Le Mans test day: Your questions answered
Maiden public outing of the Nissan ZEOD RC one of the highlights
Photo by: Nissan Motorsports
In three weeks the 82nd Le Mans 24 Hours will be run on 14-15 June. Before taking part in the Sarthe classic the entrants are invited to come and find their marks on the circuit this Sunday during the test day. Explanations, discoveries and festivities with the return of the Kart event are described in the following text.
What is the test day?
The aim of this day of free practice is to give the entrants the opportunity to come and test their cars on the Le Mans 24-Hours track. The teams can set up shop inside the circuit without having to move again after which the different stages follow one another starting with scrutineering on 8-9 June, free practice and qualifying on 11-12 June and the race on 14-15 June.
Who has to take part in the test day?
New cars with one model minimum, teams that have never raced in the Le Mans 24 Hours, ditto for the drivers or for those who are not on the list of confirmed drivers automatically allowed to take part in official practice since Le Mans 2009. Each driver in question must cover at least 10 laps during the day and the ACO reserves itself the right to refuse his/her entry if his/her performances or skills are not up to the mark.
Which cars can take part in the test day?
The two prototype categories in the Le Mans 24 Hours (LM P1 and LM 2), the two GTE categories (LM GTE Pro and LM GTE Am) invited to race in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours in keeping with the supplementary regulations of the Le Mans 24 Hours. The LM P1s, LM P2s, LM GTE Pros and LM GTE Ams, which comply with the technical specification of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship, but are not invited to race in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours. Formula Le Mans prototypes (none entered this year). Innovative cars (up to two). This year the Nissan ZEOD (in photo) will make its first appearance in public on the track on Sunday morning.
On which circuit?
The 13, 629-km layout used for the Le Mans 24 Hours. The public roads used are closed to traffic from 04h00 on Sunday morning 1st June and reopen just after 18h00, the end of practice.
When?
Scrutineering and administrative checks will take place on Friday 30th May (09h30-18h00) and Saturday 31st May (09h00-12h20) at the circuit near the paddock. Free practice will be held on 1st June from 09h00-13h00 and 14h00-18h00.
Who will be the stars?
There are many new cars that have never raced at Le Mans before. In LM P1 the Porsche 919 Hybrids will be the main attraction as not for 16 years has a Porsche prototype competed at Le Mans. Audi and Toyota with their new cars will also attract a lot of attention. The test day will be the ideal moment to see how the cars stack up against one another. The new Rebellion R-Ones will also make their Sarthe debut this Sunday.
In LM P2, the teams entered in the world endurance championship and the European Le Mans Series will do battle with those racing in the Asian Le Mans Series adding some spice to the proceedings. Ligier is making its Le Mans comeback, which will tug the heartstrings of the French fans, in view of the battle with Alpine. Will the Morgans dominate again? How will Sébastien Loeb Racing fare? There are a lot of question marks!
In LM GTE Pro the eagerly-awaited new Corvette C7s will make their Le Mans debut to do battle with the championship contenders like Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche.
In LM GTE Am the focus will be on all the talented and famous amateurs who have the courage to tackle Le Mans. Fabien Barthez, Patrick Depmsey and David Halliday will be among a field of drivers with some great names like Eric Hélary, Emmanuel Collard and Pedro Lamy.
Finally, nobody wants to miss the maiden outing in public of the Nissan ZEOD RC, an incredible machine entered in the context of the 56th garage. It is a revolutionary car, which will have to prove itself before the Le Mans 24 Hours.
How to attend?
The test day is open to the public.
Exceptional tariff: 18 euros for the test day, free for young people born after 1st June 1998.
Free access for general enclosure ticket holders for the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Blue car park free.
The enclosures at Arnage and Mulsanne are also open to the public.
Acces to the circuit is possible from Friday 30th May.
ACO
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