A successfull testing day for Morand Racing ahead of the 24H race
On the 13,62 km long track, drivers Franck Mailleux, Natacha Gachnang and Olivier Lombard tested the Morand Racing LM P2 Morgan Judd
Photo by: Eric Gilbert
On Sunday, over 20 000 spectators and endurance lovers came along to discover the cars that are to take part in the incoming Le Mans 24 Hours, among which Morand Racing LM P2 Morgan Judd. That was also a great opportunity to see them in action at the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe.
As all 3 drivers raced in Le Mans over the past few years (2012 for Olivier and Franck and 2010 for Natacha), none of them had to complete the 10 mandatory laps requested by the ACO so that they have been able to remain focused on their testing program. A number of technical strategies were tested in order to find the best compromise between speed, road holding, performance and driving comfort before the free practice sessions and qualifications next week.
The drivers had to face cold weather and difficult conditions ranging from drizzle to heavy rain but managed to do 30 laps in their first four hours, proving that LM P2 Morgan powered by Judd could meet the expectations of both drivers and team on a wet track.
Later, the French-Swiss trio has been able to run 33 laps as the track got slowly drier for the second testing session held in the afternoon before a minor cranking motor problem ended the session.
Benoit Morand – Team Manager: "At last Morand Racing is in Le Mans after waiting for such a long time and months spent working so hard and it is a great day for all of us: Joe Genoud, myself and all the people who support and encourage us. We had to face poor weather conditions that changed the rule but we have been able to complete our program by testing different technical solutions.
We are as ready as can be for next week. Our drivers were up to the job and we had no troubles apart from a minor mistake at the exit of the 2nd Hunaudiere’s chicane. Fortunately, nothing got broken as, needless to say, we can do without extra work in this hectic period.
Our priority in the coming days is to study and compare data and prepare the car for the longest week of the season. It is a great support to see that people have come in such huge numbers since Friday and gathered around the pit. Such tribunes like the Dunlop one were full on Sunday in spite of the rain and that is an excellent omen for next week’s iconic event."
Fastest lap in the morning session 4’06’891 (Average speed 198,7 km/h)
Fastest lap in the afternoon session 3’48’903 (Average speed 214,3 km/h)
Morand Racing
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