Istanbul: RML preview

RML Prepare MG Lola EX264 for Final Round

RML's sportscar team this week completed preparations to the MG Lola EX264 for the final round of the Le Mans Endurance Series which takes place at the new Istanbul Park Otodrom, Turkey on Sunday 13th November. With the championship title still within their grasp the team have been working hard to improve the systems on the car and have carried out a full day's test at Snetterton, UK.

The MG Lola has shown tremendous pace at the hands of drivers Tommy Erdos and Mike Newton during the season and the team have collected three podiums from the four previous rounds. A strong outing at Nurburgring, Germany for the fourth round of the series in September saw the MG dominate the LMP2 class in the early stages of the race and the outstanding pace on track put the team in mind for a class win. Starter problems however reared their head during the second scheduled stop and persisted during the race which ultimately saw the MG cross the line 3rd in class.

A two month gap since that race has given the team time to complete a full rebuild and to carry out additional testing in a bid to prevent any problems hampering their chances of a race, and ultimately, a series win. A new starter system has been fitted to the car which was tested and proved at the Snetterton test. The traction control system was also tested which could prove fruitful if wet conditions prevail at Istanbul.

Phil Barker, RML's Race Operations Director and Team Manager commented "We are currently in joint second position in the championship and to secure the class victory we have to perform at Istanbul. We have made changes to the starter system, which almost definitely cost us a race win this year, and are happy with the testing results. The Istanbul track looks like a fantastic facility and we believe we have the speed to win and hopefully secure our first LMES victory there."

The final round of the Le Mans Endurance Series takes place at the Istanbul Park Otodrom, Turkey on Sunday 13th November. The 1000km/6 hour race commences at 10:30am local time/8:30am UK and is screened live on Motors TV.

-rml-