IDEC SPORT is heading for Italy for the second leg of the 2019 ELMS, the Monza 4-Hour Race. The team will be arriving in the temple of speed with its LMP2 cars: the Ligier and the Oreca.
IDEC SPORT will be racing on the legendary 5.793 km track, the “Temple of Speed”, otherwise known as the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza for the second meeting of the 2019 European Le Mans Series. The legendary Formula 1 circuit in Monza was built in 1922 and will be the battleground for 42 competitors, including nineteen LMP2 cars. There has never been such a big line-up as this in this category.
The IDEC SPORT drivers will have a lot to do to be up with the frontrunners. They will be racing with Patrice Lafargue, Stéphane Adler and Erik Maris in the Ligier #27 while Paul Lafargue, Memo Rojas and Paul-Loup Chatin will be back in the Oreca #28 to do battle in an extremely competitive pack.
The three latter drivers looked solid in the first meeting of the season in Le Castellet and crossed the finish line in second place. The Ligier did not pass the chequered flag because of a mechanical problem. She now has a completely updated gearbox for the Monza 4-Hour Race.
“Monza is a rather special circuit, but the preparation is the same. The goal will once again be to make it to the podium and maybe even win. There isn’t much to choose between the top teams. There is no room for any mistakes, as the smallest detail can see you move away from winning. This year there are a set of teams capable of winning. IDEC SPORT is indeed up there, but you have to understand that performance alone is not enough,” explained Frédéric Ducastel, the head of the team. “Our strong point is motivation, and that is true for the drivers and the whole team. On top of that, the car is well kept and performs well.”
At this second ELMS meeting of the season, three hours of trials are scheduled to set up the cars and find their limits. These are spread out over Friday and Saturday.
The drivers will however only have ten minutes to qualify by setting the best time on one of the fastest circuits of the season with the famous curve around the final bend. Paul-Loup Chatin will be in charge of doing this at 1420hrs on Saturday 11th May.
The Monza 4-Hour Race starts at noon on Sunday 12th May.
