The French team has unpacked their bags in Italy to the north of Milan. The task is simple: they are preparing as best they can for the second race in the ELMS championship. The team has a busy schedule before the race on Sunday.
The whole of the IDEC SPORT team is in Italy this week for the Monza 4-Hour Race, the second meeting in the European Le Mans Series this season. The pits are set up and the cars ready to go, but there is a lot on the programme before the two cars set off at the start of the race on Sunday at noon.
The formalities begin on Thursday with the scrutineering or the tehncial checks. The Ligier JS P217 and the Oreca 07 have been serviced since the last race in Le Castellet. They will be inspected to ensure they conform to official regulations. A car that does not conform has to be modified to be allowed to take the start. With all the work done by the IDEC SPORT boys, it is highly likely we will see #27 and #28 on the grid. Later in the day, the two teams of three will do the track walk with the engineers. This walk around helps them identify the circuit down to its smallest detail , which is vital for what follows, as a lot cannot be seen at high speed.
On Friday and Saturday morning, two sessions of free trials each lasting ninety minutes will enable Patrice Lafargue, Erik Maris and Stéphane Adler, as well as Paul Lafargue, Paul-Loup Chatin and Memo Rojas, to set up their cars to compete in the temple of speed.
“Last year, we drove well here and I have some great memories. It’s an unusual setting and the atmosphere is extraordinary. It’s a good way to prepare for le Mans,” explained Paul Lafargue. “In Monza, you really have to deal with the other cars. Apart from that difficulty, you have to pay attention to a suction phenomenon, as it is very important on this track. You have to find the balance between staying behind and overtaking and that means you have to pay attention to the tyres. The goal is clear. We want to make it to the podium,” said the Silver Oreca driver, who is working hard to improve. “I need to pay more attention to my braking and find my feet. I drive too much using my instinct.”
The starting order will be determined by a ten minute qualifier at 1420 hrs on Saturday. Paul-Loup Chatin will be in charge of this task and may be the key to getting pole position for IDEC SPORT.
Don’t miss the pit walk from 0950 to 1045hrs on Sunday. You can walk around the pits and meet the ELMS drivers at an autograph session. The European Le Mans Series aims to, please the visitors, as the public can also go down close to the grid and see the 42 cars close up.
IDEC SPORT grabbeed its first ELMS podium place at Monza in 2018. Don’t miss all the news about IDEC SPORT with our exclusive content on social networks with our Facebook page: IDEC SPORT Racing, Twitter: @IDECSportRacing and Instagram: idecsport_racing_officiel17 ainsi que l’application Android : IDEC SPORT.
