RACE PERFORMANCE (CHE)

Owner/director: Michel Frey
Team manager/driver: Michel Frey
Base : Münsingen
www.race-performance.ch

2014 ELMS results
Silverstone 4 Hours: 2. Frey/Mailleux (SUI/FRA) Oreca 03-Judd (2nd LM P2)
Imola 4 Hours: 18th Frey/Mailleux (SUI/FRA) Oreca 03-Judd (7th LM P2)
 

     This Swiss team was a last-minute selection for the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours. It made its debut in 2003 in the national Formula Renault Championship, and won the title on its third attempt after which it raced in the Renault Mégane Trophy Eurocup for 4 seasons (2006-2009). Race Performance made its debut in the Le Mans Series in 2010 with the ex-Rollcentre Radical-Judd. Its outings in the Le Castellet, Spa-Francorchamps, Hungaroring and Silverstone rounds were relatively low key, but the team was justifiably proud of its first Le Mans 24 Hours. The Radical-Judd driven by Le Mans regulars Marc Rostan and Pierre Bruneau, backed up by debutant Ralph Meichtry, finished eighteenth (6th in LM P2) after a steady race in which Race Performance’s main ambition was to see the chequered flag.

     For 2011, the Swiss outfit swapped its Radical for an Oreca 03 chassis still powered by the Judd BMW engine. Before coming to Le Mans for the test day, the car driven by Michel Frey, Ralph Meichtry from Switzerland and Norwegian Thor-Christian Ebbesvik finished tenth overall in the Le Castellet 6 Hours on 3rd April (6th in LM P2), the first round of the 2011 Le Mans Series. The team finished 37th overall in the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 km. Things went better at Le Mans (19th overall and 6th in LM P2) for Frey-Meichtry-Rostan on the team’s second outing in the Sarthe. Race Performance was back at Le Mans the following year and young Swiss driver Jonathan Hirschi had replaced Marc Rostan. The three Swiss drivers entered the Le Castellet 6 hours finishing fifth overall before retiring at Spa, their second preparatory race before tackling the Sarthe classic in which they saw the chequer in twenty-sixth place (11th in LM P2). That year the Swiss squad was on the reserve list and took advantage of the withdrawal of Sébastien Loeb Racing to join the entries for the 90th Le Mans 24 Hours. Before the Sarthe challenge Race Performance scored two good results with second place at Silverstone and fourth at Imola. Team regulars Michel Frey and Patric Niederhausen were joined by Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen for the 24 Hours. They finished 19th overall and 10th in LM P2. In 2014 the team entered for the European Le Mans Series with ex-Morand Racing driver Franck Mailleux backing up Frey. The Judd BMW engine seems to have found some extra grunt. The team was also given an invitation for the Le Mans 24 Hours. At Silverstone in the first round Michel Frey looked on course to win the race until Tristan Gommendy pulled off a daring overtaking manoeuvre when they were lapping a GT. At Imola the no. 34 Oreca 03-Judd suffered from overheating due to blocked radiators and they could do no better than 18th. For Le Mans the car will have the 03R kit and the Franco-Swiss duo will be joined by British driver Jon Lancaster.

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