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Le Mans Series - round 3 at Spa Francorchamps
Le Mans Series, round 3 in Spa-Franchorchamps, Belgium: Porsche RS Spyder celebrates debut on Ardennes circuit
Stuttgart. Without respite the Le Mans Series (LMS) continues for the successful Porsche customers teams. After an acclaimed triple victory for the Porsche RS Spyder in the LMP2 class Monza, the expectations for the third round are high – all the more so with an additional highlight: From 9th to 11th May, the LMS takes off on the historic circuit of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), on which the inaugural 1,000 kilometre race took place in 1966. “It will be extremely exciting for spectators,” says Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche motorsport. “Spa is one of the most interesting circuits in the world. It places heavy demands on the vehicles and drivers. With such a large field and four different classes of race cars, this round will be a huge challenge. For the RS Spyder the track is new terrain.”
After winning the season-opener and claiming second in Monza, Jos Verstappen and Peter van Merksteijn (both Netherlands) travel to Spa leading the LMP2 drivers’ classification with 18 points each. Hard on their heels are their colleagues John Nielsen and Casper Elgaard each with 16 points. The two Danes celebrated their first LMS win in Italy. With their podium result, Didier Theys (Belgium), Fredy Lienhard (Switzerland) and Jan Lammers (Netherlands) head to Spa ranking fourth overall with nine points each.
For Van Merksteijn Motorsport, leaders of the LMP2 team classification, the Belgium round is practically a home race, with the team head-quarters located in the nearby Netherlands. The ex-Formula 1 driver and thoroughbred racer Jos Verstappen is “madly keen” to race on the 7.004 kilometre circuit. “Spa is a real drivers’ track. I’m convinced that our car will perform well in the fast corners.” Team-owner Peter van Merksteijn, who has earned a great deal of respect with his performance at his first two sports car races, says: “After our successes we are optimistic we’ll bring home a good result in Spa. Our car is awesome – and the set-up that Jos has found is too. We expect many fans from the Netherlands and are counting on their support.”
John Nielsen is also optimistic. After their Monza win, the Danish Essex team not only ranks second in the team classification, but also secured overall victory in Spa three years ago with an LMP1 vehicle. “Spa is Spa,” says the 52-year-old Dane. “There is not one driver who doesn’t enjoy this circuit. Our goal is to earn more points so that we are at the top of the team championship at the end of the year. The weather conditions in the Ardennes are sometimes totally unpredictable and this can cause a few surprises.”
For some members of the Swiss Horag Racing team, the Spa meeting is also a home race: Didier Theys is Belgian, Jan Lammers a Dutchman. “We’ll have a lot of pressure on us there,” suspects the third driver in the team, Fredy Lienhard from Switzerland. The 60-year-old gentleman driver has competed in motorsport as a hobby for over four decades, but last year was his first time driving at Spa. “The track is a real challenge, it’s demanding and technical. Drivers love it. At the beginning you need a lot of courage and not just in its infamous Eau Rouge corner! But thanks to the high downforce, you can make speed your ally in the RS Spyder. I expect our car to perform very well there – regardless of the weather.”
In the near-standard GT2 class, the best Porsche drivers rank second, fourth and sixth – by a very close margin. With eleven points each, the Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb (Germany) and Alex Davison (Australia) are only two points shy of the first-placed Ferrari pilots Pierre Ehret/Pierre Kaffer. After the two suffered a setback with a technical defect due to a team error in Monza, Lieb/Davison hope for a trouble-free race in Spa, to fully exploit the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and show their capabilities. “We were really strong in Monza and could have won had it not been for the defect,” says Lieb. “That’s all the more reason to look forward to the third round.” Holding ten points each, the GT2 winners at Monza, Porsche works driver Richard Westbrook (Great Britain), Allan Simonsen (Australia) and Lars Erik Nielsen (Denmark) currently rank fourth in the drivers’ classification. Richard Lietz (Austria) and Raymond Narac (France) follow in sixth with six points each.
The race with 45 vehicles entered takes off on 11th May at 12.50pm with a flying start and receives the flag after 143 laps or a maximum duration of six hours. Tickets for the race weekend cost 30 Euro, or 20 Euro if purchased in advance. A paddock ticket costs an additional 15 Euro - but is well worth the money. Spectators can see the vehicles and drivers at close quarters, with autograph sessions taking place throughout the day. Tickets can be ordered online at www.lemans-series.com.
Facts and Figures
This is the Le Mans Series
Contested for the first time in 2004, the Le Mans Series (LMS) offers fans exciting sportscar racing. The regulations are based on the rules of the Le Mans 24 hour race. Five championship rounds will be contested this season on traditional circuits throughout Europe as well as an invitation race in Shanghai/China. The races run over a distance of 1,000 kilometres. The LMS is the European counterpart to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in the USA and Canada.
The starting field consists of two different sports vehicle categories: Sports prototypes and standard sports cars. They are divided into four classes:
LMP1 class: Sports prototypes with up to 750 hp and a minimum weight of 900 kilograms (in the ALMS: 750 hp/925 kilograms). Power to weight ratio: approx. 1.2 kg/hp.
LMP2 class: Sports prototypes with around 475 hp (with normally-aspirated engine) and an 825 kilogram minimum weight (in the ALMS: 475 hp/800 kg). Power to weight ratio: approx 1.7 kg/hp. The Porsche RS Spyder competes in this class.
GT1 class: Heavily modified standard sportscars with up to 650 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 – 1,325 kilograms (in the ALMS: 650 hp/1,125 – 1,325 kilograms)
GT2 class: Slightly modified standard sportscars with between 450 hp to 470 hp and a minimum weight of 1,125 – 1,325 hp kilograms (in the ALMS: 450 to 470 hp/1,125 – 1,325 kilograms). The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR competes in this class.
All race cars start together but are classified separately according to the class. This system ensures diverse and gripping racing with many overtaking manoeuvres. Points are only allocated for placings in each class. Championship titles are awarded for drivers, manufacturers and teams in all four classes. Porsche works driver Marc Lieb won the driver title in the GT2 class in 2005 and 2006.
For the RS Spyder, 2008 marks the first season in the Le Mans Series.