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LMS round 1 - Barcelona 1000 kms. 6 April

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  • LMS round 1 - Barcelona 1000 kms. 6 April

    More to follow...
    Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

  • #2
    Preview

    Snoras Spyker Squadron ready for first Le Mans Series round, April 2 2008

    This weekend, after completing earlier pre-season tests in Portugal and France, SNORAS Spyker Squadron is ready to kick-off it’s 2008 motor sport season. The team will compete this weekend in the first race of the five round Le Mans Series.
    The Le Mans Series will start the season this weekend with a packed season entry list, close to its maximum allowance of 50 cars in Barcelona, Spain. The Spanish round will be followed by Monza, Italy, in just three weeks before the teams head for Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, in the second week of May. The last two rounds will be held after the famous 24-Hours of Le Mans; the Nurburgring, Germany, 1000 km race will be organised mid-August and the last round, Silverstone, United Kingdom, mid-September.
    Like previous years the team will also compete in the most famous and grueling race of the year; the 24-Hours of Le Mans, held mid-June. New this year is a one-off ACO event in Asia: the 1000 km of Shanghai, China. This Asian race will be the season finale for the Dutch team.
    Based on the experience and knowledge gained over the last two seasons with the C8 Spyder the Dutch team have built two brand new cars over the course of the winter with all the latest developments and technology aboard. The Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R replaces the successful C8 Spyder, the first Spyker that earned podium positions for the Dutch manufacturer of exclusive sports cars in the international GT arena. The new Laviolette GT2-R has been built from the ground up around a new, much stiffer, aluminium chassis with upgraded suspension, data acquisition, electrical harnesses and fuel tank. Also the dashboard layout, engine components and motor management system have been upgraded to the highest standards and off course the aerodynamics of the car have been further improved.
    The total package results in a new platform to engage the GT2 competition at the highest
    level thinkable.
    The new Laviolette GT2-R was presented to the press last month at the International Geneva Motor Show where Spyker Squadron also welcomed Lithuanian SNORAS Bank as its title sponsor for the upcoming season. At the same time Spyker Squadron again signed a partnership with Alexandre Pesci, owner of Swiss Spyker dealer team Speedy Racing. Speedy racing is again partnered by LEMO Connectors and welcomes Rebellion Horlogerie as one of its latest sponsors. The partnership of Lithuanian SNORAS Bank and the continued support of Alexandre Pesci helped to accelerate the team’s 2008 plans.
    The team worked hard to finalize the cars for the first event. Last Monday Squadron completed a successful shakedown before the cars went on transport to Barcelona on Tuesday.
    Peter van Erp, Managing Director Spyker Squadron: “I am very excited and pleased with the newly build cars; they are really the next generation of Spyker GT race cars. In preparation of our first race this season this weekend we have missed valuable track time but we have to take that for granted. Our goal for the weekend is to work towards a setup that matches at least the highest performance level reached with the C8 Spyder, the Laviolette’s predecessor. From there we should be able to gradually improve times and performance for the next events”.
    Peter continues: “Our number 85 car will be driven by Alexey Vasiliev (RUS), Ralf Kelleners (GER) and Peter Dumbreck (GBR). Peter Dumbreck is well known to the team. He has lots of experience with the car and I am happy that he joins us for another season. I am also very pleased with the arrival of Ralf. Ralf brings lots of race experience but he is also one of those drivers that is technically underwritten and he can help us to translate the car’s behavior on track to the mechanics that develop and setup the car. Alexey is also new to the team and I am looking forward to work with him. He tested the car earlier this year in Estoril and we will support him to quickly find the right pace in the new Laviolette”.
    The second car, the number 94, will be piloted by Andrea Chiesa (SUI) and Benjamin Leuenberger (SUI). Peter van Erp: “Chiesa is our second Spyker regular. He knows the team and car very well and is a very keen driver. Based on his experience I expect him to reach a new level of performance. Benjamin has tested a Spyker in 2007 and also drove the C8 Spyder at Paul Ricard last month. I was surprised by his calmness and professional approach and suspect he will perform well”.
    Victor Muller, CEO Spyker Cars: “We are truly excited to kick off the Le Mans Series season with such a great title sponsor, Snoras Bank, and co-sponsors. The driver line-up is very professional and promising and we are confident that the massive efforts that Peter van Erp and his team have put into the new 2008 Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R will pay off. More than ever before are we battling for podium places in the most competitive field that GT2 racing has seen in years. We are looking forward to an exciting and sportive season”.
    Two one-hour free practice sessions are planned for Friday and a third one is scheduled for Saturday morning. In the afternoon the GT1 and GT2 cars will jointly qualify in a 20 minute session. The 1000 km or six hour race will start on Sunday at 11:35 CET and will be aired live by MotorsTV. New this year is a broadcasting agreement between Eurosport and the LMS. With its three channels over 110 millions homes can be reached worldwide.

    Source: Spyker Squadron
    Last edited by Laviolette GT2R; 24-04-2008, 23:04.
    Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

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    • #3
      Free Practice

      SNORAS Spyker Squadron Barcelona Free Practice report, April 4 2008

      SNORAS Spyker Squadron had its first outing today at the track of Barcelona, Spain, home to the Spanish Grand Prix round. After earlier races in Jarama and Valencia it is the third time the Le Mans Series returns to Spain.

      The mechanics spent a lot of time yesterday working on the final preparations for today’s technical and administrative checks and the two one-hour free practice sessions. In the morning session the mechanics spent the majority of time checking all the electrical systems and the car completed a few un-timed installation laps without too much problems.

      Peter van Erp, Managing Director Spyker Squadron: “We have had a short night and a tough day. A completely new car always brings some extra tensions but I must admit that everything went fine today. In the first training we had some smaller problems such as electrical signals that did not come trough but that is normal for a brand new car and most of the problems were solved in time for the second training. In the second session we gradually increased pace and to be honest I was amazed by the amount of laps completed but also our pace. Mechanically the car felt very stable right from the begin but we need to spent some time on an understeer problem. In our debrief we discussed some possible solutions that will be tested in the third and last free practice session. I would like to compliment the team: they have worked really hard and the atmosphere is excellent. The 2008 season has started!”

      Ralf Kelleners: “I have been driving in GT2 cars such as the Ferrari 430’s and Porsche 997’s before but for me it was the first time driving the C8 Laviolette. In the first session we worked on checking all the new systems and electronics. That takes quite a lot of time but always has to done with a brand new car. In the second session we started working on the race setup and slowly increased pace. The team is great to work with. Although there was quite a bit of work to complete today they always keep their cool and solve the problems the best way possible”.

      Peter Dumbreck: “By the fact that this is the roll-out of the car today I am quite satisfied with our times today. Considering that this is the first time the car turns the wheels you can always expect problems and I am happy that we only found a few that could be easily fixed without too much loss of time. If we can find 2 more seconds, solving the understeer problem, this would be fantastic but most important of all would be to keep driving without running into trouble and finish the race this Sunday”.

      Source: Spyker Squadron

      2008_Le_Mans_series_04-04-08_free_practice_1_cat[1].pdf

      2008_Le_Mans_series_04-04-08_free_practice_2_cat.pdf

      2008_Le_Mans_series_05-04-08_free_practice_3_cat.pdf

      Source: RIS Time Keeping Team
      Last edited by Laviolette GT2R; 24-04-2008, 23:05.
      Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

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      • #4
        Qualifying

        SNORAS Spyker Squadron Barcelona qualifying report, April 5 2008

        The 1000 km of Catalunya has all the ingredients to become the most spectacular ‘season opener’ in the short Le Mans Series history. 13 GT2 car’s, amongst them Ferrari’s, Porsche’s and an Aston Martin, will appear on the grid tomorrow for the first race this season. That the series’ popularity is on the rise could be easily confirmed today; the paddock was crowded with fans that gathered at the Spanish F1 track to get a glimpse of their favorite team or driver.

        In Mediterranean (sunny) conditions SNORAS Spyker Squadron qualified this afternoon for tomorrow’s race. The first Spyker that went out in the 20 minute GT qualifying session was the number 94 car with Swiss Andrea Chiesa behind the wheel. In his first flying lap he set a quickest time of 1:50.953 good for an 8th place in the competitive GT2 field.

        Andrea Chiesa: “Although we completed only 9 laps I was able to set my quickest time right at the beginning. We had a bit of oversteer in the middle of some corners and the team tried to solve the problem by adding a bit more rear wing. After two or three laps it became clear that we could not improve times as the tires were at bit degraded and already lost their optimum performance level. After the wing modification the car felt a bit more stable and balanced which will be important in the long race tomorrow. I am happy with our achieved results this weekend. There are still some small problems but we should not forget that the car just turned its wheels for the first time”.

        The other car, the number 85 was parked in the pit as the mechanics had to solve a small electrical problem, before Scotsman Peter Dumbreck could go out for a quick lap.

        Peter Dumbreck: “It was not a smooth running session for us. Because of an electrical problem we started with only a few minutes left in the qualifying session and could only complete one flying lap with the #85. On the positive side the lap was a second quicker than our quickest time so far this weekend. We are still moving forward and I feel that there is still a lot more to come”.

        Peter van Erp, Managing Director Spyker Squadron: “We have made a lot of progression so far. Yesterday we evaluated the practice sessions with the drivers and mechanics. In the meeting we agreed on a set of changes for each car and this morning, in the third and last free-practice session, it turned out that the changes on the 94 car were quite good. We had the cars setup in the same configuration for qualifying this afternoon and this accidently resulted into both cars setting exactly the same time (1:50.953) in the qualifying session”.

        As both cars qualified with exactly the same time the car that claimed this time first will start in front of the other. This results in an eight qualifying time for Andrea Chiesa in the 94 car and a 9th place for Peter Dumbreck with the number 85. Both drivers will also start the race which will start tomorrow at 11:35 CET and can be seen live on MotorsTV.

        Source: Spyker Squadron

        2008_Le_Mans_series_05-04-08_qualifying_cat.pdf

        Source: RIS Time Keeping Team
        Last edited by Laviolette GT2R; 24-04-2008, 23:06.
        Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

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        • #5
          Warm up

          SNORAS Spyker Squadron Barcelona warm up, April 6 2008

          lmswarm.pdf

          Source: RIS Time Keeping Team
          Last edited by Laviolette GT2R; 24-04-2008, 23:06.
          Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

          Comment


          • #6
            Race

            SNORAS Spyker Squadron Barcelona race report after 2 hours of racing, April 6 2008

            After two hours of racing in the first race of the season the start proofs to be tough on the Dutch team. Although the number 85 Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R runs well in a sixth position the other car, the number 94 driven by Andrea Chiesa and Benjamin Leuenberger, is out of the race. For some reason the car entered under the Swiss Speedy Racing banner lost its wheel in the lap towards the grid and got stuck in the gravel trap before the race started. Fortunately Andrea could quickly return to the pitbox where the team fixed the damaged parts and Chiesa could return to the track 4 laps in the race.A while later, after 45 minutes of racing, Andrea called the team over the radio to let them know that he had to return to the pit box. The mechanics examined the car and found a problem with the exhaust and had to retire the car.Andrea Chiesa: “What can I say, the mechanics did a great job and they did their utmost to prepare the car for the race. I can not blame them that we lost the wheel. We knew the race would be difficult and in the race the car was a bit more challenging to drive then in qualifying yesterday. It is sad that we could not fix the problem so Benjamin could spent some time in the car as well. I am looking forward to the next race”.The other car runs smoothly. Peter Dumbreck started the race and returned to the pit for new tires and fuel after 50 minutes. Ralf Kelleners took over from there and could maintain Peter’s sixth position. Currently Alexey Vasiliev is in the car and runs in a fifth position.


            SNORAS Spyker Squadron Barcelona race report after 4 hours of racing, April 6 2008

            So far Barcelona proofs to be a very spectacular season opener. In all classes we have seen fierce fights and the battle is by far over. After 3 hours and 30 minutes in the race Alexey Vasiliev returend the car to the pitlane in a 5th position.Alexey: “It was a tough drive as we still have some understeer. The traffic is okay. Some of the Le Mans Prototypes (LMP’s) are really fast compared to the GT2’s and visibility backwards is not always good. In some cases you would only notice that one is trying to pass when the car is already driving next to you”.After the car was refueled and new tires were fit Scotsman Dumbreck returned to the track in a sixth position but was immediately passed by a Ferrari 430. With warm tires he fought his way back to the front and is currently again running in a fifth position with a 43 seconds advantage over the number six.


            SNORAS Spyker Squadron Barcelona race report, April 6 2008

            SNORAS Spyker Squadron completed its first race of the season today: the Le Mans Series 1000 km of Catalunya. It turned out to be a day of extremes for the Dutch; one car retired early in the race due to technical problems while the other car managed to finish in a fifth position - better than the team could wish for. After all the car turned its wheels for the first time this weekend and many small problems had to be resolved. The day kicked-off with a 20 minute warm-up session where the mechanics finalised the race-setup of both cars. Just like the last few days it promised to be another sunny day in Barcelona and thousands of spectators filled the paddock ready for the autograph session or the pitwalk.Just after 11 o’clock the engines were started and the cars left the pit lane towards the grid for the start procedure. Two cars were entered in today’s race; the first one, number 85, was driven by Alexey Vasiliev (RUS), Ralf Kelleners (GER) and Peter Dumbreck (GBR) and the number 94 car will be piloted this season by Andrea Chiesa (SUI) and Benjamin Leuenberger (SUI). For some reason the car entered under the Swiss Speedy Racing banner lost its wheel on the way to the grid and got stuck in the gravel trap. With the help of the organisation the team managed to quickly get the car back to parc ferme and fortunately the car was not badly damaged. Four laps later Andrea Chiesa could join the field to be retired almost an hour later with a broken exhaust pipe.Andrea Chiesa: “What can I say, the mechanics did a great job and they did their utmost to prepare the car for today’s race - I can not blame them that we lost the wheel. We have a brand new car and knew the race would be difficult. In the race the car was a bit more challenging to drive then in qualifying yesterday. It is sad that we could not fix the problem so Benjamin could spent some time in the car as well.”In the meanwhile the other car ran like a swiss made clock and performed well. It gradually moved forward on the grid although it happened several times that the car ran in fifth position and returned in seventh after completing a pitstop. But in the end the team pulled it together a managed to win valuable seconds. After almost six hours of racing the number 85 Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R crossed the finish line in a fifth position.Peter van Erp, Managing Director Spyker Squadron: “I could not have dreamed of this result the last few days when we were still finalizing the cars - I am very pleased with our fifth place although it is a pity that the other car could not finish the race. It was simply not possible to fix the exhaust. There were quite a few accidents especially in the last and curve part of the track where the difference in speed between the LMP’s and GT’s was huge and mistakes were easily made. We try to return to return to Zeewolde as quickly as possible, Le Mans is approaching fast and there is plenty to do!”Victor Muller, CEO Spyker Cars: “This is a very good start of the season. Although we need to find a few more seconds the car is without doubt competitive and I am sure that Peter and his team will find the missing seconds in the next months to come. It is sad that the other car did not finish, bad luck, there is nothing you can do about it.”Peter Dumbreck: “I think our end-result was a good result. We brought the car back in one piece although I had a Porsche hit me. He just lost control at the end of the straight. On the way trough he hit my car right on the side but we got away lucky with that. After the collision it was just a case of keep consistent and make sure we got to the end and I think all three of us drove well to do that. It is a good base point and from here we need to work on improving the car and try to go to the podium”.Alexey Vasiliev: “It was a new experience for me. The car was great and easy to learn although we had some understeer problems. It was quite an achievement to get the car ready in time for the race and I think we can solve some of the smaller problems before our next race in Italy in three weeks time”.Ralf Kelleners: To build a car from scratch, go straight into a 1000 km race, and finish the race, is really really great. It is something that big manufacturers such as Porsche dream of and we have just done it. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to test before this event so we have to improve during the season and work towards better lap times. Obviously our fifth place is already very good and I am looking forward to the next race”.The next round of the Le Mans Series will be held at Monza, Italy, the 27th of April.

            Source: Spyker Squadron

            lmsrace.pdf

            Source: RIS Time Keeping Team
            Last edited by Laviolette GT2R; 24-04-2008, 23:08.
            Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

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            • #7
              Gallery

              Gallery | Spykercars

              Source: Spyker squadron

              For more Laviolette GT2R pictures, take a look at the folowing thread: http://www.spykerowner.com/forum/rac...-pictures.html
              Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

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              • #8
                Some thougths about the race

                The new drivers:

                Ralf kelleners did a great job: very consistent and on the pace with Peter Dumbreck, a Squadron regular. Very impressive performance!
                Alexei Vasiliev is the other new Squadron driver: Less experienced than both Peter Dumbreck and Ralf kelleners. Where as Ralf kelleners was instantly on the pace, Alexei Vasiliev was not. He lost 4 to 5 seconds a lap and seems to need a little bit more time to get more comfortable with the Spyker.

                Benjamin Leuenberger is sharing the Speedy Racing Team Spyker with Andrea Chiesa, who drove for Speedy last year also. Quick driver, on par with Andrea Chiesa.
                I think that Speedy Racing Team could have the better line-up as a whole.


                The Spyker Squadron pitcrew:

                From all the cars that finished the race, the Squadron #85 Spyker spent the least time in the pits. I think that's a fantastic achievement from the crew, who had to work almost around the clock to get the new Laviolette GT2R on the grid in the first place.

                WELL DONE BYS!
                Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Laviolette GT2R View Post
                  I think that Speedy Racing Team could have the better line-up as a whole.
                  Could or could not?
                  Rijk

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                  • #10
                    I meant to say that Speedy Racing Team probably has the better line-up.
                    Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

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                    • #11
                      Got it. Sloppy reading again
                      Rijk

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                      • #12
                        Thanks for posting all the info

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Le Mans Series 2008 Race 1 - Barcelona Statistics

                          For the Statistics die-hards: Le Mans Series

                          Choose the last one: 1000km de Catalunya-Timing.pdf
                          Winning on sunday, selling on monday!

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