Scuderia Ecosse hour six notes

CHAPTER 1: 1500hrs to 2100hrs

Le Mans, France -- 16 June 2007: The Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 is now entering its seventh hour of the 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours. Chris Niarchos is at the wheel, running strong and steady in third position.

Tim Mullen got off to a good start from pole position, running a steady first stint before pitting for his first stop just before 1600hrs. The first few hours of the race were punctuated by sudden rain showers and long safety car periods, the longest being well over an hour whilst the barrier at Tertre-Rouge was repaired following a big hit from the No.3 Audi.

With changeable conditions and long safety car runs the team chose to keep Tim in the car for three and a half hours before sending Andrew Kirkaldy out into the race. During his double-stint Andrew moved from fifth position into third,reporting no dramas but a lot of traffic. When he got out of the car he got on the team radio to brief Chris on the track conditions as he headed off into the race.

There have been a lot of problems and retirements for many of the teams in the first few hours of the race so the team is pushing on into the night, hoping for a steady run.

Tim Mullen:

"The conditions were tricky out there with the rain stopping and starting all the time. Every corner was different on every lap. We're looking good though and just need to keep it steady."

Andrew Kirkaldy:

"The car is feeling really good. There is a lot of traffic out there so it is hard to get a clear lap but when I did the car was quick. You can lose the race at this stage but you can't win it so we're happy with progress so far."

Stewart Roden, Team Principal:

"We're keeping things at a sensible pace as we want to be in it at the end. I'm very comfortable with our current third position. The car is handling well and all three drivers are doing a great job so all is well."

-credit: se