilst having been tremendously competitive for the
last three years in the LMP2 class, has reached the end
of its useful life. As a consequence we have been examining
very carefully all the possible options open to us for the
future, and we arrived at the conclusion that upgrading
the chassis to a closed-cockpit configuration was the most
effective.”
AD
Group and RML have a good working relationship with Lola,
built up over many years of close cooperation. “Our
total program to date, since 2003, has been with Lola, and
we are delighted to think that we shall be continuing with
that for the foreseeable future,” said Mike Newton.
“We have such an excellent relationship with them,
and they build fantastic racecars,” added Thomas Erdos.
“I’m pleased to think that the association will
be ongoing.”
“As
one of our longest-standing sportscar customers, we value
RML's dedication to European sportscar competition,”
said Martin Birrane, owner of Lola Cars. “Their racing
passion and philosophy is very similar to Lola's and I am
sure that more success will be coming their way in the next
few years with the LMP2 Coupé, which has already
proved to be one of the very quickest models in this ultra-competitive
class.”
Thomas
Erdos, who has been co-driving with Mike Newton for six
years, is convinced that the correct route has been chosen.
“The Lola coupé has everything going for it.
It’s already shown that it can be very competitive,
it provides us with continuity of components and manufacturer,
and it’s very attractive. When something looks right,
it so very often is.”
The
decision to make the change before the end of the 2008 season
is a bold move by RML, but one that makes sense for the
future. “The championship has already been won by
Jos Verstappen and Van Merksteijn Motorsport,” explains
Adam Wiseberg. “Doing the change at this stage gives
us considerably more time with the car prior to the start
of next season, and running at Silverstone offers a significant
opportunity to compare the performance of the enclosed MG-Lola
against other chassis configurations.” As its designation
suggests, the MG Lola EX265C retains the AER developed MG
XP-21 engine. “This will remain in the car for Silverstone,”
says Wiseberg, and Mike Newton confirms that “we are
still to make a final choice of engine for next year, but
as we have been running with the XP-21 since the start of
the season, we elected to complete the year in the same
format. It will give us a good foundation upon which to
base our decisions for 2009.”
The
Daytona 24 Hours aside, it is not since they shared a Saleen
S7-R in the FIA GT Championship that Mike and Tommy have
raced regularly in an enclosed car. “My preference
has always been for an open cockpit,” admits Mike
Newton. “However, the raw pace of the coupé
that we have already witnessed this year suggests that the
EX265C should offer significant performance benefits, and
we are confident that this will allow us to redress some
of the balance moving into next season.”
Thomas
Erdos is “very excited” by the car’s prospects.
“The class has moved on, and we’ve always known
that we need to upgrade the package to remain competitive.
I’m just proud to be part of a team that’s prepared
to make this level of investment and clearly wants to go
on winning. We have six hours at Silverstone to learn as
much as we can about the revised car, and then we have the
whole of the winter to get it fully sorted for 2009. It
will put us in a very strong position going into the next
season. This AD Group-RML package means I’ve now got
the tools to do the job, and I just can’t wait to
repay them for that.”
All
photos by Marcus Potts / CMC Graphics. Any reproduction
elsewhere must include an acknowledgement.
A
follow-up report on the Snetterton test with additional
photos can be viewed here.