The Team ORECA-Matmut will be back on familiar territory on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit for the official Le Mans Series test days. The squad from the Var has already run some sessions on this track as part of its winter test programme as well as at Jerez in Spain. To prepare for the 2009 season in the best possible conditions, two Courage-Orecas will be present at Le Castellet: one will work on development, while the other will carry out a long-distance test.

For the past several months the design office has used the information collected in 2008 to design a new LMP1 prototype, which shares only the monocoque with the previous car. Team ORECA-Matmut and its drivers will have a completely new racer with a new engine, the V10 AIM, new in-house designed suspension, and many other improvements. The Oreca Courage will run in an intermediary version during the test session in southern France. Its new aerodynamics will be outed later on.

As has been the case at each session the two Courage-Orecas will have new evolutions for this test as David Floury explains: “at Jerez we had new power steering. This time we’ll have new brakes among other things. Since January, we’ve been running on a regular basis, and as the car is brand new, this is absolutely vital. All the mechanical components have been redesigned, and we have to validate them on the track. There will be quite a few cars out there so we’ll be working in conditions similar to the ones we’ll face in the races.”

The 2-day session on the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit will play a crucial role in the team’s preparation for the championship, and above all for the Le Mans 24 Hours. “The official tests are very important for us,” confirms Hugues de Chaunac. “They’ll give us the opportunity to carry out our first long-distance simulation. Our priority is to work on the reliability. We already covered a large number of kilometres in the previous runs, and we’ll continue during this test session.”

During the 2-day session Olivier Panis and Nicolas Lapierre, who will champion Team ORECA-Matmut throughout the year, will be joined by two drivers quite familiar to the team: Stéphane Ortelli and Soheil Ayari. The final driver line-up will be unveiled at the end of this month… with some newcomers!

Olivier Panis: “It’s the BIG test!”

Olivier how are you approaching the official tests?
“In a relaxed state of mind as we’ve already covered a large number of kilometres. This session will be used to prepare for the first round in Barcelona and the Le Mans 24 Hours in particular. It’ll give us another opportunity to continue learning about the car. What’s more, the other tests have gone well for the team as a whole, as well as for the drivers. We’ve got into the rhythm physically speaking and we’re getting to know the car and its reactions better.”

How has the new LMP1 prototype evolved since its shakedown?
“It progresses each time we go out. We’re exploring different ways of setting it up, and I have to say that the last tests on the Jerez circuit were especially productive. We put our finger on some important things. We’re on schedule!”

Does this first collective session have a particular feeling for you?
“We’re going to be up against other teams and start our endurance tests. You can feel that the season’s coming closer, and we can’t wait to see the fruit of our work. The official test is the BIG preparation session. In addition to working on consistency, reliability and performance we’ll be able to do some night driving. We’ll have to get the best out of it because the conditions will be similar to the ones we’ll meet at the coming Le Mans 24 Hours.”

Nicolas Lapierre: “Good cohesion’s very important”

Nicolas, how would you sum up the tests carried out since the shakedown?
“Things are moving in the right direction. We’ve made progress in a lot of areas with the new Courage-Oreca. So far it’s proved better in sheer performance and its reliabity’s been faultless. In parallel, we’ve worked on tire wear, and we use very few tires, which is very positive in the light of the new regulations.”

Team ORECA-Matmut was at Jerez recently. What was the aim of this test?
“This session was the logical follow-on from the previous ones. The weather was warmer, more like the conditions we’ll meet in the races. We were able to gather more information and accumulate more experience. We’re tackling the test on Le Castellet from the same point of view. The difference is that we’ll be up against our rivals for the first time.”

Like last year, you’ll team up with Olivier Panis. How is your partnership going?
“We get along very well. We both come from single-seater racing and we drove the prototype for the first time in 2008. So our approach is pretty similar and this has an influence on the set-up. Good cohesion’s important, especially when you’re developing a new car. I’m happy that ORECA has opted for continuity!”

Source : Team ORECA-Matmut