Le Mans 24 Hours 2007
Official Test Day. Le Mans. June 3rd 2007

Morning Session

Afternoon Session

Morning Session

Two four-hour practice sessions were scheduled for the official Le Mans test; the morning period starting at nine o’clock. With more than two-thirds of the circuit taking the racecars along public roads, it would be some time before anyone would be expected to demonstrate representative pace. Months of regular traffic leaves a residue of oil, dirt and dust that is not conducive to effective mechanical grip, but as the race tyres warm up they become increasingly sticky. That in itself cleans the surface, while a thin veneer of fresh rubber is laid down.

In any event, that’s what normally happens. Things panned out a little differently this morning, however, with some early cars setting some unexpectedly quick times. Both Peugeots, and the trio of Audi R10s, were all clocking laps in the mid 3:40 bracket within the first half hour, roughly ten to fifteen seconds off last year’s pole time. Thomas Erdos was also quickly into his stride, first out in the RML MG Lola EX264. The Brazilian set a time of just on four minutes with his first flying lap, and while this was sufficient to place the MG third overall, it was merely a taster. He’d sliced nearly ten seconds off that before handing the car over to Mike Newton.

AD Holding’s CEO had spent much of the previous evening reliving some on-board camera footage from 2006, and clearly had his eye in for the circuit’s kerbs right from the moment he headed off up the pitlane exit. Mike’s laps were getting successively quicker, and it was only a matter of time before he caught, and then improved on Tommy’s opening salvo. On his final scheduled run he was well up on his previous best when he encountered traffic, and lost all the time he'd gained. He pressed on anyway, and started his in-lap. By the time he reached the Arnage Corner, however, he had maintained such a good pace that he was on for another improvement. He radioed in to Phil Barker. "If I get clean through the Porsche Curves, can I go for it?" he asked. "He should have done the time on the previous lap," said Phil Barker afterwards, "but he was obviously on for a good one, so we let him stay out and finish it off." At 09:56 the MG crossed the line to post a new fastest time of 3:50.619. That was now second quickest in LMP2, with the Mexican, Haruki Kurosawa in the #33 Zytek (Barazi Epsilon’s ‘second’ car), having staked first claim to the morning’s best on 3:49.220. "That was two seconds quicker than I did last year," grinned Newton. "I'm really very pleased with that - and last year's time was set at the end of the day on a clean track and low fuel. Today it's been early in the day, and with a nearly full tank. Yes, I'm very pleased."

At the end of his next lap Mike headed back down the pitlane to hand the MG over to Andy Wallace. Elsewhere in the class, Warren Hughes was being given time in the ASM Quifel Lola, and ten minutes into the second hour, he posted a new best of 3:46.848 to move the #40 Lola into top slot in LMP2. That left Mike’s best time as third quickest, with the #33 Zytek sandwiched in between.

Evidently, it does not take long for a driver of Andy Wallace’s calibre to settle into a car he’s not driven for a year. His very first flying lap was a 3:50.779; his second a 3:48.104, and his third, at 3:45.449. That was the best yet from the MG, and took it back up to the top in LMP2 . . . if only briefly. On the next lap Adrian Fernandez established a new benchmark for the #33 Zytek, with 3:42.080 being a whopping 3.3 seconds quicker than anyone had yet gone in the class.

Andy (above) looked to be on another quick one, with two greens showing on the timing screen for the first two sectors, but he was not about to be allowed to finish the lap. Guillaume Moreau in the #13 Courage LMP1 had just set the car’s fastest first sector, and had followed that with another quick middle, but coming through the Porsche curves the car got away from him, spun off the track and careered heavily into the unforgiving concrete walls. It was a considerable impact, and the red flags were immediately shown, bringing the session to a temporary suspension. Knocked unconscious by the impact, Moreau was attended to by medics at the site, and after complaining of shoulder pains, was sent to hospital. The car is confirmed as beyond repair for this weekend.

Despite the truncated run, Andy had enjoyed himself. "It's great!" he said, a boyish grin spreading across the face of a man who evidently still loves his job. "The MG rides even better than it did last year, and the Tertre Rouge modifications are fantastic. You can go through there in fourth gear now - last year it was third - and the resurfacing of the Porsche Curves has made the entry much, much smoother. Overall, this track just gets better and better each time we come here."

It was half an hour before the pitlane reopened, with the cars heading back out again at eleven o’clock. Two LMP2 cars were immediately in trouble – the #35 off into the gravel without completing a lap, and then the #33 Zytek (right) also in error. Robbie Kerr (taking over from Fernandez) managed to get the car back to the garage, where it remained for the rest of the session.

Tommy was back in the RML MG, and heading for a significantly improved time. A succession of rapid tours culminated in a 3:44.281, thereby establishing a new best for the #25. However, it was soon evident that Phil Barker, Team Manager at RML, was now looking to test a few ideas, and the MG began a series of in-and-out laps that had the Brazilian back down the pitlane on a number of occasions. Others were still working hard to improve their times, and after a quiet two hours the #32 Barazi Epsilon Zytek, the team’s ‘number one’ car with Dutchman Michael Vergers at the wheel, finally demonstrated the kind of pace expected of it. 3:41.759 was three-tenths better than its team-mate.

At 12:14 the session was halted for a second time, when the #24 LMP2 del Bello Courage went off in the final sector, Vitaly Petrov having just set the car’s best time (3:53.955) on the previous lap. Just over a quarter hour elapsed before the green flag signalled the resumption of the morning session.

With the #33 Zytek still incapacitated, action in LMP2 was restricted to Vergers, Erdos and de Castro, although Stewart Moseley in the Buichladdich Radical was also setting good times in the #21 car – a best of 3:47.916 being enough for sixth in LMP2, behind the #44 Kruse Pescarolo. Vergers clearly had the bit between his teeth, and a series of impressive laps saw the #32 Zytek improving hand over fist; 3;41.061 being followed by a 3:43.603 and then the first sub-thirty-nine at 3:39.304. In amongst all this eyecatching lappery, Moseley was also making improvements in the Bruichladdich car, topping out at 3:43.985 to close to within three tenths of the MG.

The chequered flag ended the day’s first session at 1:00, with Vergers comfortably clear in LMP2, nearly three seconds ahead of Fernandez’ early time in the sister Zytek, followed by Erdos in the RML MG and then Moseley in the Radical. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect session for RML came right at the end, when the MG was hit by David Hart in the Racing for Holland Dome as Tommy slowed for his in-lap. "I was coming into the Porsche Curves," explained the Brazilian, "and there were waved yellows everywhere, and the lights were flashing too, so I backed off and moved over to the right. Next thing I know, the Dome comes through, still at full speed, ignoring the flags and lights, and side-swipes me! I'm sure he just misjudged the situation completely, but it was very silly." Phil Barker confirmed that the car had been hit. "The damage is only superficial, but that was totally unnecessary. It's not as though there weren't enough flags!"

That aside, it had been a good session for the team, with Tommy setting a time that was already quicker than had been achieved at this stage in 2006, and on well-used tyres and a generous fuel load. "We're just going through the programme, ticking off the boxes, and getting quicker and quicker," said Erdos."We want to get the right set-up sorted out this weekend, so we can come back for qualifying knowing that the work's 90% complete. Then we can go for some quick laps!"

The situation for overall fastest in LMP1 could not possibly have been any closer. On his final lap Nic Minassian set 3:30.605 for the #7 Peugeot (right) to match exactly Marco Werner’s earlier time in the #1 Audi. Third best time was set by Emanuel Collard in the #16 Pescarolo.

Top Times in LMP2 for Session 1

Pos	No.	Overall	Team	Driver	Car	Time
1	32	13	Barazi Epsilon	Michael VERGERS	Zytek 07S LMP2	3:39.304
2	33	17	Barazi Epsilon	Adrian FERNANDEZ	Zytek 07S LMP2	3:42.080
3	25	18	RML	Thomas ERDOS	MG Lola EX264	3:43.603
4	21	19	Bruichladdich Radical	Stuart MOSELEY	Radical SR9 AER	3:43.985
5	40	21	ASM Quifel	Warren HUGHES	Lola B05/40 Judd	3:46.848
6	44	22	Kruse Motorsport	Tony BURGESS	Pescarolo C60 Judd	3:47.145
7	31	23	Binnie Motorsport	Allen TIMPANY	Lola B05/40 Zytek	3:51.786
8	24	28	Noel del Bello	Vitaly PETROV	Courage LC75 AER	3:53.955
9	20	34	Pierre Bruneau	Marc ROSTAN	Pilbeam MP93 Judd	3:56.016
10	35	38	Saulnier Racing	Bruce JOUANNY	Courage LC75 AER	4:02.258

Afternoon Session

With only enough time to grab a quick lunch, the pitlane opened again at 2:00pm. The MG remained in the garage for the first half hour as the engineers tinkered with the set-up, the intention being to try a few modifications to the package for the beginning of the car’s afternoon run.

While Thomas Erdos waited for his chance to get back out on the circuit, others were already getting to grips with the much warmer track temperatures, the cleaner surface, and the much-improved conditions. Warren Hughes, at the wheel of the #40 Quifel Lola, had done some reasonably quick laps in the morning, but he was now steadily gaining pace, and twenty minutes into the session, set a new best of 3:43.459 to move third quickest in LMP2, demoting the MG to fourth. He followed that at just after the half-hour with a 3:42.574.

By this time Tommy was out once more, and starting to find some extra tenths here and there. At 2:50 he “wailed” (as Andy Wallace has described it) across the line to record a significantly improved time, clocking 3:41.025 to regain that second-fastest slot from Fernandez’ first-session best in the #33 Zytek.

Hughes had not finished in the ASM Quifel Lola, however, and shortly afterwards moved back ahead with a time of 3:40.613. By this time Mike Newton had taken over the RML MG, and in LMP1, things were really hotting up. The predicted battle between Peugeot and Audi, the two diesel-powered protagonists, was in full swing, and Marco Verner had just set the first sub-thirty time of 3:29.563 in the #1 Audi R10 TDI - roughly a second quicker than last year’s pole, although admittedly conditions for the 2007 test were probably quicker. That left the #8 Peugeot 908 tantalisingly outside that psychological breakthrough point on 3:30.224, but there was clearly more to come from all five cars in the two factory squads.

In LMP2 things had been somewhat quiet from the Barazi number two camp, where Robbie Kerr’s efforts in the #33 car had been a little more subdued after his incident at the second Mulsanne chicane in the morning. As a rookie at Le Mans he is required to complete a minimum of ten laps during the test, and these he achieved without further incident. With Kurosawa back in the car, the #33’s pace picked up, and at 3:40 the French-blue Zytek came through with a 3:41.523, followed by a 3:40.969, and then a 3:40.271. It was good enough for second in P2, just a tenth or so behind Verger’s best in the sister car.

At 3:48 Mike pitted after another solid five-lap run and handed on to Andy Wallace, who went out, completed a lap, then came straight back in complaining of a front-end vibration. It turned out to be no more than serious pick-up on the tyres, and with a fresh set fitted, he was soon out and “wailing” again. “The revised Tetre Rouge really is fantastic,” he said, “and the RML car is brilliant – I love it!”

The set-up on the MG was still not quite ideal, and after Andy returned the car to the pitlane at 4:15, the decision was taken to try some revisions. It was also a chance to catch up with Mike, who admitted to having found his last run mildly frustrating. “It was all down to traffic,” he explained. “On both my last two laps I would have been into the forty-nines, but each time I got balked by slower cars. I know I can do the time, but I need a clear lap to do it.” So Mike’s earlier time of 3:50.619 remained his best lap of the day, yet this was twelfth quickest overall in LMP2 out of all 32 drivers within the class.

It took almost fifteen minutes for the team to make the necessary changes to the car. Going to a slightly higher downforce required the addition of dive planes to either side of the nose and adjustments to the rear wing and gurneys. While this was being achieved, Sebastien Bourdais was also doing something pretty remarkable in the #8 Peugeot. With Audi and Peugeot consistently swapping places at the top of the timing screens, the Frenchman was about to raise the bar. Having already seen last year’s pole time comprehensively shattered, he now posted a new best of 3:27.180. A ripple of applause swept across the grandstands, where more than 20,000 people had assembled to watch the day’s events. There would be more applause to come . . .

Not, however, from Tommy Erdos. After a handful of laps, the best a 3:44, his verdict on the revised package was not wholly favourable. The MG was soon in the garage again for another quarter hour while further adjustments were made. At half-five the Brazilian was on track once more to complete two timed laps and to confirm that the set-up was now much more to his liking. A quick pitstop, and the EX264 was fitted with a set of qualifying tyres for the first time all day. “They’re stone cold,” advised Phil Barker, “so take it easy on the out-lap until you get to the Porsche Curves, and then you can go for it.” Erdos did this, and could be seen coming relatively gently through the first elements of the Ford Chicane, before winding it up for the slingshot onto the pit straight.

The lap started well, and up through the Dunlop Chicane it looked good, but heading down towards Tetre Rouge Erdos came upon a gaggle of slower GT cars, and had to back off until he reached the Mulsanne Straight, where he could ease ahead. That lap was spoiled, but he pressed on undaunted, generating more heat in the tyres. The next lap started better, and by the time he reached Tetre Rouge he was already two-tenths up on his previous best for that sector. Heading towards the Mulsanne kinks he was gaining again, but then it all went for nought. Elsewhere on the track – round by Indianapolis, perhaps – the Bruneau Pilbeam had come to grief. Instantly, the red flags were flying round the circuit, and with only a few minutes left to run, there’d be no going back.

Others just managed to scrape in some last laps that did count. Seb Bourdais was making the Peugeot achieve times that nobody had really expected, and perhaps his team manager might rather not have seen either. A final fling of 3:26.707 was a second and a half quicker than anyone else had managed, and left Audi second and third, although McNish was up on time again when that red flag flew. With ten minutes to go, the top times in LMP2 also took on a bizarre look, with Vergers posting a new best for the #32 of 3:39.016 – exactly the same to the thousandth as Fernandez had posted for the #33 twenty minutes earlier.

With Warren Hughes on 3:40.613, Thomas Erdos brought the MG back down the pitlane fourth quickest on the day, and understandably disappointed not to have been able to make a serious stab at a quicker lap. Even so, he was still satisfied with the day’s work. “I was really happy with the car in that last run,” he said. “With the medium compound tyres we were using, and the downforce as it was, the car was so easy to drive, and I feel sure that we could have made some significant improvements, given a little more time. I’ll certainly be very happy to come back here next week with the car exactly the way it is now.”

Erdos and Wallace both commented on the gearchange. “The gearbox is beautiful, absolutely perfect!” declared the former, while Wallace was more than content with a simple “Fantastic!” Phil Barker shared Tommy’s frustration over those final minutes, however. “That was very unfortunate,” he said. “Tommy was well up at that point, and looked set for a very quick lap, but we’ve still had a very encouraging day. We’ve done a lot of the homework, and the job list for when we get back next week is a great deal shorter than it was. The car is 85 to 90 percent there now, and we just need to make a few more tweaks and we’ll have just the right set-up for the race.” Mike too shared that opinion. “You can brake ludicrously late now,” he admitted, “and yet the car remains totally confident. It’s wonderful.”

Adam Wiseberg, Motorsport Director for AD Holdings, had spent the day checking times, making comparisons, and calculating strategies. “It has been an excellent day for us,” he stated. “We’d set our targets before we arrived here, and we’ve met them all. The drivers are very comfortable with the car and the prospects for the race now look very good indeed. It is always tough here, and we knew it was going to be even tougher in LMP2 this year. We weren’t here today to break any records. We wanted to concentrate on preparing the best set-up for the race, and we’ve achieved that.”

Most of the team heads back to Wellingborough for a few days back at the workshops, but will return on the 11th to prepare for scrutineering on Tuesday 12th June. The RML MG Lola EX264 is scheduled to be one of the first though on Tuesday afternoon.

Top Times in LMP2 Combined

Pos	No.	Overall	Team	Driver	Car	Time
1	32	16	Barazi Epsilon	Michael VERGERS	Zytek 07S LMP2	3:39.016
2	33	17	Barazi Epsilon	Adrian FERNANDEZ	Zytek 07S LMP2	3:39.016
3	40	19	ASM Quifel	Warren HUGHES	Lola B05/40 Judd	3:40.613
4	25	20	RML	Thomas ERDOS	MG Lola EX264	3:41.025
5	31	21	Binnie Motorsport	Allen TIMPANY	Lola B05/40 Zytek	3:43.867
6	21	22	Bruichladdich Radical	Stuart MOSELEY	Radical SR9 AER	3:43.985
7	44	23	Kruse Motorsport	Tony BURGESS	Pescarolo C60 Judd	3:47.145
8	20	25	Pierre Bruneau	Marc ROSTAN	Pilbeam MP93 Judd	3:49.418
9	35	30	Saulnier Racing	Bruce JOUANNY	Courage LC75 AER	3:52.023
10	24	36	Noel del Bello	Vitaly PETROV	Courage LC75 AER	3:53.955

A high resolution gallery is now posted.