The Muscle Milk HPD wasn’t even unpacked from the teams truck today, the Championship leaders opting out of the testing session today, as did the Lotus LMP2 team in the FIA WEC stakes, with their #31 car still being assembled, the #32 car serving both crews for the day.
At Aston Martin Racing Fred Makowiecki returned but sadly, until tomorrow, his bags haven’t, he was out this afternoon sporting Bruno Senna’s helmet, “What can I say, Fred’s a big fan of mine!” said the affable Brazilian.
The first sight of a Daytona Prototype in a WEC paddock came with the brief sighting of a Krohn Racing Lola behind the team’s garage – By the time the DSC Ed had trotted back to get a camera though the green machine had been loaded onto a trailer which also contained one of the Rebellion Lolas! (Edit – Ah, it seems that both cars are acting as set dressing for this evening’s open air showing of the Le Mans movie in Downtown Austin)
TRG will field only one of their pair of GTC class Porsches in the ALMS race on Saturday it seems, the #68 car looks almost certain to be withdrawn with no drivers available.
Enzo Potolicchio was looking hot and bothered on a couple of counts in the afternoon session – “It’s really, really hot out there and we are apparently not allowed to fit even a NACA duct on the drivers window to help, it’s not homologated so we can’t have it . That makes little sense to me as it’s a safety issue.”
The 8STar Motorsports boss wasn’t happy either about events further down the pitlane at Aston Martin Racing where Roald Goethe is again absent for the #96 crew: “It’s ruining GTE Am for the rest of us, the reality is that this leaves them with two Pros in what is effectively a factory car. I know they are saying that Roald isn’t available this weekend but…..”
Matteo Malucelli meanwhile will race for the team just here with Davide Rigon apparently slated to race the #81 for the remainder of the WEC season
Over the other end of the AF Corse complex is the #71 car’s eyrie and the team were happy to confirm that, despite the conflagration that the car suffered at Interlagos, this is the same car, repaired since Brazil.
Toyota though have replaced the chassis for the #8 car after the shunt in Brazil that gave the team an early bath.
In LMP2 The OAK Morgans are struggling for downforce, their season’s compromise gave them the ideal car for Le Mans but here they are at a disadvantage to the competition it seems.
Congratulations are due to Loic Duval, he’s become a married man since the Brazil race marrying his long term partner Gaëlle last week.
Finally for now, a brief encounter in the paddock with Gerard Neveu elicited the nugget that we will hear details of the 2014 FIA WEC calendar this weekend
GG
