The IDEC SPORT Oreca #28 came off best during the night in Catalonia. The Ligier #27 took 17th place.
For the second series of free trials, the IDEC SPORT drivers had to overcome two natural hurdles – the heat and the darkness. Paiul-Loup Chatin took the best time behind the wheel of the Oreca #28 thanks to a lap completed in 1’34’’359. He was pleased with that, but knows that tomorrow will be a different ball game and that he will will have to be quick: “It’s always good to get the best time, but the real goal is tomorrow. Some people put on brand new tyres in the first session, but we did that in the second, even if conditions will be different in the qualifications. We followed what we set out in our plans. We’re making progress with the car. Paul (Lafargue) and Memo (Rojas) are up there and we’re all more or less on the same level. It looks promising for tomorrow. I think one of the key factors will be the night driving with all the other cars late in the race.”
The Ligier #27 finished in 17th place. The drivers are making steady progress and Nicolas Minassian is enjoying himself at the wheel: “I feel good in the car. I really enjoy myself with Stéphane (Adler) and William (Cavailhes). What I really like is seeing them make progress. They are making gains in speed and feel more confident. I am there for that. Personally, I cannot not enjoy myself. I loved it during the night, as it took me back to the old days with some great memories of Le Mans. It’s not that often that we drive at night now.”
At the end of the day of trials, Patrice Lafargue admired the work done by his team: “You’d have to be very difficult not to be pleased. What I really like is the overall control the team has. The mechanics are ready for the race. When I see the condition the Ligier is in this evening, after making so much progress, it’s perfect. It will be a good race for our gentlemen drivers.”
