Charouz Racing Paul Ricard test summary

Another successful test for the Aston Martin powered LMP1 Coupe

The brand new LMP1 prototype powered by Aston Martin completed two further days of successful running when the car took part in the official Le Mans Series test at the HTTT Paul Ricard track in Le Castellet, Southern France. The Aston Martin powered prototype experienced problem-free running over four separate sessions during the test in preparation for the opening race in Barcelona in April.

As at the Snetterton test in February, the car was shared by Jan Charouz, Stefan Mucke and Tomas Enge, who also got behind the wheel of both Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 and Vantage GT2. The trio is nominated for the famous 24-hour race at Le Mans, while Charouz and Mucke will share the car for the Le Mans Series races.

Jan Charouz: "I did not have a feel for the car at the beginning but I got used to it soon again. All three of us - Tomas, Stefan and I -- were within one tenth on Sunday. Tomas was four tenths quicker the next day. We did a race simulation with Stefan on Monday. He drove for an hour, made a normal pitstop and then I did another hour. All in all it was a successful test."

Stefan Mucke: "I like the car more and more. It was considerably better on all sides compared to the recent Snetterton test. Additionally, we took a further step forward here in Le Castellet. Our lap times are not important. The main thing is thorough preparation for the races. Our car is a brand new one, so our priority is to sort out any flaws. I am really happy that the Aston Martin Racing technicians have been doing such a good job."

Tomas Enge: "I did the least number of laps with the LMP1 coupe as I also drove Aston Martin GT2 and GT1 cars. However, I like prototype more and more. The car is still in the early phase of development but it can already offer a lot of pleasure. I have to say that it is becoming my favourite toy! It's great the way you can drift with it, even in the long corners. The car has been improving and I believe that we will be able to sort out even the smallest details before the races."

George Howard-Chappell, Aston Martin Racing technical director: "Everything has gone really well today. We worked on the set-up this morning to get a better balance. This afternoon we ran three stints, one each for Tomas, Stefan and Jan, with no problems except rubber in the radiator ducts. We finished this afternoon as the fastest runner when Stefan set a 1:42.1, compared to best time of 1'39.7 set by Audi last night. We're very pleased with progress."

Antonin Charouz, Charouz Racing System principal: "I consider this running in Southern France just as a preparation for the upcoming season. Our priority is quite clear: we want to be one hundred percent prepared for the first race in Barcelona."

-credit: jan-charouz.com