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Seven ORECA 03 and one Alpine A450 in search of victory

Eight ORECA chassis will take part in the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours

#40 Boutsen Ginion Racing Oreca 03 Nissan: Thomas Dagoneau, Rodin Younessi, Matt Downs

#40 Boutsen Ginion Racing Oreca 03 Nissan: Thomas Dagoneau, Rodin Younessi, Matt Downs

James Holland

After a conclusive Test Day, eight ORECA chassis will take part in the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours : seven ORECA 03 and one Alpine A450, built and developed by ORECA. After podium finishes in the previous two editions of the race, the customer teams will be aiming for victory in a particularly competitive LM P2 class : 22 cars and 6 constructors, of which ORECA is the best represented ! The engine department, based in Magny-Cours, will also be on hand with the engineers overseeing no fewer than eight V8 engines.

Only one mission for these 24 Hours of Le Mans

Since its debut in 2011, the ORECA 03 has not ceased to shine in the LM P2 class, notably in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The prototype designed in the ORECA workshops has two consecutive pole positions and two fastest race laps. After reaching its first podium at Le Mans in 2011, two ORECA 03 finished in the top three in 2012. Seven of eight ORECA 03 took the checkered flag, of which four were ranked in the top six.

#40 Boutsen Ginion Racing Oreca 03 Nissan: Thomas Dagoneau, Rodin Younessi, Matt Downs
#40 Boutsen Ginion Racing Oreca 03 Nissan: Thomas Dagoneau, Rodin Younessi, Matt Downs

Photo by: James M. Holland

After two wins in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and success in the latest European Le Mans Series, the ORECA 03 chassis is looking to continue their good pace. Winners on all types of circuits, including Spa and Shanghai to Le Castellet, Silverstone and Imola, as well as Bahreïn and Fuji, the prototypes « Made in Signes » have only one mission for these 24 Hours of Le Mans : win the most legendary endurance race – a result that has so far eluded the ORECA 03..

« Support the teams to reach victory »

« With an ORECA 03 that has evolved over the winter break, all the elements are in line for us to shine » explains Hugues de Chaunac, president of ORECA Group. « The ambitions of the customer racing program is clear : help the teams take the victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A legendary event that always has surprises in store and is difficult to predict. It’s an event that must be approached with humility. It’s in this state of mind that ORECA takes on the challenge of Le Mans in 2013 : with ambition but humility as well. »

« We are competitors, and we want to win as a constructor »

The six teams that will be representing ORECA have all shown their level of competition. Les six équipes qui composent la délégation ORECA ont chacune déjà montré leur niveau de compétitivité : G-Driving by Delta-ADR and Pecom Racing, winners in the FIA-WEC multiple times ; Race Performance, Boutsen Ginion Racing and Murphy Prototypes, podium finishers in the ELMS ; and Thiriet by TDS Racing, defending ELMS champions. Alpine, who chose ORECA to make its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will also be a major player in the race.

The drivers are also top notch. From ex-Formula One drivers, young talents who have shown their speed in single-seater racing, to top references in endurance racing and some of the most experienced gentlemen drivers in the discipline.

« We are competitors, and we want to win as a constructor » explains Christophe Guibbal, Director of the Design Bureau. « It would be a way to confirm all of the work done since the ORECA 03’s first on-track appearance in 2011. We’ve already proven the car’s competitiveness and reliability at numerous events, but a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is unique. The ultimate goal is a hat trick : pole position, fastest race lap and the win with all of our customer cars at the finish. That would be magic. We are working with that slightly crazy ambition on paper. It’s a dream that’s difficult to realise, but still possible. »

« Support the teams to reach victory »

« With an ORECA 03 that has evolved over the winter break, all the elements are in line for us to shine » explains Hugues de Chaunac, president of ORECA Group. « The ambitions of the customer racing program is clear : help the teams take the victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A legendary event that always has surprises in store and is difficult to predict. It’s an event that must be approached with humility. It’s in this state of mind that ORECA takes on the challenge of Le Mans in 2013 : with ambition but humility as well. » « We are competitors, and we want to win as a constructor »

The six teams that will be representing ORECA have all shown their level of competition. Les six équipes qui composent la délégation ORECA ont chacune déjà montré leur niveau de compétitivité : G-Driving by Delta-ADR and Pecom Racing, winners in the FIA-WEC multiple times ; Race Performance, Boutsen Ginion Racing and Murphy Prototypes, podium finishers in the ELMS ; and Thiriet by TDS Racing, defending ELMS champions. Alpine, who chose ORECA to make its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will also be a major player in the race.

The drivers are also top notch. From ex-Formula One drivers, young talents who have shown their speed in single-seater racing, to top references in endurance racing and some of the most experienced gentlemen drivers in the discipline.

#25 Delta-ADR Oreca 03-Nissan: Tor Graves, Shinji Nakano, Archie Hamilton, James Walker
#25 Delta-ADR Oreca 03-Nissan: Tor Graves, Shinji Nakano, Archie Hamilton, James Walker

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

« We are competitors, and we want to win as a constructor » explains Christophe Guibbal, Director of the Design Bureau. « It would be a way to confirm all of the work done since the ORECA 03’s first on-track appearance in 2011. We’ve already proven the car’s competitiveness and reliability at numerous events, but a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is unique. The ultimate goal is a hat trick : pole position, fastest race lap and the win with all of our customer cars at the finish. That would be magic. We are working with that slightly crazy ambition on paper. It’s a dream that’s difficult to realise, but still possible. »

All the pieces of the puzzle will need to fall into place in order to succeed in taking on this legendary challenge : reliability, performance, solid pit stop work and good management of the ever-changing track conditions. For this, the teams will count on ORECA’s customer racing program, as well as the Le Mans package which made its debut on the cars during Test Day.

« The ORECA 03 distiguishes itself by how easy it is to drive, especially for gentlemen drivers » adds Christophe Guibbal. « The LM P2 class is interesting because it puts together professional and amateur drivers. The ORECA allows pros to get the max out of the car and push the limits. While the amateurs have to find their own limits and reach the highest level possible. The ORECA 03 unites these two antagonistic parameters to make it one of its strengths.»

After the traditional scrutineering days in the centre of Le Mans, on Sunday and Monday, June 16-17, practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place on Wednesday 4pm-8pm followed by the first qualifying session from 10pm to midnight. Two more timed sessions will be held on Thursday from 7pm to 9pm, then 10pm to midnight. The start is scheduled for Saturday, June 22 at 3pm.

Le Mans Addict

To mark the 2013 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, ORECA will being showing its passion for the race with a special logo celebrating the ORECA Group’s 40th year with the message « Le Mans Addict ». During race week, several ORECA 03 entered by customer teams will carry the « Le Mans Addict » stickers. The mechanics and engineers will also wear the special message on their firesuits. In addition, several giant foam hands will be given away to fans during the week.

Groupe ORECA

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