Photo : FRANCOIS NAVARRO - ACO / Nikon
In addition to being part of the preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans invitees, the Test Day also allowed selected other teams to see how they measure up against the competition on the famous race track with a view to the future. Sébastien Loeb Racing, a competitor in the European Le Mans Series, seized the opportunity to make its first appearance at the temple of endurance racing.
Alongside regular in-house driver Nicolas Marroc (ELMS) and Jean Karl Vernay (Porsche Matmut Carrera Cup), team boss/driver Sébastien Loeb especially enjoyed the exercise, recording the fifth fastest LM P2 time (18th overall) at the controls of the ORECA 03. It’s a remarkable performance, taking into account the level of competition, as well as the atypical conditions and the youth of the team.This richly informative test served to wet the Alsacian team’s appetite for a return to the starting line up for the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Making his return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans track after six years of absence, Loeb slid into the seat of the Sébastien Loeb Racing ORECA 03 with joy. The eight-time World Rally Champion quickly got back up to speed.
"Initially, it’s not easy to get back into a prototype when you don’t regularly drive in the discipline," he said. "I completed one test session at Magny Cours at the beginning of the week and those were my first laps in an LM P2. I hadn’t run at Le Mans since 2006.
"It’s a bizarre sensation at the wheel…the apexes, I see them after I pass them! I had a bit of a rough time this morning but the good feelings returned and it’s really nice. Our goal was to go slowly, progressively, without taking big risks, while trying to improve the setup and especially gain confidence with the car. The results are good, it’s a success!"
(From team press release)
CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, (LE MANS, SARTHE), TEST DAY, 3RD JUNE 2012. No. 19 Sebastien Loeb Racing Oreca 03 Nissan LM P2
