My job throughout the season is to support the teams with any technical information such as assistance with setting up the cars for the circuit and generally getting the best out of their car.
There is also a troubleshooting element to my role. With endurance sports car racing also being about reliability I will also be on hand to assist with any mechanical issues that may crop up during the weekend. Quite often the teams will have questions on parts installation, particularly if we have significant updates, which for Lola is usually every season. They get a detailed manual from Lola but to have a point of contact at the track every time the car turns a wheel is a vital part of Lola’s customer service. As well as myself we will have a dedicated spare parts truck, specially seconded Lola design engineers with the teams and also roving engineers who go from team to team, essentially liaising with them to ensure there are solutions to any issues.
At Paul Ricard this week I was on hand to oversee the 2010 develop updates ran smoothly, which I am delighted to say they did. It was very windy and very cold so how representative the teams set up work is when we go back to Ricard next month is difficult to tell. Getting the tyre temperatures and also getting consistency of runs due to the strong winds was a little frustrating but all of the driver’s comments were very positive with regards to the aero feel of the Lola’s 2010 updates and that is very pleasing.
For most of the teams, the Monday was the better day in terms of conditions and most of our teams were concentrating on making new drivers comfortable in the car. Guys such as Marco Andretti and Guy Smith for Rebellion Racing were getting used to the car for the first time.
2010 is set to be a fantastic year of racing. The great thing about Lola in LMP racing is the sheer variety of teams, engines and even tyres that our cars run with. This year we have Aston Martin V12, Judd V10 and Honda V8 power in our cars using Michelin, Dunlop and Pirelli rubber. As I lead the design and the design team on the LMP project it is pleasing to see that we have this variety and adaptability in the product.
The RML team, who have been a Lola customer since 2004, have a new engine (HPD) and new tyres (Dunlop) and had a really strong test at Ricard this week. Andy Wallace has re-joined them and he was very happy with the way things went.
Having Mario Andretti and Alain Prost in the Rebellion Racing garage at Paul Ricard was terrific. While they didn’t get directly involved with the engineering their experience rubs off just in conversation with them. Mario is a huge Lola legend having won the CART title in 1984 with a Lola design. He was very happy to see his grandson become the third generation Andretti to drive a Lola!
When I got back to the factory on Tuesday, I immediately did an event report and inform the whole team of how the test went. The guys back at the factory are very passionate about seeing their creations succeed and this great start to the season was just the launch pad we are looking for ahead of the first race next month at Ricard. While we all can’t wait for that weekend to arrive, we are now working hard to find even more performance for our customers for this season and as soon as the 2011 regulations are finalised, for next season. The development never stops.
Entries (RSS)
Good to see that Andy Wallace rejoined the team Interesting post – many thanks. And thanks for helping them to get the best out of their cars!