Zytek Spa qualifying report

Zytek Entries Well Placed for Spa Race
Curtailed practice session means unfinished business

Zytek prototypes and ORECAs powered by Zytek developed and serviced Nissan engines are well placed for today’s 1000km of Spa despite a curtailed qualifying session. Olivier Pla reports that his Zytek V8-engined Quifel-ASM Zytek 09SC was perfectly balanced. He was ready to go out for a second run confident that he could improve on his position as second fastest LMP1 petrol car when the red flags came out following an accident that brought an end to the what should have been a 20-minute session.

#41 Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN-Nissan: Karim Ojjeh, Gary Chalandon, Tom Kimber-Smith

Photo by: Lucien Harmegnies

The other LMP1 Zytek, that of MIK Corse, and driven by Giacomo Piccini, starts three places behind the Quifel-ASM version. The team makes its debut with the car that Zytek is developing as a hybrid although it will run in conventional mode today.

In the LMP2 class, the Nissan-engined cars finished in second to fifth places when qualifying was curtailed. For Tom Kimber-Smith in the Paul Ricard category winning Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN it was particularly frustrating as he was on only his second lap and had just recorded two faster sectors. Quickest of the Nissan runners was the TDS Racing ORECA of Mathias Beche. Behind him came the Signatch ORECA of Franck Maileux and the Boutsen Energy version of Nicolas De Crem. The latter pair lines up with one of the much-vaunted factory LMP1 diesels between them after what was an unsatisfactorily early finish to the session.

The 1000km of Spa Francorchamps, held on the historic Belgian circuit, is the second round for both the Intercontinental Le Mans Challenge and the Europe-based Le Mans Series. It commences at 14.05 today with an entry of over 50 cars.

-source: zytek