Four weeks on from disappointment at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Rebellion Racing will bring their two Lola-Rebellions to Portimao's Autodromo Internacional Algarve for round three of the Le Mans Series
The two LMP1 cars will be driven by their regular driver pairings for the six hour or 1000km race – Neel Jani and Nicolas Prost in the no.12 car and Italian Andrea Belicchi and Frenchman Jean-Christophe Boullion in the sister no.13 entry. Both will be aiming to secure podium spots in a field smaller than previous LMS rounds, the Swiss team chasing championship glory as one of the top teams running the full season.
“We are happy to be racing again. We are heading to Portugal with high expectations,” admits Team Manager Bart Hayden. “We are focused on trying to win the Championship and also on winning the Le Mans Series summer races, which should be possible now with the factory diesel cars not being present. We are optimistic of getting both cars onto the podium.”
The race will be second LMS visit to the modern 4.65km layout, Hayden's team having competed last year under the Speedy Sebah banner. Like the 2009 event this weekend's race will start in daylight and be run into the night, with the six hour time limit falling at 11pm.
As well as the unfortunately rare spectacle of endurance racing into the dark the Portuguese track will see another moment direct from the history of the Le Mans. Just like last month's 24 Hours the field will line up in the style of the historic Le Mans start – which Rebellion describe as the “ear of corn” formation – for a ceremonial start prior to the rolling start to the race itself.
The condensed two day program begins on Friday with three free practice sessions before the qualifying, then the race on Saturday.
