For Aston Martin, along with all the other teams that will start at Le Mans this year, the waiting is finally over. After a year of anticipation, the team took to the track for the first time this afternoon for the opening free practice session from 16:00 to 20:00. Later on this evening, the team will embark on the first of three qualifying sessions – from 22:00 until midnight.
As a large part of the circuit – namely the legendary Mulsanne straight – is usually the N138 main road towards Tours, the full Le Mans circuit is only open once a year. Consequently, the first session of running is always an adventure, with grip levels varying hugely.
Despite its name, the Mulsanne is actually far from being straight – and the asphalt on it is very different in nature to that used on the permanent circuit. Consequently, it is important to take great care during the first outing on the track.
The two Works Aston Martin racing crews ended the first free practice session successfully, proving themselves to be the quickest of the petrol runners and giving each driver the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the unique conditions.
Now the team is embarking on the first of the qualifying sessions this evening – although the times set are unlikely to count towards the final grid positions, unless it rains during the two sessions scheduled for tomorrow. With unpredictable weather on the horizon, this remains a possibility: underlining the importance of the preparation work that has been carried out so far.
In the end, success at Le Mans is rarely about speed over just one lap though: it’s all about keeping a consistent pace over the 24 hours and achieving a solid level of reliability. The work done in free practice plays a vital role in meeting this objective.
After the opening four-hour free practice session, Team Principal George Howard-Chappell concluded: “We’re working through our programme and it’s nice to have some dry running. All our drivers have had some experience of the car now and they’re in the groove. We’re well prepared to decide our strategy for qualifying.”
Harold Primat (CH): “We’re definitely getting there. I was quite encouraged by my first experience of the car here, as you always need a bit of time to play yourself back into the high-speed corners: Le Mans is very different to anywhere else. So far we’ve shown we’re the best of the petrol runners in the first free practice, so while we still need to make some improvements, we’re on target to achieve our objectives.”
Live race coverage can be found at www.astonmartin.com and www.astonmartinracing.com with additional behind the scenes updates on Facebook; www.facebook.com/astonmartin and through Twitter at www.twitter.com/astonmartin. Eurosport will be broadcasting live throughout the week, while coverage with Radio Le Mans can be found at: www.radiolemans.com
Timetable: 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours
Wednesday June 9
16.00-20.00 Free practice
22.00-00.00 Qualifying 1
Thursday June 10
19.00-21.00 Qualifying 2
22.00-24.00 Qualifying 3
Friday June 11
10.30-11.30 Aston Martin media meet and greet in Aston Martin Racing Paddock Hospitality
18:00-19:00 Drivers’ parade through Le Mans city centre
Saturday June 12
09:00-09:45 Warm-up
15:00 Race Start
Sunday June 13
15:00 Race finish