LMP
Both Audis have been rebuilt around spare chassis since arrival here, the team spotting minor damage to both tubs when unpacking post Shanghai, “Safety comes first.’
Car #2 is ready to go with the team awaiting the arrival of some components for Car #1 this morning. The rebuild is otherwise near complete but there are still some doubts over whether the car will be ready for FP1 at 3:15 pm today.
No change at Porsche but at Toyota Mike Conway gets his second race start in the #7 car with the team looking to try to secure the Drivers Championship in the sister car this weekend.
Rebellion’s livery gets a timely tweak, the Arctic Velvet Vodka backing ‘rested’ here in deference to the local alcohol restrictions , the rear engine covers on both R-Ones featuring a rather fetching Rebellion timepiece.
The CLM LMP1 effort features two new drivers this time out, 2014 GP2 racers Nathaniel Berthon and Simon Trummer join Pierre Kaffer in the AER engined machine. Frenchman Berthon has been seen in LMP2 machinery previously but this will be the Swiss driver Trummer’s very first endurance outing.
In LMP2 the KCMG rebuild after the huge Shanghai Lap One shut for Alexandre Imperatori is complete, the #47 ready for action to try to take the title battle back to the SMP and G-Drive teams. In point terms the KCMG car is almost out of it, but they can still stir it up for the to remaining contenders.
The Oak Racing Morgan Judd is ready for what, at the moment, is set to be its final appearance in the Championship this year. David Cheng and Mark Patterson stay aboard from the Shanghai line-up with Keiko Ihara back after her start at Fuji.
The pit set-ups meanwhile are ready for a race that will be run almost all in full darkness.
GTE
The rebuild of the #51 AF Corse Ferrari is complete too, the team assuring us that this is the same chassis, an absence of scrutineering stickers from previous races then a testament to the scale of rebuild that was required!
The #97 Aston Martin is back in fine fettle with the sister #99 featuring a driver change for this race. Darryl O’Young is racing in Macao this weekend with the Craft Bamboo team.
Replacing Darryl is Abdulaziz Al Faisal, now a familiar face in GT racing of course with several Le Mans starts already on his racing cv – He was in the midst of driver change practice as we took a Thursday morning pitlane stroll.
GTE Am is back up to seven cars here with the two AF Corse Ferraris back.
There has though been a reshuffle of chassis, the #90 team retain the newer red car (previously raced as #61 this year and #51 in 2013) with the three year old orange car (albeit now to full 2014 spec) now running as #61.
#61 has a debuting duo this weekend, Alexander Talkanitsa steps up from his ELMS campaign this year whilst Alessandro Pier Guidi makes his first World Championship start too. The returning Jeff Segal completes the trio.
Matteo Cressoni makes his second start in the #90 8Star car.
