Le
Mans Endurance Series 2005
Round 5. Istanbul 1000 Kilometers. November 12th - 13th
2005
Practice & Qualifying Report
LMES
- Istanbul - RML Practice & Qualifying
RML
arrived in Istanbul knowing exactly what was required of
them. "We have to score four more points than the Synergy
car, and finish ahead of Belmondo," was Tommy Erdos's succinct
appraisal. "That's everything we've planned for ahead of
this weekend, but I also believe it's exactly how a championship
should be decided; all down to the last race."
The
team has been making an even bigger effort than usual these
past few weeks to prepare for their season's final event.
Two major tests, the first at Snetterton, and then another
at Silverstone, were used to address the various issues
arising from the disappointment of Round Four at the Nurburging.
As they've done all year, Erdos and Newton had looked set
for a class win in Germany before component reliability
delayed their charge. On that occasion the fault was traced
to an overheating issue with the starter motors. "We've
made various changes and improvements, and that's allowed
us to come here feeling as through we can have some confidence
that problems like that won't occur again, said Erdos. "We
had a very successful run at Snetterton, so I think we're
on top of that one now." There's no doubt that the squad
- both car and driver combination - has the speed, but they
readily admit that maintaining such a high level of performance
for a full race distance has so far eluded them. "We know
we can sustain a more than adequate pace," suggested Newton,
"but it's now a case of making sure we can also do all the
laps. That has been our Achilles heel all season. The result
this weekend will be down to reliability. If we've sorted
these issues, we can win."
If
they do win the race, they also win the championship. It
is all very tightly balanced at the top of LMP2 after four
races of varied fortunes, with some teams winning well one
round, and then failing to finish at the next, while others,
perhaps like RML, have achieved consistent if (in RML's
case) unrepresentative results. In the end we have two teams
in with a realistic chance of catching current leaders Bob
Berridge and Peter Evans in the Chamberlain Synergy Lola.
With Berridge away in South Africa playing with the Masters,
his personal chances of clinching the title are over, but
Evans has only three points over Erdos and Newton, with
the MG pairing level-pegging on 23 with Belmondo's Gosselin
and Vosse.
Taking Berridge's seat is former Le Mans winner Guy Smith,
so the team's driver strength is as strong as ever, but
almost everyone arrives here at Istanbul level-pegging on
zero experience of the new track. Having just two drivers
on board is one advantage RML has. "It gives us each more
time in the car to learn the circuit," explains Newton.
"Teams like Chamberlain, with three drivers, won't be able
to give their drivers as much time in the car. That could
work to our advantage." Everyone is universally agreed that
the Istanbul Park track is a great drivers' circuit. "It's
a fabulous facility - the grandstands, the garages, everything.
Quite unbelievable," said an enthusiastic Erdos. "It's simply
fantastic to be able to work in an environment like this.
It's a fantastically wide circuit, and seems very safe.
There are huge areas of run-off at the crucial points, and
it all looks very well thought out. It's perfect for a car
like the MG, and I'm really looking forward to having a
go." Both he and Newton worked hard to learn as much about
the track before they arrived here, and then headed out
on scooters ahead of the first practice session. "The elevation
changes here are far more dramatic than I'd expected. Potentially
you're almost beyond the apex before you actually see it
on some corners. That's going to be one of the biggest challenges
to learning this track," said Mike Newton.
Friday - First Free Practice
Mike's first opportunity to put that theory to the test
came late on Friday afternoon, with all thirty-four cars
taking to the track under grey clouds and cool conditions
for the first official practice. The conditions weren't
exactly what everyone had anticipated for Istanbul, but
at least it wasn't raining. Thomas Erdos lead the way in
the #25 MG, and was rapidly into his stride, posting third
quickest time overall with a best of 1:47.281. It was his
first flyer. His next was a 1:45.922, and with Guy Smith
second quickest in LMP2 for Chamberlain, it was looking
good for the Lolas. Finding out how much better it could
get was then put on hold after the Lucchini went off somewhat
spectacularly along the back straight, damaging all four
corners and returning to the paddock in a very sorry state.
That red-flagged the session for more than ten minutes,
but the time was added on at the end. Even so, it came at
just the wrong time for some teams, and especially Tommy.
He'd just been getting into his stride, but after the session
resumed he had time for only three more laps before handing
over to Mike Newton for the last half hour. He wasn't disheartened.
"That felt good," he grinned. "There was lots of traffic,
so I couldn't put a decent lap together, but the car felt
excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience
of this track. It's awesome!"
Almost
immediately Didier André posted best time of the day for
the #37 Belmondo Courage. It was soon evident that the track
conditions were improving steadily. Still new, and with
little serious use since it opened, the surface around the
Park is still very "green", but with every lap on the racing
line, the surface matures just a little bit more. We've
certainly not seen the best from it yet.
Mike
Newton's progress was steady and wholly in the right direction.
A string of 1:55s, or thereabouts, got him into a rhythm
from which he was able to develop some consistent improvements,
lap on lap. His fifth flyer was 1:50 exactly, and then two
laps later he ducked under with a 1:49.375. In the meantime
the Horag Lista Lola (Bjork at the wheel) had posted an
improvement with 1:45.563 being good enough for second in
class, demoting Tommy's previous best to third.
Mike set two more laps in the forty-nines before the chequered
flag was shown and was evidently pleased with the performance.
Indeed, he had every reason to be. His times proclaimed
him to be the eighth quickest individual driver in LMP2
out of twenty-six, and by far and away the fastest of the
non-professionals. No wonder he was smiling so broadly!
He was positively buzzing with excitement for some while
after he climbed from the car, and his enthusiasm took some
while to abate. "That was immensely satisfying," he said,
still grinning. "It's amazing what you can learn on a Playstation!"
He and Tommy have both admitted to having practiced their
lines on the small screen, but you can't learn it all from
a simulation. "There wasn't anywhere that I felt it was
a struggle to learn the track," clarified Newton. "There
were just a few areas where the grip levels were a little
harder to assess. It's certainly very slippy if you go anywhere
off line, but otherwise, very nice indeed." Like all the
prototype drivers, he'd also encountered some difficulties
with traffic, but nothing unexpected, save a brush with
one of the GT1 cars. "I had a bit of a problem with the
black Ferrari," he explained. "He'd moved aside to let me
through, and I was well past him, when he turned in early
on me and caught the back end. It was nothing hard, just
one of those taps." It appears that this circuit emphasises
the performance differences between the classes. "The speed
differentials here are enormous, especially through some
sections," said Newton. "I think it's a characteristic of
this track. Turn Eight is a real challenge from that point
of view. Some of the GT2 cars wander from side to side as
they move through the turn, while the prototypes are able
to take it far more cleanly. That means you can't really
pass anyone through there, because you never know quite
where they might go next!" Phil Barker gave the MG a quick
once-over after it returned to the garage, and confirmed
that the damage was slight. "It's very minor," he insisted.
"There's just a small crack to the rear panel, that's all.
Easily remedied."
Phil
has been looking far more relaxed this weekend, and the
successful track tests ahead of this weekend have obviously
eased some of his concerns. Like any team manager, he's
under considerable pressure every time the team performs,
but RML has done just about everything possible to ensure
that this race goes according to plan. "Everything's looking
very positive, but the acid test will come in the middle
of the race. The boys have done well in this first run,
and look to be getting to grips with the circuit. They're
acclimatised now. Perhaps we can set some quicker times
tomorrow." He was prepared to admit that the team has been
toying with the idea of running traction control on the
MG, and the system is now in place, although whether the
drivers will actually use it remains to be seen. "We have
been investigating the idea," admitted Erdos. "It's not
decided if we'll actually use it yet, but it's good to know
we do have that option, especially if it turns to rain here."
That
first session on Friday wrapped up the day, and with the
sun going down and the track already turning dark it was
time for everyone to head back to their hotels. Few are
close to the track, and many involve a forty-minute drive
back to the city. That alone is a challenge. The driving
standards in Turkey aren't quite what we're used to at home.
White lines along the road are just for decoration. Indicators
are little more than pretty flashing lights, affixed to
the side of a vehicle like cosmetic jewellery. If there's
a speed limit, it's hard to judge what it might be. Every
junction, and every bus-stop is a potential black-spot.
Driving in Turkey is not to be taken lightly! "It's just
like being back at home in Brazil!" laughed Thomas Erdos,
who takes such things in his stride. Some of the other RML
personnel didn't relish the journey home.
Saturday - Second & Third Practice Sessions
The
weather forecasters got it wrong again. Predictions that
the skies would clear and the sun might shine proved unfounded,
and Saturday dawned grey and overcast over Istanbul. In
fact, it was drizzling steadily as the cars formed up just
before nine for the weekend's second Free Practice session,
and Thomas Erdos was one of many who'd elected to set out
on full wets. For the first half hour at least, it was probably
the only tyre to choose.
The
wisdom of this selection was proven inside five minutes,
with Erdos emerging fastest overall with an initial flyer
of 1:57.656. Guy Smith, second up in the Synergy Lola and
using intermediates, was struggling to break two minutes
at this stage, although the track would come his way as
the dry line developed. Ten minutes into the session the
sun finally broke through the clouds for the first (and
only) time all day. It gave the photographers their best
chance of a decent picture, but it was a brief interlude.
It did, however, coincide with Guy Smith's elevation to
fastest in LMP2, clocking a new best of 1:56.750 to go third
quickest overall, and then 1:56.140 to snatch second. Erdos
was in the pits for a few adjustments at the time, but no
change of tyre compound. When he came back out again it
was a matter of just two laps before he posted his next
improvement, and 1:55.750 was good enough to move back ahead
of the #39 car and re-establish his grasp on class quickest.
The
Brazilian's next best lap was baulked by a tail-happy Zytek
- the LMP1 cars largely finding the slippery conditions
less to their liking - and he aborted the run, electing
instead to head for the pitlane and the hand-over to Mike
Newton. Smith, meanwhile was climbing out of the Synergy
Lola to be replaced by Gareth Evans. To all intents and
purposes, that decided the final standings for the second
session, with André holding on to third fastest for Belmondo.
Newton had another satisfying run for the last twenty-five
minutes, dipping under two minutes in the closing five minutes
and, once again, being star pupil in the class. "I felt
I could have switched to pre-warmed scrubbed slicks towards
the end," he suggested. "I'm sure I could have gone quicker.
I've run on slicks in far worse conditions than these before,
but I suppose there's no point in taking risks in practice."
As far as we're aware, nobody else tried slicks, although
Collard was believed to have considered it. "The weather
helped us," said Erdos, pleased to have been quickest again.
"Conditions like these really suit the MG, although we could
do with it being a bit wetter still. I'd prefer proper rain
than conditions than this. It's neither one thing nor the
other, and it makes deciding on a strategy much more difficult."
If the forecast remains much as today, the team will have
to work towards a very neutral set-up, achieving a compromise
that will be best suited to both wet and dry. It's never
easy.
One
tweak that evidently has worked was a small adjustment made
to the engine management system between Friday and Saturday,
the car gaining a few extra clicks down the straight, even
if the conditions today meant the drivers couldn't exploit
that advantage through the corners. "We're both feeling
very comfortable with the car now, and that's allowing us
to enjoy the circuit," said Mike Newton. "I think it's a
fantastic track, and I particularly like Turn 8. We looked
at a strategy for that corner before we even got here, using
video footage and," he laughs, "the Playstation. We'd pretty
much decided how we were going to tackle it, and established
a line, even before we'd seen it for real. I think we got
it right." Both Newton and Erdos certainly look very quick
through the corner. "It's flat through the final element,"
says Newton, "even in the wet. The important thing is not
to overcook the first two parts. The entry is almost a matter
of choice. I've tried clipping the apex and staying a car's
width out, and it doesn't make a great deal of difference.
Where it does matter is the second apex, and it's vital
not to run wide there."
Proof
that Mike was ably coming to terms with the track came towards
the end of the second session, when he enjoyed a merry dice
with Vincent Vosse in the #36 Belmondo Courage. "I was playing
with him a bit" admitted Newton afterwards. "He got past
me at one point in traffic, and then I got him back again
at the same corner next time round. That felt quite good.
You know when the car feels competitive, and it certainly
does today. Vosse was looking very ragged at times and looked
likely to have a spin at any time. In was just watching
and waiting!" With the conditions very slippery, Newton
was able to give the traction control option a brief test
during that session, but then reverted to the standard set-up.
"It's primarily there to help us avoid any wild moments,
and from that point of view it certainly works, but with
the track improving steadily there wasn't much call for
it. We may not need it at all if it stays dry."
The
final Free Practice session was the driest of the lot, but
followed the same pattern as before, with Erdos fastest
in class for the first half of the session, then handing
over to Newton for the last thirty minutes. This allowed
Guy Smith, undeniably quickest in the Synergy Lola, to end
the period fastest in LMP2, achieving the best time yet
for the track with a time of 1:42.312. Mike was just a fraction
slower than he'd been in Friday's afternoon session, topping
out with a lap of 1:49.453. "We were running on the harder
compound tyres today - the medium, not the soft - and the
track seemed a little green again. I was just not as settled
as I'd been before, perhaps, and there was a lack of grip."
It is hardly significant. What does matter, and has been
evident to anyone watching the screens closely enough, is
that RML has the luxury of one of the best driver pairing
overall, and that's what could be the most influential factor
in tomorrow's race.
Qualifying
The
promised sunshine failed to materialised and the sixteen
cars set off at half past three between darkening skies
and cool tarmac for the twenty-minute LMP qualifying session.
Thomas Erdos was second out, hoping to find some clear track,
but failed miserably. In fact, he came round to complete
his out-lap amid the thickest of the action, and had to
ease right back and perform an even slower second lap in
the hope of finding the room he needed to set a quick time.
In the meantime, Guy Smith had enjoyed the good fortune
of finding more open space than he'd seen all weekend, and
blasted across the line on his very first flying lap with
an incredible time of 1:40.860; good enough not only to
set a firm grasp on LMP2 pole, but to top the screens overall.
Tommy
came through shortly afterwards on his first flyer, hoping
to build up towards another, and posted a time of 1:41.797.
Comfortably good enough for second in LMP2, it would also
prove to be his best. Next time around, as he came through
the final corner, fractions up on his previous lap, he found
a spinning Guy Smith right in the middle of the track. The
Synergy driver had overdone it just a tad coming through
the last few corners, and lost it completely as the back
end snapped away from him. Erdos was forced to brake and
swerve to avoid the yellow car, stalled and reluctant to
start again. neither car would do another representative
lap. Smith gave up after a couple more tours, Erdos called
it a day then and there.
It
looked for a short while as though Smith's extraordinary
time, no doubt made possible by the judicious tweaking of
the turbo boost, might even be good enough to hold on to
overall pole, but then Collard came through with an emphatic
1:39.359 to claim top slot for LMP1. He was followed shortly
afterwards by an equally impressive (perhaps more so?) 1:39.437
from Caspar Elgaard, the unexpected choice for qualifying
driver in the #15 Zytek, but proving his worth in tremendous
style.
While
all this was going on Thomas Erdos was sitting impassively
in the MG Lola on the pit apron outside the RML garage.
"We took a conservative approach and decided to look after
the tyres," he explained later. "Maybe we could have gone
for a softer compound, but looking at the loads this circuit
places on the tyres, we went for something a little harder,
and we're happy with that decision." He was generous in
his praise of Guy Smith's efforts. "I was impressed with
his time," admitted the Brazilian, but he was more shocked
than surprised when he came through the final corner to
find the Lola sitting right across his path. "I'd done my
first quick lap and was coming round for a second, and marginally
up on my time, when I found Guy right across the track in
front of me. I wasn't expecting to find him there! It did
spoil my lap, and after that I did just one more and then
came in. I don't think we could have challenged Guy's time,
so I was quite content to sit out the end of the session
and look after the tyres. I know we now have a good set-up
for the race, and the tyres are fresh, so we'll just have
to wait and see how things go. The whole philosophy about
today has been to get the car reasonably positioned for
the start and then save the tyres for the race. We've achieved
exactly that."
It's
often forgotten that cars in the LMES must start the race
on the same set of tyres they use for qualifying, so there's
often much to be said for getting a good lap in early, and
then heading back to the pitlane. "Running just five laps
on these tyres this afternoon puts us in a strong position
for the start," said Erdos. "The tyres are still as good
as new." His position for that start, on row four, is also
good in other respects; o the other side from Guy Smith,
and a row clear of the chasing Belmondo Courages. "By the
law of averages, we deserve some good luck," said Erdos.
We can't argue with that."
Marcus
Potts
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