The ORECA 03 teams ambitious for Petit Le Mans

ADR-Delta wins in Japan !

While ADR-Delta took the 6 Hours of Fuji win, Thiriet by TDS Racing and Murphy Prototypes will compete at Petit Le Mans on Saturday, the ALMS and European Le Mans Series finale.

The ORECA chassis is competiting on all fronts! Four ORECA 03 were on track this past weekend in Japan, for the seventh round of the World Endurance Championship. Already winners at the 6 Hours of Silverstone in August, ADR-Delta took another victory in the ORECA 03 with drivers John Martin, Tor Graves and Shinji Nakano. Now, all eyes are on America. At Road Atlanta, Thiriet by TDS Racing is racing for the European Le Mans Series championship, while Murphy Prototypes will also have high hopes for the LMP2 class.

In addition, six ORECA-FLM 09 are expected in the one-make LMPC class, one of the most hotly contested classes in the American Le Mans Series ! 6 Hours of Fuji : ADR-Delta victorious ! Coming very close to notching a pole position, ADR-Delta didn’t take long to take control of the LMP2 class. John Martin took only seven laps to take the lead in the No. 25 ORECA 03, before being relieved by teammates Shinji Nakano then Tor Graves. The British team then had a perfect race. Against tough competition, ADR-Delta took their second win of the season. « The guys did a fantastic job this weekend» explains John Martin. « I had a good start and the car’s race pace was simply incredible. I didn’t take long to take the lead and we actually kept that position for the rest of the race. We have the performance, we have a good team and we have a good car. We’re here to win at every race. Nothing is better than the feeling of being on that top podium step, so I’ll do everything possible to keep feeling that. » Thanks to this win, ADR-Delta is back in second place in the LMP2 championship, even with Pecom Racing. Fifteen days after their success at Bahrain, the Argentine team finished just off the podium in Japan with the ORECA 03 driven by Luis Perez Companc, Pierre Kaffer and Nicolas Minassian. The Signatech-Nissan team finished in the top ten with its two cars with the No. 26 signing the fastest LMP2 race lap with Nelson Panciatici at the controls. Petit Le Mans : Thiriet by TDS Racing hungry for the title…

Winners at the 6 Hours of the Castellet, second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and at the 6 Hours of Donington, Thiriet by TDS Racing heads to Petit Le Mans leading the European Le Mans Series championship. For the Swiss team’s first American race, the ORECA 03 will be driven by Pierre Thiriet, Mathias Bèche and Christophe Tinseau. « We are thrilled to be able to count on the same driving squad we had at Le Mans » underlines Xavier Combet, team manager. « With Christophe’s experience and his return to Mathias and Pierre’s sides, the team is hoping to make history by winning the ELMS championship in our second year. We’re hoping to add to the TDS Racing résumé after those garnered in Mégane Trophy ! »

Third in the 6 Hours of Spa and 6 Hours of Donington, Murphy Prototypes is looking to finish their first season in sportscars on a high note. Warren Hughes, Jody Firth and Brendon Hartley will share the Irish team’s ORECA 03. « I understand the style of racing is completely different than that of Europe so I’m excited to see what challenges we will face » admits Brendon Hartley, who will be making his first appearance in the USA. « The team and I have entered endurance racing relatively recently, but we’ve already had a few good results. We all think we have all the elements to take the win. » LMPC : Six ORECA-FLM 09 on track…

In addition to the European Le Mans Series’ finale, Petit Le Mans plays host to the American Le Mans Series last round. The LMPC (Le Mans Prototypes Challenge) will be represented by six ORECA-FLM 09. Although the titles are already decided - CORE Autosport winning the teams championship and Alex Popow the drivers championship – the race will be exciting to watch on the unique layout of Road Atlanta.

The LMPC class is one of the most hotly contested categories in the ALMS and the finale will be no different. Behind champions CORE Autosport, who are entering two cars, the battle is fierce for second place in the championship. Only 18 points separate RSR Racing, Merchant Services Racing, PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports and Dempsey Racing.

« We are going to see an exciting end of season » explains Hugues de Chaunac, president of Groupe ORECA. « With ADR-Delta and Pecom Racing, the ORECA has three wins in the last four races in the FIA World Endurance Championship, without forgetting te Signatech-Nissan team’s podiums… Today, Thiriet by TDS Racing is leading the European Le Mans Series title chase and it will all come down to Petit Le Mans, one of the best races. Murphy Prototypes also has a lot to play for. We will be following the action closely and ORECA will be present for this legendary race in which several ORECA-FLM 09 chassis will be running as well. We are very happy to see eight ORECA cars in the United States and we hope to see even more in the future. »

Source: ORECA