24h Le Mans
Driver and instructor Vincent Capillaire was born in Le Mans and knows the Circuit de la Sarthe like the back of his hand. He will be competing in the 24 Hours for the third year running. The So24! by Lombard Racing driver tells us how things went at Test Day for his team and their Ligier JS P2, and the lessons to be learned before race week kicks off.
How did Test Day go?
Our day got off to a bit of a late start. The morning was mainly taken up with the ten qualifying laps for Jonathan Coleman [compulsory laps for drivers entered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time or have not taken part since 2011], but we were set back by a minor technical issue so had less track time [problem with the geometry which was rectified during the break]. Once back on the track, we had a puncture so ended up in the gravel trap… During the afternoon, we finally had time to work on the car and make the modifications we wanted. We’ve now got a great base to work on, and we’ll try and tweak its performance throughout race week. We’ll still need to make sure it will stay the course and remains an easy drive for all of us. It’s a shame we didn’t get to do a more performance-focused stint towards the end of Test Day [the session was brought to an end 30 minutes earlier than scheduled after an accident for the #49 Michael Shank Racing Ligier JS P2 Honda]. I always like to try and do a faster lap at the end of the day, to see how we measure up against the others, but it’s doesn’t matter.
Have you been keeping your eye on the other cars entered in LM P2?
Yes... and that’s helped me see where our strengths lie – and our weaknesses!
So what do you think you need to work on more?
The Oreca 05 chassis has an excellent straight-line speed. During the morning session, we went all out on the car’s aerodynamics to overcome our difficulties [which means a slower top speed] but now that everything is sorted, we are ready for the chase. I have to admit that in the morning, it was frustrating being unable to overtake some of the GTs. Their ultimate pace is pretty impressive.
The regulations mean that the GTs are now faster and the engineers have more room for manoeuvre with the aerodynamics. Have you noticed an improvement in performance on the track?
Yes, everyone is faster now. The hybrids look extremely capable, especially around the Porsche Curves. The GTs are also very strong with some great top speeds and I think that their braking points are later as well. I feel I'm a bit quicker than last year myself. I feel faster everywhere, all around the circuit. Those extra tenths of a second here and there can add up to several seconds a lap!
Photo: local driver Vincent Capillaire didn’t go all out for performance on Test Day, but the #22 Ligier will certainly be one to watch during the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
