With typically good timing the Le Mans 24 Hours list landed as the DSC travelling party took off from London in what must have been BA’s oldest active aircraft, so first up thanks to Stephen Kilbey for giving up his spare time yesterday to help us out.
On-site at Sebring for the first time in three years and another round of very happy renewed acquaintances.
Amongst our party this year is the bearded Aussie genius Andrew ‘Skippy’ Hall, this is Skippy’s first trip out of Australia since the start of the COVID pandemic so we’ll be spending much of our time helping him not to stand and point at things as he re-integrates into society. To celebrate we took him for an appropriate ‘treat’!
The WEC paddock was in good order this morning in the sunshine with great weather currently expected aside from Saturday evening and into Sunday where, a dramatic dip in temperature is predicted coupled with a heavy thunderstorm, high winds and with some forests also predicting even an isolated tornado!
All expected cars are on site after some logistical dramas befell a number of mainland Europe-based teams, the ship carrying them to the USA turned back mid-Atlantic, requiring the cars and team equipment to be air freighted instead.
There are few surprises in the paddock but a word first for a pair of long-standing support personnel: Charlotte Lumley, the very excellent Communications Manager for United Autosports is attending the double IMSA/ WEC event as her final race with the team. She heads off into what we are certain is going to be a successful freelance future.
And we can now confirm too that Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Alastair Moffit will leave the team after Le Mans after a very long spell with the Toyota factory squad that dates back to their F1 programme in 2006. Al too will continue, based in Germany, as a freelance, the very best of luck to another of the paddock’s real good guys.
Confirmation last night that David Pittard will, after all, join the #98 Northwest AMR Aston Martin effort, DSC believe David has won an appeal on his FIA Driver Ranking and will remain as a Silver for 2022.
The announcement of the Sebring entry confirmed too that Algarve Pro Racing will race here, and we believe for the full season, with the now #45 Oreca 07 after the withdrawal of G-Drive Racing.
The car is now Portuguese-flagged and will feature the addition of Steven Thomas, 2021 IMSA LMP2 Championship runner-up. Thomas was on-site this morning for a seat fitting with the Oreca still in black and orange livery but with replacements for the previous G-Drive sponsorship already in place.
The AF Corse fleet this season is very much more traditionally red than in prior years, with a mild update to the two GTE Pro cars and not dissimilar schemes on the #21 and #71 GTE Am machines (aside from the #54 GTE Am car and the spectacular chrome scheme on the #83 Oreca)
The LMP2 ‘newbies’ from Penske, Prema and Vector Sport are pushing on with setting up – Penske’s yellow colour scheme should be simple to pick out (famous last words).
Vector Sport meanwhile were in the midst of a seat fitting for Mike Rockenfeller, Sebastien Bourdais will focus on the IMSA Cadillac effort next weekend before joining Vector Sport for the remainder of the season.
The two WRT entered Oreca’s (#31 Team WRT – #41 Realteam by WRT) are in contrasting red and blue colour schemes.
The Inception Racing backing for the #56 Team Project 1 Porsche has seen the previously Mentos-backed car appear here, and for the season with a simple but attractive colour scheme.
And finally for now there’s the first evidence of a new innovation for 2022 that will form an important part of many storylines as TotalEnergies debuts its new, totally renewable, Excellium Racing 100 as the specified fuel for all WEC classes. Expect to see shorter fuel stints as a result of the greener, but less calorific juice.
