After Great Britain and Italy, the French team is now heading to Austria and the Red Bull Ring for a great battle in the LM PC class.

Gary Hirsch and Paul-Loup Chatin have been leading since the beginning of the season and will try to defend their position driving the #49 car, as Paul-Loup Chatin said: "The Red Bull Ring is a nice track, with heavy braking points and a few quick corners that are quite fun. On the other hand, it’s quick tight. So it’s going to be complicated with the traffic, which will be an important factor. The objective is to not only get the pole again, but win again as well. I’m still gaining experience in this discipline. With a new car in the category, it will be another interesting element of comparison." They finished second at Silverstone and as they claimed their first victory at Imola, they took the lead in the LM PC class. The duet will try to stay on the top of the standings.

Runners-up Soheil Ayari and Anthony Pons want to climb on the podium with #48 car: "On paper, the No.49 is certainly fasters", admits Anthony Pons, who prepared for this race with Xavier Feuillée and 3-2-1 Perform at Font-Romeu. "With Soheil, we still have ambitions. We have a great desire to do well and consequently we’ve prepared for that. We went to the Red Bull Ring to get a lay of the land and we have a few tricks up our sleeves. After Imola, an exceptional circuit, the Red Bull Ring seems more conventional but the setting is no less magnificent. For me, I’m continuing to discover life in a Le Mans Prototype. I’ve already learned a lot and progressed…and it will continue with this new step."

Alex Loan will share the wheel of #47 car with Nico Verdonck. The Belgian driver, winner of the Formula Le Mans in 2009, will bring his knowledge of the car and the duet should definitely be at the front of the pack. "I’m very motivated thinking about seeing the whole team again after my positive experiences from the Rookie Test at Le Mans, and above all the podium finish at Imola. I think I’ve learned a lot in terms of driving and traffic management. Next to a fast driver, the experience will be even more enriching for me, with the highlight being that we should be able to fight for the win in our class. Last year, I raced on this track in Formula Renault 2.0. Even though most of that was under the rain, I enjoyed the circuit with its technical succession of corners going up and down. The other main challenge will be the run-off areas : there are few and you have to be very careful."

Team Endurance Challenge is ready to start the Austrian round and will try to claim another victory.

In this video, Mathieu Lecuyer; who finished third at Imola with team-mate Alex Loan, in the #47 Oreca-FLM 09.

For more clips, go to www.lemans-tv.com

Thierry Arman / ACO

Translation by Cécile Bonardel / ACO (quotes from the team press release)