ByKolles hails "best ever performance" in LMP1 at Spa
The ByKolles LMP1 team has described its showing in last weekend's Spa round of the FIA World Endurance Championship as its "best ever performance".

ByKolles head of operations Boris Bermes made the claim after its ENSO CLM P1/01 driven by Tom Dillmann, Oliver Webb and Bruno Spengler outpaced privateer rival Rebellion during the wet conditions over the opening hours of the Spa 6 Hours on Saturday.
The car was able to maintain third position behind the two Toyota TS050 Hybrids until just before the halfway mark of the race.
The step-up in performance for a team that was returning to the WEC for the first time since last year's Le Mans 24 Hours followed a development programme focussed on the car's aerodynamics and reliability.
Read Also:
"The performance was really good at the beginning and we were able to pull away from the Rebellion," Bermes told Motorsport.com.
"The car performed better than ever, Tom did an amazing job and we made some good decisions on strategy."
Dillmann added that he was "really happy with the performance".
"The car has always been good in the rain and I like the wet, but it was impressive that we could pull away from the Rebellion and be not that much slower than the Toyotas when it was really wet," said the Frenchman.
Bermes also pointed to a sequence of the race when the car was running just ahead of leader Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 Toyota.
Webb, who was in the car at the time, said: "Normally when the team come on the radio and say, 'Toyota five seconds behind', it's past you in a couple of laps. This time, it didn't come past for six or so laps.
"It was a great feeling to have the team telling me that only Brendon Hartley [in the #8 Toyota] was faster."

#4 ByKolles Racing Team Enso CLM P1/01 - Gibson: Tom Dillmann, Bruno Spengler, Oliver Webb
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
The updates to the ENSO CLM, which first raced back in 2014, include revised front-end aerodynamics and a new rear deck designed to reduce drag without sacrificing downforce.
It as running in a compromised low-downforce Le Mans spec at the weekend, whereas the Rebellion R-13 that struggled in the rain was in high-downforce trim.
Bermes admitted to disappointment that the ByKolles entry was unable to continue its strong form over the second half of the race. The car lost time late in the third hour when it needed attention to one of the FIA sensors that LMP1 cars run.
An electrical problem that resulted in a fuel pick-up problem subsequently forced the team to cut short its stints.
The car was running fifth overall in the final hour when a broken exhaust lambda sensor brought Spengler into the pits for repairs.
WEC debutant Spengler returned to the track for five laps at the end of the race, allowing the team to register a finish in 27th position.
The best result for the ENSO CLM, which was powered by AER and then Nissan engines before the switch to its current Gibson powerplant, is fourth place at Spa in May 2018.

Previous article
Porsche fuel-saving was "tough mentally", says Estre
Next article
Toyota reveals both cars suffered electrical glitch at Spa

About this article
Series | WEC |
Event | Spa-Francorchamps |
Drivers | Oliver Webb , Tom Dillmann , Bruno Spengler |
Teams | Kolles Racing |
Author | Gary Watkins |
ByKolles hails "best ever performance" in LMP1 at Spa
Trending
Daniel Serra at Ferrari Finali Mondiali
James Calado at Finali Mondiali
AF Corse 488 GTE Livery
Ferrari enters LMH from 2023
Peugeot in sportscars
How 'Brilliant' Bob Wollek lived up to his nickname
Sportscar racing lost one of it's greatest talents 20 years ago today when Bob Wollek was knocked from his bicycle prior to the Sebring 12 Hours. The enigmatic Frenchman never won the Le Mans 24 Hours, but many still remember today why 'Brilliant Bob' became a legend
How Ferrari's Hypercar project could bolster Leclerc's legacy
Ferrari's planned return to the top category at the Le Mans 24 Hours has further heightened anticipation for the 2023 race. Few concrete details are currently known, but already it has a high-profile superstar angling for involvement, which would make a refreshing change
Why Ferrari is ending its 50-year top-flight sportscar racing exile
Making a return to top-flight sportscar racing after 50 years away, Ferrari will enter the Le Mans Hypercar ranks in 2023. The Italian marque denies the link with Formula 1's new cost cap that frees up resources, but it's certainly no coincidence...
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
The ground-up refresh behind Toyota's new Le Mans challenger
Toyota's new GR010 contender for the World Endurance Championship's Hypercar era has little in common with the LMP1 TS050 that preceded it. But within the confines of the scaled back new rules, its latest challenger will be no less formidable a prospect
The tiny increments that decided the final LMP1-era WEC
The system of success handicaps devised by the FIA World Endurance Championship to level the LMP1 playing field in the category's swansong season ended up having a counterproductive effect, as COVID cancellations also played in the champions' favour.
Why Audi’s shock return promises a new age for sportscars
OPINION: The news that Audi will return to Le Mans means we'll at last get to see the fight promised in 2012 against Peugeot and Toyota. It also gives LMDh a tangible form, which could open the floodgates for more like-minded marques to follow suit…
The eternal debate revived after the 2019/20 WEC season
It may have been missed amid the clamour over Lewis Hamilton's seventh F1 title, but Britain had another world champion crowned last weekend. Mike Conway's WEC crown raises an old conundrum - does title glory make up for the pain of Le Mans defeat?