HVM Status GP completed an encouraging Le Mans Test Day as the team gears up for the all-important 24 Hours in two weeks’ time. atThe VISITFLORIDA-backed Lola-Judd B12/80 Coupe completed 67 laps of the circuit, representing 913 kilometres/567 miles, with no significant problems.
Conditions were wet in the morning, while in the afternoon the track gradually gained a dry line, meaning that through the day the car was run on wet-weather, intermediate and slick Dunlop tyres.
Canadian Tony Burgess was the only one of the three HVM Status GP drivers not to run slicks, which the team only used for the final 30 minutes of the eight hours of running. On his first run in the car on the dry-weather tyres, Britain’s Johnny Mowlem then comfortably lowered the best time. Finally, Swiss Jonathan Hirschi set the team’s best lap in a two-lap run at the end of the day as the track dried out significantly.
The HVM Status GP team did considerably fewer laps on slicks that most of its opposition in the hotly contested LMP2 category, and Hirschi’s best time put the car 18th in class.
The Le Mans Test Day represented the first time that the HVM Status GP Lola has performed in public in the colours of new primary sponsor VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation. The car includes the branding of VISIT FLORIDA’s travel planning website VISITFLORIDA.com, Viva Florida 500 and Brand USA.
HVM Status GP technical director Rob Arnott said: “We have achieved everything we set out to do. We had quite a lot of new bits to run in and evaluate, and the car performed perfectly. We didn’t concentrate at all on speed. We kept the car with lots of downforce, just to get the miles in and prove some components for the race. We ran the whole time with full tanks and concentrated on race set-up, not quick ‘qualifying’ times. I’m happy with the work we’ve done. We’ve got practice and qualifying to work on making the car quicker, but far more important than that is the big race.”
Action during Le Mans week begins with free practice on Wednesday June 19, with qualifying later that night and on Thursday June 20, and the 24 Hours running from 1500 local time on Saturday June 22 to the same time on Sunday June 23.
Driver quotes
Jonathan Hirschi: “The car was really nice. It’s just the weather that was a bit disappointing, although in the end we were really able to start working on the car. I drove only two laps on slick tyres, but even in that time there was a great feeling. OK, we have more to learn because it was only two laps, but I can’t wait now for the event itself because the car felt so good! I’m happy and I know that when we have time on a dry track we can go faster for sure.”
Johnny Mowlem: “I’d never driven the car, but I gelled with both it and the team really well. I found it easier to be competitive in the wet because I could feel the car, and I think we were effectively sixth or seventh in full-wet conditions. On slicks, even on a damp track, I could feel the potential was way beyond what I had imagined. Every lap I was giving it more and it was responding all the time – it’s incredible in the high-speed corners, and I think we’re in a strong position with our race pace.”
Tony Burgess: “Despite the weather we had a good day, and it was kind of a blessing in disguise: it started out challenging, but it got better and better and that made everything all the more rewarding. I went from wet tyres to intermediates and was ready to change to slicks, but then unfortunately there was a red flag and I had to give the car to my team-mates. You don’t push 100 per cent in the wet on a test day but the car responded very well and I’m happy.”
Source : HVM-Status GP