The Oreca Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in the game !

fter an overwhelming crowd greeted them during the traditional “Pesage,” the Team ORECA-Matmut Peugeot 908 HDi FAP took to the track this Wednesday during the free practice session and first qualifying session of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the end of the day, Olivier Panis, Nicolas Lapierre and Loïc Duval confirmed their speed abord the Lion as they signed the fourth fastest time behind three Peugeot HDi FAP and ahead of three Audi R15 plus.

The Team ORECA-Matmut, who had prepared for the twice round the clock event at the Castellet and Spa, discovered the Le Mans circuit with their Peugeot. The three drivers took turns during free practice to get their bearings: after Olivier Panis, who turned the first laps, and Nicolas Lapierre, it was Loïc Duval who took over the controls. The Chartres native didn’t waste any time to show that he is at ease in the car, provisionally placing the 908 HDi FAP at the top of the time sheets. Ultimately, the No. 4 would conclude the session in third place.

“As always during practice, we worked with the race setup in mind: on fuel usage and tyre wear,” said Loïc. “Olivier brought a change in setup at the beginning of the session and this modification has been beneficial. The car’s handling is already good. It’s a great joy to be behind the wheel. The Peugeot is really fabulous to drive on this track!”

After a two hour break, the 56 competitors retook the track for the first of three qualifying sessions. Nicolas completed the first few laps, establishing the best provisional time at 2:21.192, more than a second faster than the 2009 pole time! Unfortunately, the driver of the No.4, with no working radio, ran out of fuel on his in-lap. A frustrating end to the session, confirms Hugues de Chaunac: “We are disappointed because the front row was attainable. The level of performance is there: third in practice and fourth after the first qualifying session. Those are the positives of this Wednesday. We are in the fight, ahead of the three Audi R15 plus.”

Nicolas agreed with his boss: “The car was really great! I had a lot of traffic in the first two laps, then less. It’s too bad because I think we have the car to fight for the pole position. The most important is that Olivier, Loïc and I are in the same rhythm. We are in it.”

The Team ORECA-Matmut will continue to fine tune its performance during the last two qualifying sessions tonight.