Larbre Competition made the most of last Sunday’s Le Mans Test Day (May 31) being held in mixed weather conditions to successfully gear up for the 83rd running of the French 24-hour endurance classic.

With a large stretch of Circuit de la Sarthe’s 13.629kms comprising closed public roads, the test represented drivers Kristian Poulsen, Gianluca Roda and Paolo Ruberti’s only opportunity to put the GTE Am-entered #50 Corvette C7.R through its paces ahead of next week’s blue riband round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (June 10-14).

Sunday’s first four-hour session initially began under overcast skies before rain rolled in late morning and also compromised the afternoon’s running. Though that resulted in limited mileage for the teams, it at least enabled the French outfit to gather plenty of valuable data in mixed conditions, which – given Le Mans’ history – will likely prove vital when it comes to contesting the world’s most iconic endurance race.

Larbre’s C7.R once again displayed the sort of consistency it had done at the season’s two previous FIA WEC rounds. And with the team favouring set-up over outright pace, Poulsen/Roda/Ruberti were happy to finish amongst GTE Am’s top-10, content that the same approach had previously helped the Val de Vienne-based squad notch up five class victories at La Sarthe. Indeed, the double points on offer for Le Mans could also prove handy in helping kick-start its FIA WEC title bid.

Larbre’s Le Mans week begins in earnest with the traditional scrutineering procedure held in the town centre’s Place de la République on Sunday 7 June. Cars take to the track for the first time on Wednesday 10 while the race itself gets underway at 15:00 local time on Saturday 13.

Gianluca Roda: “The conditions were difficult out there but the car responded well in all situations and the team worked hard to alter the set-up between wet and dry running. I had a couple of stints behind the wheel and felt good. The Corvette is easy to drive and consistent, which is very important over 24 hours of racing.”

Paolo Ruberti: “It was a good test, even if the weather wasn’t ideal what with rain falling in both sessions. We tried different set-ups and in the end found a decent balance. But we didn’t chase fastest lap times; it was all about finding good, consistent pace in both wet and dry conditions as it usually rains at some point during race week! We didn’t have any issues all day so I’m happy.”

Jack Leconte, Team Manager: “This year’s Le Mans Test Day boiled down to a game of hide-and-seek with the sky, clouds and rain. This gave our drivers the opportunity to sample all track conditions and, although it was tricky working on our dry weather set-up, we could also rely on data gathered at the first two WEC races.

“We still need to go over a few details, including the car’s top-end speed and braking system, but we have validated most items on our test programme. Now we have to ensure everybody gets into a good rhythm and follows our proven method in terms of stints and stops.

“I remain optimistic for the race as we always arrive fully prepared at Le Mans. Our competition is fierce but we’ll do our best to put in a strong performance and step on to the podium again.”