RML
AD Group Team News 2009
RML at Paul Ricard.
Issued
March 11th 2009
RML
AD Group in disciplined approach to Paul Ricard
Test
Following
on from the confirmation on Friday (March 6th, here)
that Chris Dyson would be the third driver in RML AD Group’s
Lola-Mazda Coupé for Le Mans 2009, the team took
a very disciplined approach to the ACO’s official
Le Mans Series Paul Ricard test.
Under
the direction of Phil Barker, Team Manager at RML, the team
embarked on a clearly-defined structure for the two-day
test, concentrating on set-up and balance throughout Sunday’s
two daylight sessions. The aim was to amass as much data
as possible in the first day, to be analysed and employed
in the team’s preparation for the 24 Hours in June.
Then, on Monday, the emphasis was on addressing the issue
of driver comfort in the Lola-Mazda’s cockpit –
a challenge made more acute by Chris Dyson’s 6’2”
(1.88m) frame, which contrasts somewhat with that of Thomas
Erdos at 5’6” (1.67m).
“It’s
not really a major issue,” insists the Brazilian,
who carried out all but a small handful of the car’s
eighty-lap Sunday run. “Chris is used to the Lola,
since he races the same basic chassis in the States, but
there is a height differential between us. This has been
the first opportunity for us to address the question of
seat and pedal positions. Looking ahead to Le Mans, where
we may be expected to complete double or triple stints,
it will be even more important that we are all 100% comfortable
in the car. It’s worth taking the time now to ensure
that’s the case.”
“Although
taking away a lot of the potential running time on Sunday,
it was invaluable to be able to validate the initial seating
position for both Chris and myself,” said Mike Newton,
CEO of AD Group. “We already have a car that the two
of us can share without seat inserts or belt changes, which
is a huge bonus. We have completed the optimisation of the
pedal positions, so that just leaves the task of building
a suitable insert for Tommy.”
Sunday
went especially well, with the red, white and blue Lola
(now sporting a new shade in concession to Mazda’s
involvement in the project) third-fastest in LMP2 in the
opening session, and then second quickest in the afternoon.
“It’s been a good day’s work,” suggested
Erdos. “We had a series of options that we needed
to work through in order to achieve a good base set-up,
and we can then build on that, knowing that the car is already
settled, solid, and behaving exactly as it should. Towards
the end of the day it all came together very nicely, and
we moved second quickest in P2. It’s a shame there
aren’t more of our class of cars here this weekend,
so that we can gain a better understanding of where we stand,
but some of the front-runners are present, and that’s
offered us a useful benchmark to work against. To be as
close to the pace as we appear to be, when we’re not
working on a set-up specifically for this track, is encouraging.”
The
team had concentrated on attuning the car to the circuit’s
mile-long Mistral Straight and fast right-hand Signes curve,
which closely mimic the conditions they will encounter at
Le Mans. Knowing that they will never race at Paul Ricard
allowed them to compromise the car’s balance through
some of the other sectors, so outright lap times were never
on the agenda. “All round, it’s been very successful,”
was Phil Barker’s assessment. “We’ve made
considerable progress with the base handling of the car
and satisfied our intention of establishing a good low-downforce
setting for Le Mans in June. We tried various changes during
the course of the first two sessions, and we’re now
very happy with where we’re at.”
Having
devoted the Monday to seat fitting and ergonomics, the Lola-Mazda
B09/86 only completed a further 25 laps, with Mike Newton
and Chris Dyson taking turns at fine-tuning their seating
positions. “Despite the very limited running, Chris
and I were both encouraged by the immediately very respectable
times, endorsing the excellent progress made in set-up on
the Sunday by Phil and Tommy. It was our first opportunity
to work together with Chris directly, and we all enjoyed
the experience and immediately meshed well as a team. The
two days leaves us hugely encouraged for both the season
ahead and Le Mans."
In the
light of last year’s less than auspicious start to
the 2008 season, when the team's MG EX265 blew two engines
during the same pre-season test, Paul Ricard 2009 has been
a complete contrast. “The Mazda engine has been perfect.
It’s run faultlessly throughout,” said Erdos.
“The whole package remains very new to us, of course,
and there’s so much still to learn, but we couldn’t
have had a more encouraging start to our season.”
The
team plans several further tests before Le Mans in June,
but is now concentrating on preparation for Round 1 of the
Le Mans Series in Barcelona next month.
Please
click on any of the images above to access higher resolution
versions. Photo credit: Marcus Potts/CMC
Further
information please contact:
Dyson
Racing Website
RML: Rupert
Manwaring, Sponsorship & Marketing Director
Telephone: +44 (0)1933 402440
AD Group: Pauline
Norstrom, Director of Worldwide Marketing.
Telephone: +44 (0)1928 706 449
