Nine Oreca chassis will take to the Le Mans circuit on Sunday June 9 for the official Test Day for the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Seven Oreca 03, coming off three consecutive wins at Silverstone, Spa and Imola, and two Alpine A450s, built and developed by Oreca, will take to the Circuit de la Sarthe in the final test before the legendary race.
Three of the Oreca 03 chassis will continue their FIA World Endurance Championship at Le Mans, with two G-Drive Racing by Delta ADR machines and one Pecom Racing taking part in the test. Pecom Racing are currently lead the championship, while Delta-ADR, who won the opening round at Silverstone currently lie in fourth and fifth place in the title hunt.
Four chassis will be coming from the European Le Mans Series, including championship leaders Thiriet by TDS, joined by the teams of Race Performance, Boutsen Ginion Racing and Murphy Prototypes.
“It’s no secret that the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit is unique and it makes the Test Day particularly important,” explains Christophe Guibbal, ORECA Design Bureau director. “The teams have to give the drivers time to readjust to a track that has evolved from one year to the next, and/or give driving time to rookies who have to complete their minimum laps to be eligible to race. All this while beginning the set up work on the car. On the technical side, we’re introducing a new Le Mans kit in line with the rules and regulations. The Test Day allows us to validate the data from simulations and to gain as much experience with the new package for both this race and next season. Also, several teams will be running Michelin tires, something new in LM P2 for this year, so these sessions will give teams a chance to test them in real conditions.”
Oreca also celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2013, celebrated by no fewer than nine Orecas competing at Le Mans, making them the most represented constructor in Le Mans Prototypes, and bringing even more chassis than the GT class Ferraris.
