LMS: Charouz to debut LMP1 prototype powered by Aston Martin
Charouz Racing System is ready to make the racing debut of its brand new, closed-cockpit LMP1 prototype powered by Aston Martin. On the 6th April, Jan Charouz and Stefan Mücke will race the car in the opening 1000 km race of the Le Mans Series at Barcelona to mark the beginning of a full season of endurance racing, which will include the legendary Le Mans 24 Hour race itself.
Although the new car has completed comparatively limited mileage prior to its first race, testing at Snetterton in the UK and at the Paul Ricard H.T.T.T. track in Le Castellet, southern France has gone smoothly and without major issues. The whole team is looking forward to making a competitive debut at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Tomas Enge joined Jan Charouz and Stefan Mücke behind the wheel of the car during the pre-season tests and will join them again for the 24-hour race at Le Mans. However, for the Le Mans Series, Enge has a different agenda as he will contest the whole championship in the GT1 class. Enge and Spaniard, Antonio Garcia, will share the Aston Martin DBR9 of Team Modena.
The entry list for the Le Mans Series is stronger than ever before and the opening race at Barcelona will see 49 cars line up on the starting grid, a record 31 of which are prototypes (16 LMP1, 15 LMP2). The race is broadcast live on Eurosport.
Jan Charouz: “I think that it will be a great moment for us in Barcelona. Cooperation with the names like Aston Martin Racing and Prodrive seems to be very promising. It will be the first time we have tried the car in competition, so I prefer to be a bit cautious but I believe that we will not fail. I would like to think we can be right at the top among the petrol powered cars and there is a big question mark for me how we will stand against the diesels. I can not wait.”
Stefan Mücke: “Any first race always brings a special joy for me. However, waiting for the first race is really special this year because our team is going to use the brand new car. I think that it will be very interesting and exciting for everyone to see how the car will be competitive against all the other petrol and also diesel prototypes. I know the Catalan track thanks to the DTM race in 2006 but we used the shorter version of the venue. My first task will therefore be to learn the full version. I hope that we will be the best petrol car in the race.”
Antonin Charouz, Team principal: “I am curious to see how we will do in the first race. It will be a big debut for us, the Aston Martin powered LMP1 prototype is a brand new car. The testing has gone without any major problems and I obviously hope that the car will also run well in the race. I believe that we will be competitive soon.”
George Howard-Chappell, Aston Martin Racing Technical director: ”We are very much looking forward to the start of the 2008 season and going racing once again. However, we need to be realistic about our expectations as the project started only a matter of weeks ago and this has meant that we have had very little time to test and develop the car. Testing to date has been good and Jan and Stefan have driven very well so far, and have reported that the car and engine are working to a high level. That said, 1000 km is a long race and we need to have an open mind about things this early in the season.”