Le Mans Test Day – Sunday (5)
A Little More

"The thing needs to buzz," commented David Brabham of the Zytek engine in the Zytek 04S. This car was performing exceptionally well, except on the straights, where Andy Wallace indicated that some of the GTS cars were very difficult to pass.

So all credit to Zytek for Brabham's time at the end, fifth fastest, first of the non Audis. The car used the only set of qualifiers the team mounted all day for this run. "We kept working away at the set-up all day," said Wallace. We're finding top speed by nibbling away at it."

The Intersport Lolas were both in trouble today, Jon Field's B160 continually breaking a clutch pipe / connection. Clint suggested that this could have been because "the car spends so long in sixth gear." So Le Mans tests and teases another entry with its unique characteristics.

"We were going to put qualifiers on the B2K / 40 this afternoon, but we broke the exhaust intwo and didn't have a spare. There's ten seconds in this car. This is the besttrack I've ever been to."

The B2K / 40 Judd finished up fifth in LMP2.

The WRs were both in trouble with their gearboxes this afternoon. Neither went out after lunch. Neither did the del Bello Reynard, of course.

At lunchtime, the Rollcentre Dallara had been lapped by Barbosa in 3:42, with Short and Barff in 3:44s. There had been minor little problems, such as "the rear brakes getting a little hot," commented the tea drinking Barff. The team had gone harder on springs this morning, then a little softer.Rob Barff admitted to a spin at Mulsanne, "then a 57 point turn, with the marshals pushing me to and fro, because we had a little problem with the clutch fluid."

Remember that Martin Short April Fool about his drivers daring to visit the gravel? Look who David Legangneux spotted in the gravel, at the Dunlop Chicane. Your lines Mr. Short....

Nasamax had a mechanical problem this afternoon ("the diff. exploded"), and didn't improve on the morning time, John McNeil confident that the car can set a 3:40, "and it would have been nice to have proved that today."

David Warnock set the 4:18 in the PK Sport Porsche, the car going "like clockwork," according to Mike Pickup. "Jim Matthews is a very nice bloke to work with, very easy to get along with", while 'The Magician' Paul Daniels completed his laps without any problems.

Champion comments: Emanuele Pirro - "We had a really good day because we were able to find a really great set-up. We couldn't get a good time today because of the traffic but that's true for everyone out there. The car was great all day as were the tires."

Marco Werner - "I was happy with my time until the end of today's session when we suddenly found ourselves 1.5 seconds down. The car was really good though, and I think we will be fine for the race in June."

The Media Centre is about to close, so we'll have to stop here, for now. A gallery to come, we hope, and that will be it until we return to the UK. Quite a weekend, a great race in store...