IDEC SPORT will contest the second ELMS round of the season this weekend. Paul Lafargue, Paul-Loup Chatin and Laurents Hörr will be looking to perform well in the Var at the wheel of the #28 Oreca, which will retain its special Delage colors. Patrice Lafargue and Dino Lunardi will be competing in the Michelin Le Mans Cup at the wheel of the #17 Ligier.
It’s time for IDEC SPORT to return to the European Le Mans Series (European endurance championship) after a break of almost 3 months (following the cancellation of the Imola meeting). After a podium performance in the opening round and a strong showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, IDEC SPORT is looking forward to taking to the track in the 42-car field at the 4 Hours of Le Castellet on Sunday, July 16.
While the trucks will have to be loaded with all the usual equipment, the route will be extremely short, as the French team has been based in Signes since this year, just on the outskirts of the Paul Ricard circuit. For this home round, IDEC SPORT will keep the special 24H du Mans livery and will therefore be blue, in the colors of French manufacturer Delage.
The trio of Paul Lafargue, Laurent Hörr and Paul-Loup Chatin will benefit from 3 hours of practice to adjust to the demanding 5.8km track. Free practice 1 will take place on Friday from 11.40am to 1.10pm, and free practice 2 on Saturday from 10.10am to 11.40am. This will be followed by 15 minutes of LMP2 qualifying at 3.45pm, 5 minutes longer than usual. The race starts at 11.30am on Sunday 16th.
Team principal Nicolas Minassian is keen to keep up the momentum from the good start to the season: “We’re getting back into an ELMS rhythm, where there are differences in the regulations compared with the 24H du Mans, especially the technical ones. We’re putting the car back into sprint configuration, we no longer have heated cabins for tires, and we’re only allowed 3 people for wheel changes. In Barcelona we were competitive, so we’re going to try to do the same thing. We’ve got the same team, so we’re confident. The competition is strong and we have to respect it, but we’ll still be aiming for a podium finish. There’s no room for error. What we’re aiming for is championship points.”
Michelin Le Mans Cup
“In LMP3, we’re coming up to the 3rd race of the season. We drove well in the Road to Le Mans. The Michelin Cup is very competitive with a lot of race facts, so we’ll have to get through it. The races are shorter, so we’re in sprint mode. I have every confidence in Patrice and Dino to make the most of it and score big points at home,” says Nicolas Minassian, former Peugeot Sport professional driver.
Patrice Lafargue and Dino Lunardi will hit the Paul Ricard asphalt in two free practice sessions on Friday 14th: FP1 10.30am-11.30am and FP2 6pm-7pm.
Qualifying takes place on Saturday 15th at 12.50pm, followed by the green flag for the start of the race at 5.10pm.
