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Le Mans Series 2008

Round 2. Monza 1000 Kilometres.

RML AD Group Upbeat with Fourth

Just as they had in Barcelona a fortnight ago, RML AD Group’s Thomas Erdos and Mike Newton came through to finish a strong fourth in today’s 2008 Le Mans Series 1000 kilometre race at the Autodromo di Monza in Italy. This time they had the added satisfaction of knowing that they had achieved a commendable result on performance alone, and the RML MG Lola EX265 had demonstrated some of the pace that the team always believed it could achieve.

The race weekend had begun with two very challenging and character-building days of practice, headlined by an engine failure within two minutes of the car’s debut on track. From that moment onwards the team had been playing catch-up, battling against time to establish an appropriate set-up for the demanding Monza circuit. In characteristic fashion, the experienced crew came through with the goods, and by the time Thomas Erdos headed out for qualifying on Saturday afternoon he was in control of a car that could deliver a competitive time.

The team accepted that the MG EX265 would be unable to match the new and dominant Porsche RS Spyders on pace alone, but with years of experience and a consummate understanding of endurance racing, a good result was still on the cards. With a long race ahead of him Erdos kept out of harm’s way during a frenetic first lap and settled into a class seventh. During the course of a determined double-stint, he steadily consolidated his position, moving through as high as fifth on pitstops before handing over to Mike Newton for the mid-race period.

Newton contributed a solid performance that saw the MG hold station on its immediate competitors throughout his time in the car, and he was able to hand back to Erdos for the final hour-and-a-half with the car only slipping back to eighth under the pitstop. Once everyone else had completed that same scheduled stop Erdos started to move back through the field, making up ground almost lap-by-lap, until he’d reached third in class. An horrific accident for Stephane Ortelli in one of the LMP1 Oreca Courage prototypes then brought out an extended safety car period that bunched up the field, and allowed a recovering Jan Lammers in the #27 Horag Porsche to close on the MG. On the restart he was able to exploit the Spyder’s outright pace advantage and reclaim the position. Erdos then retained fourth place comfortably to the flag.

“That was another sterling five points,” declared a very satisfied Phil Barker, RML’s Team Manager. “We had a clear, untroubled run, with no mechanical dramas, and I’m well chuffed. In Barcelona we inherited the position through other people’s mistakes and misfortunes. This one was all about performance, preparation and staying out of trouble. The guys did a fantastic job.”

Both Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos shared a similar view on the result. Mike’s assessment was that RML was “leading the non-Porsche Cup Class,” while Erdos said it was like “being first in the second division.” Adam Wiseberg, Motorsport Director for AD Group, took up the theme. “We always knew that these new Porsches were going to be difficult to beat, and they are. However, we were much closer to them at the end of this race than we were in Barcelona, and we’ve just got to keep chipping away. On the basis of the progress we’ve made this weekend, I believe we can be back on the podium before much longer. All in all it’s a super result, and a positive performance.”

The next round takes place on May 11th at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. Last year RML became the first LMP2 team in Europe to finish on the overall podium, crossing the line third outright and taking a first class win of the season.

Round 1. Catalunya 1000 Kilometres. April 5th-6th 2008

RML AD Group ‘Delighted’ by Fourth Place

In a strange twist, the current LMP2 champions were “delighted” to finish in just fourth place after six gruelling hours of motor racing in the Le Mans Series 1000 Kilometres of Catalunya in Barcelona yesterday.

Having won two out of five races last year, and successfully taken the Le Mans Series title, Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos might have been expected to feel disappointed to finish fourth in the new season’s opening race, but far from it. After struggled for pace throughout two days of practice and qualifying, and carrying a significant power deficit forwards into the race itself, their hopes for a good result had not been high. In the end, excellent teamwork, strategy and characteristic RML reliability saw them through to a five-point tally that exceeded expectations.

“We didn’t have the pace, but we had the reliability,” said Phil Barker, Team Manager for RML. “To score five points is a great start to the season, under the circumstances.” Thomas Erdos, who took the start for RML, admitted it had been “a very hard race. I drove my heart out today, but we were giving away so much of a deficit to almost everyone else in our class that we just have to be grateful for a good set of points at the finish. It’s a credit to the chassis and the Michelin tyres that Mike and I were able to set anything like respectable times.”

Right from the moment that the lights turned green it was evident that the MG Lola EX265’s engine was down on power. Two days of practice had already revealed engine management issues, but this was never more apparent than when the moment came to start racing. “I pushed the pedal to the floor, and not a lot happened!” said Erdos. A slight exaggeration perhaps, but it was apparent to everyone viewing the race that the svelte MG was not as fast as it should be. “The straight-line speed was very disappointing,” agreed Mike Newton, co-driver of the MG. “We were having to brake so late into the corners, just to keep ahead – and that was against the GT cars!”

Fortunately, for what the car lacked in pace it more than made up for in handling and mechanical grip. Through the tight and twisty sections the MG was without peer. “Over the winter, we’ve done two major developments on the car,” explained Newton. “The engine is something everyone knows about, but we kept quiet about the chassis, and that detailed work has certainly proved its worth today.” Everyone concerned was keen to give credit to the RML personnel who had worked so hard to build a reliable, confidence-creating car. “What we did today was make sure we’d produced a car that would go the distance,” said Phil Barker. “The guys put it together really well, and the drivers were able to secure some very valuable points.”

The team, in association with engine specialists AER, has made great strides forwards in the few weeks since the official test at Paul Ricard in March, when two engines failed. “It’s a very new unit, and to be reliable first time out is a big plus for us,” said Thomas Erdos after Barcelona. “I’m really chuffed with the result, but we do need to go a bit quicker!” The opportunity to achieve that will come on April 27th in three weeks’ time, when Round 2 takes place at Monza in Italy.

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