Nielsen Racing have produced an extraordinary ‘Day of the Dead’-themed livery for their #24 ORECA 07 with Rodrigo Sales celebrating his Mexican heritage.
The new look includes matching race suits for Sales, Matt Bell and Ben Hanley – It’s a unique look but the boys seem to have successfully ‘styled it out’!
Harrison Newey and Mathieu Jaminet are named for the #5 Team Penske ORECA for the Test Day tomorrow, Newey a nominated reserve for the team as a Silver should Manu Collard receive yet another big-money offer from a factory team whilst Mako is fulfilling the same function for the Gold/ Platinum drivers.
Jody Fannin meanwhile will complete some laps at the test Day for JMW Motorsport to help the team to establish a baseline set-up on the #66 Ferrari.
The car will be driven in the race by LM24 rookies Mark Kvamme and Jason Hart and ‘Top Gun’ and GTE Am class debutant Renger van der Zande, the Dutch driver not here at Le Mans as yet, competing for Cadillac at Detroit.
His safety kit though was clearing the administrative checks in the custody today of JMW’s ‘Goose’ Steve Hagger.
TF Sport revealed the reversed livery on their full-season FIA WEC #33 Aston Martin, Ben Keating responded to a question about the #33 number with the explanation that it refers to Psalm 3:3 But You are my shield, and You give me victory and great honour.
DKR Engineering presented their #3 ORECA 07 this morning, this the first current rules representation for the Luxembourg team in LMP2 and their return to Le Mans for the first time since a one-off with a Lola Judd in 2013.
“We are (almost – see above) a 100% rookie team” said team manager Kendy Jancleas. “It’s a first Le Mans 24 hour race for our three drivers Jean Glorieux, Laurents Hörr and Alexandre Cougnaud. It’s also our first race with an LMP2 car. We are honoring the invitation we got while earning an LMP3 team title in the European Le Mans Series last season”.
That said, team DKR knows the track with several Road To Le Mans competitions under its belt. “I did it two or three times in an LMP3” said Belgian driver Jean Glorieux. “I’m very excited, enthusiastic and impressed by the event. I am sure this will turn into some sort of stress soon, especially as rain is expected on test day. That said, I am well prepared for the race. I have tested the Oreca at the back end of the Road To Le Mans in Portimao last season. It’s obviously a more demanding car than the LMP3 but it’s something I can most definitely manage”.
DKR Engineering also tested the LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson on several other tracks including Spa, Motorland Aragon in Spain and Le Castellet. “It’s a step upwards. Let’s not fool anybody… we are still discovering the car. We can’t be as knowledgeable about it as a typical LMP2 full season WEC entry team” said a team member.
“We know what we are worth” said Jancleas. “We will try to end the race on one of the top three steps of the LMP2 Pro Am podium. After Le Mans 2022, we already want to be part of Le Mans 2023 ! So, we will try to enter the Oreca in one or two races of the European Le Mans Series but nothing is less sure as the grid is already quite packed. We will enter the car in the Asian Le Mans Series in 2023 and either aim for a full season LMP2 entry in the ELMS or the World Endurance Championship. In parallel, we will keep on feeding the LMP3 grids of the Michelin Le Mans Cup!”
ACO President Pierre Fillon confirmed to DSC that he will be taking part in the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed, driving the H24 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Prototype up the Goodwood Hill.
