ELMS Grand Finale: Rookie Test Paddock Notes
Remaining LMGT3 test cars arrive
All eight manufacturers set to take part in this week’s Goodyear LMGT3 tyre test at Portimao are now on site with their cars unloaded.
The final cars to arrive, in addition to the handful spotted by DSC this morning, were the 2024 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, the pair of WRT BMW M4 GT3s and the single Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II.
This week’s test is set to be the first for the R8 on Goodyear rubber, with Christopher Haase set to drive the car both days. Audi Sport is putting a significant amount of resources into this test, running the car with a full set of engineering staff alongside representatives from Team Sainteloc.
Also of note, one of WRT’s BMWs is sporting the #46 Valentino Rossi livery. The other is in bare carbon.
The Aston Martin present in Portugal is the test and development car pictured at Silverstone two weeks ago. With the car being positioned in the garage DSC was able to get a first true glance of the car’s reworked front-end.
Notable names turn laps
Freddie Tomlinson shared the #20 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA today with Kriton Lentoudis and will continue to turn laps for the next two days at the circuit. Both his father Lawrence Tomlinson (the owner of Ginetta Cars) and Mike Simpson, Ginetta’s motorsport director, are present for the testing as Freddie continues to work on his racing plans for 2024.
Reigning FIA WEC GTE Am champion Nico Varrone has been testing the LMP2 Pro/Am title-winning #83 AF Corse ORECA. Varrone has been upgraded to Gold by the FIA for the 2024 season and the #83 squad is known to be set for a change in pro drivers for next season. He topped the times during this afternoon’s three-hour session.
DSC expects Francois Perrodo to return to defend the Pro/Am title in 2024.
Another AF Corse regular, Duncan Cameron, turned 79 laps in one of AF Corse’s two Ferrari 296 GT3s, which will stay on for the LMGT3 tyre test tomorrow and Wednesday. Cameron, fresh from the final GTE race in Europe, is here with his ELMS co-drivers Matt Griffin and David Perel as looks ahead to the introduction of GT3 in the ELMS for 2024.
Nielsen had a handful of interesting names steering its two ORECAs, one of which was aquired by the team from GRAFF just last week.
British GT regular Ian Loggie drove one, with American Indy NXT racer Christian Bogle in the other, as both drivers put together plans to return to the Asian Le Mans Series this season. Last season Bogle competed in LMP3 with Inter Europol, while Loggie drove in GT Am with SPS Performance, winning the title.
DSC also caught up 2023 Le Mans LMP2 winner Fabio Scherer in the back of the Nielsen garage. The Swiss said he turned a handful of laps today with Nielsen but is principally here as a driver coach helping introduce younger drivers to prototype racing. For 2024, he said, he is looking at options to compete in the ELMS and FIA WEC.
Charlie Eastwood is another driver that was present today for some coaching. The Irishman, who competed with Racing Team Turkey in this year’s ELMS season, was here with Michael Dinan, testing with DragonSpeed.
Eastwood told DSC that Dinan is looking to compete at Le Mans in LMP2 next year and used today’s opportunity for his first taste of an ORECA 07.
“I’ve been really impressed with him today,” he continued. “He is finding time every lap.”
Finally, at DKR, Laurents Hörr caught up with DSC after setting lap times as a reference for British Formula 2 driver Josh Mason, who is here for the first time in an LMP2 car.
Fassbender misses out
Michael Fassbender was listed for a first test in an LMP2 car with Proton Competition, following the conclusion of his five-year journey with Porsche. However, the German-Irish movie star opted to forgo the opportunity at the last minute.
Fassbender is likely to take a sabbatical from racing in 2024, but has told DSC he is looking to return in the future.
This left Giorgio Roda, Alessio Picariello, Julien Andlauer and Matteo Cairoli to turn laps in the #99 Proton ORECA. DSC understands that Picariello, Andlauer and Cairoli used the track time as an opportunity to gain more prototype experience ahead of potential LMP2 or Hypercar drives next season.
Varrone tops the times
2023 GTE AM Le Mans winner Nico Varrone (below) set the fastest time of the day in LMP2 aboard the #83 AF Corse ORECA, a 1:33.451 during the afternoon session. Sebastien Alvarez came closest to matching Varrone’s time in the IDEC Sport ORECA, with his best time a couple of tenths off.
Belen Garcia set a 1:38.912 to top LMP3 in the afternoon in the #4 DKR Duqueine while Duncan Cameron was the quickest of the drivers that set times in the two AF Corse 296 GT3s, a 1:42.663.
The afternoon session saw times tumble significantly, as rain showers made for tricky conditions in the morning session.
MORNING TIMES >>>
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