Every year, the publication of the 24 Hours of Le Mans participants list creates its share of disappointed teams.  One of those is Kruse-Schiller Motorsport, who are third on the prototype reserves list.  That said, Kai Kruse’s team plans on running in the Le Mans Series with a Judd-powered Lola.  The German engineer answered a few of our questions…

Kai, the ACO has released the names of the 55 invitees for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.  KSM is not included.  What are your thoughts about this decision?
“When I saw that LMP2 was reduced down to nine cars, I knew the team would not be included.  On one hand, I must say that the majority of the selected cars deserve it.  But on the other hand, I get the impression that LMP2 is often the category that gets reduced and I have a hard time understanding why a car like the Lamborghini/JLOC was chosen.  That’s the way it is, and even if we try to prepare ourselves for it, we are of course disappointed.”

LMP2 is well represented in Le Mans Series with 17 entrants but only 9 were chosen for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Can you explain this?
“I think you have to ask this question to the selection committee.  I was expecting LMP1 to be smaller compared to 2009, which was the case, with one less car.  There remains 21 LMP1s, but the field is really excellent.  However, there are eight GT1s invited, while only two are on the Le Mans Series entry list… With 17 GT2, this makes 25 cars in GT, which is a relatively high number.”

Does this non-selection put in jeopardy your presence in Le Mans Series?
“No, we will be there.  We won’t stop here.  If you stop our program for this season, you are stupid.  In fact, the assembly of our Lola-Judd will be soon complete, even if it’s obvious that the situation is a little more difficult since the partners and drivers are mainly interested in Le Mans.”

Why choose the Judd engine over the Mazda?
“We’ve had two difficult seasons with the Mazda 4 cylinder turbo.  We had discussions, but there wasn’t the necessary confidence in terms of reliability.  I think as well that OAK and RML came to the same conclusion.  Maybe the progress made in 2010 will be sufficient, but we can’t take the risk of having another year like the two previous.”

What about drivers, will Jean de Pourtales and Hideki Noda be with you?
“We hope so.  I spoke with Jean by telephone after our non-selection, but he sounded positive and I think he will be good with us.  For Hideki, I’m also confident even if it’s a bit harder.  We are talking with other drivers as well since we will be running a three-driver squad.”

What is your program heading into the first round, the 8 Hours of the Castellet?
“As I said, we are in the final phases of assembly.  We will have a shakedown soon, certainly within the next 15 days.  Afterward, we will try to have a test, even if it’s probable that the official tests at Paul Ricard HTTT will be our first big test session.”

A small detail concerning your package.  The entry list refers to a B08/47 and many thought it was a Lola coupe…
“No, we will have an open cockpit Lola.  Actually, the explanation of the naming comes from the numbering system.  The first number, in general, corresponds  to the year, the second number to the car type and engine type.  In this case, the car type for the LMP2 is 4 for an open car and 8 for a coupe.  Then the second number corresponds to the engine: 6 for Mazda, 7 for Judd.  Our chassis is still the one that was owned by Fernandez Racing:  it’s a B05, as the plaque confirms.  But with each notable evolution, Lola progresses the number so this year we will have a B08/47!”

To conclude, are you already working on 2011?
“We are already having discussions about this.  With our chassis and engine, we would be able to run in LMP1 next year.  But we are a small team and we will stay that way:  so we will probably stay in LMP2.  For 2011, we are talking with different engine makers.  We would like to continue with racing engines:  I personally think that a road car engine is not necessarily cheaper.  However, it’s heavier, and makes the car heavier, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for safety.  But from what I understand, it won’t be possible to have a race engine in LMP2 in 2011.  So we will probably have to opt for a new engine…”

Rainier Ehrhardt (with Anthony Megevand)