This great week in La Sarthe was highly emotional on and off the track.

Scrutineering (Sunday June 8): a new partner. For the Swiss team, the administrative and technical verification in the heart of the city of Le Mans marked the beginning of the Le Mans week and also the presentation of a new partner: the “Five Thirteen” feature film, whose livery on the #43 Morgan-Judd BMW with Dunlop tyres was unveiled by the actors of the movie who especially came to Le Mans. They received a warm welcome by the public.
Benoit Morand (team owner): “This last-minute partnership was rapidly set up by Michel Vieira, in charge of our business development. We made contact with Cedric Magnin, the film’s producer. The French theatrical release of “Five Thirteen” was planned on June 11, and it was an interesting opportunity for both of us.”

Free practice and qualifying (Wednesday June 11 & Thursday June 12): reliability is still the key. Christian Klien came back to Le Mans after three years of absence and was in charge of the qualifying laps. Consistency is a trade mark of NewBlood by Morand Racing since its endurance debut in 2013 and the Swiss team was once again up to its reputation by maintaining its position in the top 10 of the LMP2 class, qualifying eighth.
Benoit Morand: “The team was highly motivated for a great result. The car’s preparing and setup was of very high level and the Morgan chassis already proved competitive at Le Mans, with the LMP2 win in 2013. I also would like to thank Onroak Automotive for their precious support.”

Drivers’ Parade (Friday June 13): back in town again. At the end of the afternoon Christian Klien, Gary Hirsch and Romain Brandela were back in the centre of the city of Le Mans for the most popular pre-race event. After scrutineering and the autograph session in the pit lane of the Le Mans circuit on Tuesday June 10, the Drivers’ Parade is the third great meeting between the Le Mans drivers and the race fans. Another surprise by NewBlood by Morand Racing was the comeback of the actors of the “Five Thirteen” movie, who attended the Drivers’ Parade and the race start the following day. get in touch with other partners thanks to a larger promotion of our image.”
Benoit Morand: “At scrutineering and the Driver’s Parade, the public was chanting the actors’ names. Their Le Mans visit also was a great success on the social networks. I am convinced that this kind of collaboration will enable us to get in touch with other partners thanks to a larger promotion of our image.”

The race (Saturday June 14 & Sunday June 15): second start and second finish. Thanks to the team’s 2013 Le Mans experience and to the reliability of the Morgan chassis, Judd BMW engine and Dunlop tyres, NewBlood by Morand Racing was in the heart of the LMP2 battle, gaining no less than six positions under the rain in the early part of the race. After the track dried, the Swiss team kept on fighting closely with many position changes among the LMP2 contenders. NewBlood by Morand Racing eventually secured its first overall top 10 at Le Mans (sixth in the LMP2 class), another significant step in its history. Gary Hirsch was at the wheel to receive the chequered flag for his first Le Mans start, Romain Brandela finished the race for the second time in two participations and Christian Klien completed an outstanding comeback.

Christian Klien: “I came to Le Mans for the last time in 2011 and it obviously is a great pleasure to compete there again. Previously I drove LMP1 cars and 2014 was my first time at the wheel of an LMP2. The level in this class is very high with a lot of great teams and fierce competition. Everybody has more or less similar cars so the battle was very close and it was great fun. You have to be very well prepared to compete in LMP2 and this very long race as well.”

Benoit Morand: “We knew that Christian had to spend a great amount of time at the wheel to secure a good result. He did it the right way, counterbalancing the car’s lack of speed in other sectors of the circuit, especially in the Porsche corners, where he set the best time (sector 3) in the LMP2 class. His help was very precious for Romain and Gary, and he was always available to study the data and video analyses. His positive attitude was very helpful for the team’s good state of mind.”

Gary Hirsch: “I was the rookie in our driving line-up, contrary to Romain who competed in the 2013 24 Hours. I had to be at the max while learning the circuit without making too many mistakes. Christian’s experience was more important than anywhere else because Le Mans is a very special race regarding global approach, car’s setup and the kind of car you need to be competitive there.”

Christian Klien: “In race the car was better when it started to rain. The other LMP2s and even some LMP1s made mistakes and we did not, this is why we climbed up to third in the class. For us it would have been good if it had rained a little more!”

Benoit Morand: “From the Test Day to the chequered flag the crew was very coherent and was the fastest in the pit stops during the race, suffering no major mechanical issues. Our car was three seconds faster than in 2013, notably thanks to the Dunlop tyres. But further to the oil pump failure in the second European Le Mans Series round at Imola, Judd significantly reduced the engine’s performance due to reliability reasons. Without this I am sure we could have battled for the podium. I also think we handled the changing track conditions quite well, since we were third when it rained in the early stages of the race.”

After the outstanding Le Mans week, NewBlood by Morand Racing will resume the battle for victory and title in the 2014 European Le Mans Series season. The next round will be competed on July 19-20 at the Red Bull Ring. This will be Christian Klien’s home race: on June 22, he drove a Formula One Red Bull during a parade before the Austrian Grand Prix.

- Newblood by Morand Racing press release -