ByKolles drivers say Le Mans podium a "realistic" goal
ByKolles drivers Tom Dillmann and Oliver Webb believe a podium finish in the Le Mans 24 Hours is a "realistic" target after an encouraging showing in the Spa FIA World Endurance Championship round.


Dillmann, Webb and Bruno Spengler were running in third for the opening part of last month's Spa race, the first outing for the Austrian team since Le Mans last year.
Boosted by wet conditions in which its only non-hybrid LMP1 rival, Rebellion Racing, struggled for pace, ByKolles' updated ENSO CLM P1/01 dropped to an eventual 27th place overall at the finish after suffering a sensor issue and then an exhaust problem late on.
Its pace prompted the team to declare Spa as its 'best-ever performance' in the car's penultimate outing before being replaced by a new ByKolles hypercar for 2021.
Dillmann said that he will be hoping for more wet weather at La Sarthe for the ENSO CLM P1/01's send-off race next weekend, with ByKolles still searching for its first classified finish at Le Mans since it first ran with its own chassis in the 2015 edition.
"I really wish that we see the chequered flag, and I think this year is our best chance," Dillmann told Motorsport.com. "We will also hope for some weather, because to finish far away is not too appealing. We want to finish in a decent position.
"For that we hope to not spend time in the garage, have a clean race, and if the weather can help us as well with some tricky conditions, we’ve shown we can do well. We will be hoping for some rain, because in the wet the car performs in a good way."

ByKolles Racing livery
Photo by: ByKOLLES Racing
Asked if challenging Rebellion could be possible in such circumstances, Dillmann replied: "It’s realistic. But I think it will be really tough and a lot of things need to fall into place.
"When you look at Spa, we had some problems with the electronics and the exhaust, and these kind of problems cannot happen. We have to be spot on. The car has to run and never be in the garage, and then I think we have a chance to perform against Rebellion.
"If the conditions allow, we could be able to even fight for a podium. If we can have the perfect race, I think there could be a slight chance, for sure."
Webb echoed Dillmann's opinion, although he admitted that reliability remains a concern.
"Finishing would be our first victory and then after that we’ll see where we end up," Webb told Motorsport.com. "If we have anything close to the pace we had at Spa, I’ve no doubt that a podium is possible, if she finishes. And I don't know if she will.
"At Spa, there wasn’t even one percent of any issue until the final hour, when we had the issue with the sensor in the exhaust – and even then, if we hadn’t been called into change it, we would have just tried to carry on to the end.
"Spa was meant to be just a test day but it turned into a bit more than that. Hopefully we can transfer that to Le Mans and give her a good goodbye."

#4 Bykolles Racing Team: Tom Dillmann , Bruno Spengler, Oliver Webb
Photo by: Erik Junius
Related video

WEC announces Toyota Le Mans weight penalty, BoP tweaks
Ginetta withdraws solo LMP1 from Le Mans 24 Hours

Latest news
“Proper send-off” for MacNeil after Rolex 24 win in GTD Pro
Jules Gounon says that winning at Daytona was an appropriate way for co-driver Cooper MacNeil to retire from racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
HPD boss "amazed" by GTP reliability in Rolex 24 at Daytona
The boss of Honda Performance Developments has expressed his amazement at the high levels of reliability demonstrated by the all-new GTP prototypes in last weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era
After much anticipation, the new dawn for sportscar racing got underway with a result that mirrored the pattern of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's previous DPi era. Here's how Acura once again took top honours in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with a 1-2 led by Meyer Shank Racing.
Why WTR Acura lacked pace to beat MSR in Rolex 24 showdown
Wayne Taylor Racing's Filipe Albuquerque admits that he knew it would be a tall order to beat the sister Acura of Meyer Shank Racing in the closing stages of last weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
The lesser-remembered sportscar exploits of BMW's two-trick pony
Steve Soper is so famous for his forays in touring cars that his sportscar achievements are often overlooked. But as the versatile Briton explained for a special feature commemorating 50 years of BMW's Motorsport division earlier this year, he preferred the cars.
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, are arguably the greatest sportscars of all time.
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad.
How Formula E's double-duty drivers got on at Le Mans
Eight Formula E drivers made the 7,000-mile sprint from the streets of Jakarta to the fabled Circuit de la Sarthe and every one had a story to share at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a range of triumphs and disappointments, each driver doubling up on the day job played a key role in their teams' fortunes
When the moribund GTE Pro class stole the show at Le Mans
As the GT class faces a time of transition, it’s a good time to recall the greatest hits of the GTE Pro years that pitched manufacturers and top drivers into the tightest of duels.
The great Le Mans garagistes that challenged factory might
Glickenhaus is the latest in a line of small-time constructors to take on the big names. Here are some of the finest in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours
How junior formula giant Prema is readying for its Le Mans future
Prema remains a colossus in single-seaters, but the serial Formula 2 and Formula 3 title-winning squad has joined forces with top GT squad Iron Lynx for an attack on sportscars in the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. Ahead of its debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours, its sights are firmly fixed on LMP2 glory – and a future in Hypercars next year...
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.