JRM hoping to regain ground in points chase at Bahrain
Photo: DPPI media
Several teams in this weekend’s 6 Hours of Bahrain will be benefitting from the Formula One Grand Prix experience of one or more of its drivers. JRM Racing is no exception to this with Karun Chandhok amongst its driver line up. Despite this being the LMP1 team’s first visit to Bahrain, the Indian driver and his team mates David Brabham and Peter Dumbreck are anxious to take to the track and show what they can do. JRM is seeking to regain ground in the privateers’ championship; it currently lies in third place, six points behind Strakka Racing.
The privateer LMP1 entrants had a competitive showing at the 6 Hours of São Paulo two weeks ago, although their race result was compromised at half distance when the No. 22 HPD ARX-03a developed a software glitch under the first safety car period and lost 12 laps. The team is now determined to look forward and profit from the data gathered at a hot-weather test carried out in Aragon, Spain in August.
Nigel Stepney, Team Manager and Chief Engineer, JRM: “We have also worked very hard on understanding the fuel consumption and tyre wear of the HPD. The hot weather test we did in Aragon should help a lot in this respect as the temperatures we will experience in Bahrain will be very similar. We have also run an additional day in the simulator to get a head start during practice. There are of course some variables when we get to the track, such as the sand and dirt from the desert, but this extra preparation will allow us to factor in these unknowns and build up a bank of information to put into practice in the race on Saturday.”
Karun Chandhok, No.22 JRM Racing HPD ARX 03a: “I've raced in Bahrain many times in the past in GP2 and F1 and have always been pretty competitive, having started on the front row twice in GP2. It will certainly be interesting to go back with the LMP1 car particularly in traffic in the races with the dust off-line. The circuit is totally different to all the others we've been to thus far in the WEC. There's a lot of emphasis on braking with five big braking zones from high speeds. The long straights mean that you have to consider reducing some downforce, but on the flip side, the high temperatures mean any additional downforce will help with tyre wear."
Fiona Miller
Photo: AUTODROMO JOSE CARLOS PACE (INTERLAGOS, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL) 6 HOURS OF SAO PAULO, FRIDAY, 14TH SEPTEMBER, PRACTICE. Karun Chandhok (in helmet) discusses the No.22 HPD ARX 03a's handling with David Brabham (centre) and Peter Dumbreck.