Monday April 20, 9.03 am, Paul Ricard HTTT circuit. The “ORECA 01” drives out of the pit : the engine starts… action! After several months of work, which started off in the design office with CAD (computed-aided design) and was carried on in the wind tunnel, the first prototype to have been entirely developed in Signes starts off for its very first laps on track. This is the moment Team ORECA-Matmut-AIM has eagerly been waiting for. Indeed, for the first time in its history ORECA has designed its own racing car: except for the Courage-Oreca unibody, the “ORECA 01” could not differ more from the car entered in 2008. Everything is new: suspension, cooling, electronics, wiring… and now new aerodynamics !

“This is the accomplishment of excellent work carried out by all of ORECA’s staff” Hugues de Chaunac confides. “This is a highly emotional time: this small team has developed a wonderful product. Nobody could tell how much energy and commitment have been put in for ORECA. The slightest details have been thought through and there is a huge difference to the 2008 model. I can’t wait to see what happens in Spa !”

With its new look, the “ORECA 01” is finer and more efficient. Nicolas Lapierre, who has been entrusted with the outing of the new pure-bred, confirms : “At the wheel, you can feel the progress achieved thanks to the new aerodynamics, especially in middle-speed curves. We have been able to take in a few kilometres and to get a glimpse of the car’s potential. We can’t wait to enter it on a race !”

“You immediately feel confident in the new car” adds Olivier Panis, who continued the development programme in the afternoon. “I had a good feeling ever since the first laps. The overall car balance has been improved, with a considerable increase in grip. This first outing went well: there’s no doubt that the car has a great potential.”

More testing sessions will be carried out this week before Team ORECA-Matmut-AIM enters the Spa 1000 km on May 10. This will be the first race for the two ORECA 01.

First roll-out of the “ORECA 01″ can be seen at WeRaceHarder.com

Source : ORECA