Photo : Jean-Michel LE MEUR / DDPI

 

The European Le Mans Series with its 37 entries, including 11 prototypes in LM P2, provides an exceptional shop window for Onroak Automotive, the best-represented constructor among the four makes present at the French circuit. The four Morgan LM P2s are entered with two different engines – Nissan and Judd – and two tyre suppliers - Dunlop and Michelin.

Each team has different projects and ambitoons but they all agree on one thing – how satisfied they are to be running the Morgan LM P2, which proved its reliability and performance last year.

After testing last month at Magny-Cours to get to grips with its new car, Pegasus Racing took advantage of these two days to enable Jonathan Coleman, Nicolas Leutwiler and Julien Schell to gain experience at the wheel of their no. 29 Morgan-Nissan LM P2 on Dunlop tyres before the Silverstone race. The team is concentrating on making a success of its return to the European Series.

The Morgan-Judd LM P2 holds no secrets for Swiss squad Newblood by Morand Racing as it ran this car in the 2013 ELMS joined by Christian Klein for the last two races. His team-mates Romain Brandela and Gary Hirsch are already delighted with the performance of the car, and have every confidence in the poten,al of their no. 43 Morgan-Judd LM P2 shod with Dunlop tyres, which they drove for the first time this season. Their aim is to win races in the ELMS and do better in the Le Mans 24 Hours than in 2013 in which the team finished fifth in LM P2. The Swiss squad set the fastest time in two of the five official test sessions.

Thiriet by TDS Racing has a first-class driver line-up in its no. 46 Morgan-Nissan LM P2 also on Dunlop tyres as Tristan Gommendy has joined Pierre Thiriet and Ludovic Badey for the 2014 season. The team used the two days to get to grips with its new prototype with which it set the fastest time in today’s final session. It will race this car in the first two events of the season before geang its hands on the new Ligier JS P2, which it has entered for the Le Mans 24 Hours and the second part of the ELMS. The French squad’s aim is to reconquer the ,tle it won in 2012.

Larbre Competition, a benchmark for over 20 years in endurance racing, has put its trust in Onroak Automotive to swap from GT to prototypes. This year Keiko Ihara will race for the team in a Morgan-Judd LM P2 with Michelin tyres. While the names of her team-mates still have to be announced, the Le Vigeant-based oudit was able to count on the experience and know-how of Jacques Nicolet and Olivier Pla during the first day’s test.

Constructor Onroak Automotive is proud of the interest and confidence that these teams have shown in it by choosing Morgan LM P2s. It is determined to accompany them throughout the 2014 season and provide them with all the assistance and backup they need.

No. 29 – Julien Schell Pegasus Racing team manager and driver: “We‘re delighted to be back again in the European Le Mans Series with the Morgan LM P2, which is very quick as it proved last year. Our aim is to collect experience for the team and the drivers with this car. We’re very pleased to make our comeback in such positive conditions and to give ourselves what it takes to succeed with a constructor like OAK Racing, which provides its clients with a first-class service. Our season’s geang off to a great start and we’re hoping it’ll last as long as possible.”

No. 43 – Benoît Morand team manager and joint owner of Newblood by Morand Racing: “The most important thing for us this year is to confirm the potential we showed last season with our Morgan-Judd-Dunlop package. We’re determined to do this with our 2014 driver line-up of Romain Brandela, Christian Klein and Gary Hirsch. Our aim is to win races in the ELMS and to pursue our very fruidul collaboration with Jacques Nicolet’s oudit, which provides great backup for teams like ours.”

No. 46 - Xavier Combet, Thiriet by TDS Racing team manager: “We’ve set ourselves several aims this year and several challenges. First of all to reconqueur the title we won in 2012, which escaped us last year, with a new constructor this season - Onroak Automotive – and with two new cars. So it’s a double challenge for the team and the drivers whose first task is to get to grips with the Morgan LM P2, a very quick machine as proved by its titles last year, and then take the next step to run the Ligier JS P2 in the Le Mans 24 Hours. It may seem a little crazy coming to Le Mans with a new car, but we couldn’t ask for better collaboration with Onroak Automotive and we’ve already done a huge amount of work together. The exchanges, the work carried out on the basics and the test sessions beforehand mean that we’ll arrive at Le Mans in the best possible conditions.”

No. 50 - Jack Leconte Larbre Competition team manager: “It’s not an April Fool’s joke! Larbre Competition has well and truly arrived in LM P2 and it’s very exciting for us. We’re just discovering a whole new universe and we’re paying very close attention to every detail to get ready for our first outing, which will be in the ELMS and will, I hope, continue at the Le Mans 24 Hours. We’re very keen to learn and to find out how a prototype works compared to a GT. The test sessions went off very well and the participation of Jacques (Nicolet) and Olivier (Pla) in the first session helped us to banish any doubts: it’s very important to have confidence and that’s what we’ve got for the future.”

Jacques Nicolet, Onroak Automotive President: “It’s a great satisfaction for us to have four Morgan LM P2s here at Le Castellet for the official ELMS test session making us the best-represented constructor on the track! Some of our clients are just geang to grips with their new cars and overall it’s going very well. Onroak Automotive is providing real backup for its teams with its technical service and a supply of spare parts: it’s a big asset that everybody appreciates very much. This two-day test session is a very positive start to the kick-off of the 2014 ELMS. Personally speaking I’m delighted to see Keiko Ihara with Larbre Competition at the wheel of one of our cars. Last year we shared some great moments in the WEC and I’m very happy that this collaboration is continuing.”

PHOTO: LE CASTELLET (VAR - FRANCE), CIRCUIT HTTT PAUL RICARD, EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES TEST, 01 TO 02/04/2014. Thiriet By TDS Racing #46

From Onroak Automotive press release