A somewhat warmer (but still breezy) morning at Paul Ricard saw the start of the fourth track session for the Official Pre-season test for the European Le Mans Series.
Last night saw a two hour ‘night session, with the final 45 minutes or so run in darkness that saw just 10 cars out on track, the #43 InterEuropol Oreca the quickest of six LMP2s with Fabio Scherer posting a 1:44.161.
Just four LMP3s (and no GTEs) took to the track with their laps all completed before full nightfall. The DKR Engineering Duqueine, which saw Laurents Horr running (the reigning Champion does not feature in the teams ELMS line-up).
Across the day just six drivers set to race at the weekend did not see track action with Lorenzo Colombo arriving mid-afternoon to join the Prema LMP2 effort, the injured Juan Manuel Correa is here at Paul Ricard to support the team.
Sergio Campana did not drive on Monday for BHK Motorsport with Kay van Berlo still en route from his IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup victories at Long Beach at the weekend and the trio set to race the #10 Eurointernational Ligier (Glenn van Berlo, Xavier Lloveras and Tom Cloet) not seeing track action either.
Tuesday Morning Test Session
There was good news first thing on Tuesday from Nielsen Racing, the #24 Oreca, damaged after an incident in the first track session, had been awaiting a replacement exhaust header. With that safely delivered the car, running with a livery-free rear deck, was out and running for the Tuesday morning session.
Also back out after repairs from an on track incident yesterday was the #22 United Autosports Oreca.
Trouble was soon the order of the day for the #88 AF Corse Oreca, the team rushing to exchange the car’s gearbox after the selector fork snapped in very early running – Luckily the team had a spare Oreca on hand (there are three cars to support the joint ELMS and WEC programme), the job completed in time for at least some running late in the session.
There was something of a clash on track between Ferdinand Habsburg and Patrick Pilet in the #9 Prema and #28 IDEC Sport Orecas – Habsburg having just set the fastest time of the session (1:43.662), was passed by Pilet with the Frenchman apparently having straightened the first chicane off-track, Habsburg going to the outside of the next corner but the two making contact with subsequent damage to the right rear of the #9.
The car was repaired in time to rejoin the session and both drivers were summoned to Race Control as a result.
Tuesday Afternoon Test Session
It was a clean sweep of top times in both LMP classes for Cool racing as the #37 Oreca topped LMP2 in the final three hour session of the 2022 ELMS Pre-Season Test, a 1:44.166 from edging out the best effort from the #30 Duqueine Team Oreca in the hands of by 0.073 of a second. Both top Tims came as late improvements to shuffle the long-time session leader, the #34 Racing Team Turkey car back to third after Jack Aitken’s early 1:44.544
Cool Racing topped LMP3 too, with the #17 Ligier again fastest with a 1:50.230 in the hands of Malthe Jakobsen, the sister #27 second fastest with a 1:50.675nd the #2 United Autosports Ligier third fastest.
Mikkel Jensen topped GTE with a 1:54.464 in the #57 Kessel/ Car Guy Ferrari ahead of the #77 Proton Porsche and #60 Iron Lynx Ferrari.
