After an intensive testing programme that
has seen the factory development car run at Motorland Aragon, Spa-Francorchamps
and Paul Ricard, this was the first opportunity for Team LNT to run both
full-season Ginetta AERs and to measure their progress in race trim agains the
teams, cars and drivers that will form the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance
Championship grid.
The test ended,
after four track sessions of four hours with the whole LMP1 field closer than
ever before. The #6 Ginetta AER, in the hands of Formula 2 star Luca Ghiotto
posted a 1:29.697 to put Team LNT fourth-fastest overall in the test, with much
more to come from the car.
The sister #5 car,
meanwhile, posted a best time of 1:30.329 in the hands of Ginetta Factory
Driver Charlie Robertson.
Almost 1,200km was
covered across the pair of Ginetta AERs, with invaluable data gathered and a
mass of expert feedback, too, from the array of talent assembled for the test
by Team LNT.
A total of eight
drivers cycled through both cars, with Ghiotto and Robertson joined by
Ginetta’s Mike Simpson, 2003 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Guy Smith, ex-Peugeot and
Toyota LMP1 factory driver Stephane Sarrazin, WEC overall race winner Mathias
Beche, Le Mans 24 Hours LMP2 class winner Stephane Richelmi and young Russian
Egor Orudzhev – the only driver to outqualify a Toyota Hybrid driver in a
non-hybrid LMP1.
Ginetta Chairman Lawrence
Tomlinson said: “I’m delighted with
the test, and that we have been able to publicly display what we have known
very clearly all along: that the car is capable of competing with and beating
the very best in the business.
“Now we need to go
back to base, look at what we have learned and plan for Silverstone.
“We’ll make our plans clear in due course as regards both the driving squads,
and what to expect from this effort for the season. Expect some surprises, and
expect too that this will not be presented to the public as any other LMP1 team
has previously – we intend to reward the fans’ passion.”
“I’d like to
personally thank Sam and Stuart Cox and their excellent Algarve Pro Racing team
for supporting Team LNT at the Prologue – assisting the transition to a two-car
LMP1 effort for the first time.”
