Zoom A situation quickly held under control

Le Mans Series pre-season collective tests took place on March 2nd and 3rd at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track with 35 Prototypes and GT cars. For the fourth consecutive year, the Paul Ricard HTTT welcomed LMP1, LMP2, LMGT1 and LMGT2 for the official test session before Le Mans Series 2008 season launch.

This meeting at the Paul Ricard HTTT has now become an important event for Le Mans Series thanks to the increasing number of teams and journalists attending these two days.

Over 35 cars used the 1A V2 track solution (5.791 km), half of them drove until Sunday midnight. Only the local team ORECA Matmut LMP1 Prototype started an around-the-clock driving test. Their programme was partially successful even though a mechanical problem stopped the car during almost three hours.

Audi Sport Team Joest, which is present for their first year in Le Mans Series, set the overall best lap time in 1:39.705. The best lap time of 2007 Le Mans Series test session on the same track solution was 1:43.705.

The teams completed over 41,300 kms from Sunday 2nd 9:00am to Monday 3rd 5:00pm.

If very few incidents have interfered in this session, the most spectacular one happened on Monday afternoon during the last test period at 2:27pm. The n°94 Spyker of Team Speedy Racing, driven by Swiss Andre Chiesa, caught fire at turn n°11 (Double Droite du Beausset). As the driver did not stop the car immediately, it continued flaming during 29 seconds before spinning at turn n°16 where it caught fire.

The rescue intervention was quick: the Rescue Teams arrived in less than 12 seconds on site and started to putting out the fire. The driver walked away safe. The first fire truck arrived only 58 seconds after the spin with the emulsifying fire hose to stop the rapidly increasing flames due to the strong Mistral wind. The situation was totally under control under two minutes after the incident.

During its modernization in 2001, the Paul Ricard HTTT created many concepts to increase the safety on circuits. The abrasive run-offs, the lighting system and the Rescue Teams in cars, have again led to a great reactivity during the tests in sometimes difficult conditions (strong winds and many cars on track at the same time).

The exceptional sunny weather on Sunday and Monday allowed teams and drivers to work hard on the last set-ups before the first 1000km race of Catalunya, in Spain next April.

© CAPSIS International