Team ORECA-Matmut P2 Le Mans Final Qualifying Report

A good preparation for the Team ORECA-Matmut ORECA 03…

In the hands of Alexandre Prémat, David Hallyday and Dominik Kraihamer, the #48 ORECA 03 will start Saturday’s race from the third row in LMP2.
Team ORECA-Matmut completed its practice program without encountering a single problem.

The Team ORECA-Matmut ORECA 03 followed its scheduled program for the last two qualifying sessions. Alexandre Prémat, David Hallyday and Dominik Kraihamer followed to the letter Hugues de Chaunac’s orders: prepare for the race without worrying about the classification. The three drivers therefore concentrated on the setup, with a conclusive result.

#48 Team Oreca Matmut Oreca 03-Nissan: Alexandre Prémat, David Hallyday, Dominik Kraihamer

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

It’s the young Dominik Kraihamer who began the second day of qualifying. During one of his stints, the Austrian rookie realised the fastest time in the #48 ORECA 03, proof of the Signes-built prototype’s pace. “We brought two or three modifications that proved worthwhile,” he said. “The ORECA 03 is easier to drive than it was in the first sessions. The car gives confidence. One of the objectives was to improve the setup. We also wanted to find a good rhythm, that’s to say, be consistent without pushing the limit.” Dominik, after debuting in Formula Le Mans, also took advantage of these two days of practice and qualifying to discover Le Mans by night. “It’s very impressive,” he said. “The lighting is very bad and the atmosphere is unique with all of the flashes coming from the public.”

David Hallyday and Alexandre Prémat also drove the car, with David spending the most time at the wheel in order to familiarise himself with the ORECA 03 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. All said and done, it was a positive day for the #48 driving squad, which will start the race from the third row in LMP2, behind the Signatech-Nissan ORECA 03 and Strakka Racing HPD.

For David Floury, Technical Director, “the results were positive. The drivers did well to evolve the car. We have a good car for the race, but we know it will be long and difficult. The LMP2 class is a very competitive class: we can’t commit a single error in order to get a good result.”

The start of the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans will be given at 3p.m. on Saturday, June 11. Alexandre Prémat will drive the first stint in the #48 Team ORECA-Matmut ORECA 03.

-source: oreca