[11-06-2013]
FRANCK MAILLEUX FINDS POSITIVES FROM OFFICIAL LE MANS TEST
 Morand Racing driver Franck Mailleux has drawn positive conclusions from the recent Official Test Day in preparation for the forthcoming Le Mans 24 Hours despite weather conditions and red flags interrupting the team’s programme.
Franck, who was joined by his 2013 Le Mans team-mates Natacha Gachnang and Olivier Lombard for the test, will be taking part in his fifth Le Mans 24 Hours and declared himself confident with the Morand Racing Morgan Judd LMP2 package and Dunlop tyres.
Rain left the track wet for the morning session while three separate red flag periods made for a disjointed day of running. Morand Racing was focussed on its own particular programme of technical analysis, aerodynamic evaluation and Dunlop tyre work and finished the day with valuable data even with the limited running.
QUICK Q+A WITH FRANCK MAILLEUX
Franck, what is your analysis of the official test day at Le Mans?
“Generally, I think we achieved what we set out to by focussing on our own technical programme and completing some valuable laps. We looked at the set-up of the Morgan Judd LMP2, working also on aero and tyres, but it wasn’t the easiest of test days. The track was wet for the entire morning session and, like everyone else, we had to contend with three red flags during the day. It made things a bit difficult but we did salvage some important things from the day.”
What is the main focus when preparing the car for Le Mans?
“The great thing about Le Mans is that you cannot leave anything untouched. Every part of the car and the entire team operation is put under scrutiny so we like to get as much track time as possible. When we are limited to just one day of testing on the full 13.6km track, we want to be on track all day, which is why the interruptions were not ideal. We look at the base set-up of the car, the aerodynamic package and the tyres but also system checks and team-work in the garage which plays such an important role over the 24 hour race.”
What are realistic expectations from Morand Racing based on the times in the test?
“We were not really chasing lap time at the test because of the nature of our programme, which was focussed on improving the set-up of the car. I am quite confident in our package, both in terms of the car, the engine, the tyres and our team composition, so we have to aim to be in the podium fight. That is always the objective, even if we know the competition in LMP2 is incredibly tough this year.”
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