Tmmy set a time
of 3:41.952 to claim a second-row slot on the LMP2
grid for RML AD Group’s Lola-Mazda in Saturday’s
Le Mans 24 Hours. The red, white and blue coupé
will line up alongside the similar silver and blue Speedy
Racing Team Sebah entry, and directly behind last year’s
winning Porsche RS Spyder, this time entered by the Japanese
Team Goh squad. Class pole fell to the #31 Porsche RS
Spyder entered by the Denmark-based Team Essex.
There had looked to be every chance
that Tommy would have been able to claim third, and was
eight-tenths up on his best time before he caught up with
a slowing GT1 Corvette in the Porsche Curves, right towards
the end of his quickest lap. Having to back off cost him
the lap, but he admitted that matching the pace set by
the Porsches was never really on the cards. “The
sector times suggest that we could have been the top Lola,
but traffic got in the way – as I’m sure it
did for everyone, but that’s just the way of things.
I lost a lot of time, and for sure, third on the grid
was possible, but I was very happy with the car at the
end of today. We ran with a full load of fuel on standard
race tyres, and still set a time that was potentially
good enough for third in class. I’m actually delighted
with that, but more so because I know we have a very well-balanced,
competitive car for the race.”
Rupert Manwaring, Marketing Director
for RML, said; “I’m delighted that all three
drivers are happy with the balance and performance of
the car. It would have been nice to be the quickest Lola,
but we are the fastest of the Mazda-powered cars, and
that is a satisfying achievement for the team. The most
important thing is that the drivers themselves are confident
in the car, and feel comfortable with their ability to
maintain a fast pace throughout the race.”
“I’m really impressed
with Tommy’s lap, in the darkness,” said John
Doonan, Manager of Motorsports Team Development for Mazda
North American. “Our primary goal this evening was
to ensure that every driver had plenty of time in the
car, and to be able to set three forty-fives at night
suggests that we’re in really good shape for the
race.”
Phil Barker, Team Manager at RML,
was well satisfied by the turn of events. “That
was a very good session. We made a series of changes just
to improve the race balance, and the drivers are now very
comfortable in the car. We know there was a quicker time
in the car if we’d had the opportunity to go for
it, and even on Tommy’s quickest recorded lap, we
lost a significant amount of time through the final sector
with traffic. Third and the top Lola would have been nice,
but we have the bonus of an excellent car for the race,
and we can be satisfied with that.”
The only very minor cause for concern
was that Chris Dyson missed sight of the chequered flag
at the end of the first of the evening’s two sessions.
It had only just been unfurled, but he technically, and
inadvertently, completed one lap too many. Called up to
see the race director, he was immediately apologetic.
“Truthfully, I just didn’t see it, but Daniel
Poissenot was very understanding. It was a split second
thing, and he advised me to “be careful Chris!”
for the future.” Chris completed a generous run
of laps just before the break, and then added to that
with night-time laps after ten o’clock. “We
were on double-stinted tyres and full tanks, and the car
still felt great,” he said. “We have a car
that can run at a great pace, and that gives us great
encouragement for the race.
Mike’s times were particularly
impressive, bearing in mind how little running he’s
had this season. “Mike’s pace tonight must
have boosted his confidence,” said Tommy. “He
was quickly into setting some good times through heavy
traffic, and for Mike to come straight here after two
negative events at Barcelona and Spa and achieve that
kind of pace, straight into the three-fifties, is a credit
to him.” Mike was quietly pleased. “My last
lap was a fifty-eight, but that included two or three
second-losing incidents with traffic, so we can confidently
count that as a fifty-six or fifty-five, which is OK.
That was on two-thirds tanks and tyres that were well
past their best as well, so if that is potentially around
my race-pace, I’m quite satisfied. If I’d
had a clear lap and actually done a fifty-five, I’d
be very happy,” he said.
During Friday, and before the weekend’s
race, the team will be refitting the engine that they
“ran in” on Wednesday night. “We’ve
extended our policy of pre-testing components before we
use them to include the engine,” explained Mike.
“Everything has been run-in, and there’s nothing
new and unproven for us to encounter in the race. The
gearbox, race suspension and also now the engine have
all been validated and as good as we can hope for. That
engine is now a known quantity; it’s already exhibited
characteristics of good power and reliability, and it’s
now run-in and ready to put in the car. It’s a cunning
plan, and so far it has worked well.”
The race begins at 15:00 (CET) on
Saturday afternoon.
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