After the first round of battle at Silverstone, the three LMP teams, Audi, Toyota and Porsche are readying themselves for another six hour slog to victory at the infamous Belgian circuit; Spa-Francorchamps.
The result after Silverstone puts Toyota in good stead, having completed the course with a one-two victory over Porsche who came third on their first attempt. Audi will be eager to put themselves back in the running since both their cars failed to finish at Silverstone, both cars missing corners and ending their races.
Porsche Vice President for the LMP1 cars said:
“We can build on our Silverstone performance. Even with difficult weather conditions, the new Porsche Team has managed to have a very solid debut. Our drivers were outstanding, and in the pits we made the right calls. But we have to keep our feet on the ground, as there are countless more situations ahead during which we will find ourselves first timers. The second Championship round is the dress rehearsal for Le Mans. Our main target for Spa is clearly to finish the race with both Porsche 919 Hybrids.”
In the meantime, Audi are entering three team cars to give themselves the best possible chance of victory. This was first trialled last year in the 2013 season and the additional vehicle has some visual differences including a longer rear overhang. This car will serve to create valuable data with which the team will study in depth about the modifications in racing conditions.
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport said:
“We’ve got to prepare two new cars between now and Spa, which imposes an extreme load on the squad. Then we’re going to concentrate on running an impeccable race. At Spa, we want to rectify the unfortunate race at Silverstone. In the past years, Spa was a very good track for us.”
In all, the Spa race tomorrow, 3rd May should prove an interesting battle between the three teams despite being so early on in the season, each of them are putting their all into every race. At the time of writing, the Toyota TS040 Hybrids are leading in terms of speed and qualifying, with Porsche hot on their heels only seconds slower with Audi following in third. However, over the course of a six hour race, anything can happen…
As with all FIA World Endurance Championship races, the event will be broadcast live on the official WEC website: http://live.fiawec.com/
Source; Audi & Porsche
