Manor's second ORECA LMP2 car shaken down
Manor has taken delivery of its second ORECA 05-Nissan LMP2 car which it will ready for the Silverstone WEC opener on April 17. The un-raced chassis, which was a second car purchased by the KCMG team last season, was shaken down at Rockingham.
“Yes, we have received the second car which was being worked on at ORECA’s base just down the road from Paul Ricard,” Manor Team Principal Graeme Lowdon told Motorsport.com “That was really handy. A lot of things have fallen into place for us and we have now moved in to our new facility at Silverstone (the Innovation Centre). In a few days' time we will have a bona fide home race to start a new era.”
Manor accepted by ‘human’ WEC paddock
Lowdon has lauded the FIA WEC paddock for its sporting and convivial nature after he brought his and John Booth’s team to the championship, beginning at Circuit Paul Ricard's Prologue test.
“We have really enjoyed getting back to racing, or at least testing to get back to racing,” said Lowdon. “The welcome we have received from within the paddock has been fantastic really. We have been accepted straight away by our neighbours. To come to a human series like WEC, which is all about racing, pure racing, is really refreshing and it's satisfying to know we are going to really enjoy the sport again.”
Lowdon evaluated the test as a success with one of the ORECA 05-Nissan LMP2 cars, saying: “We ticked many boxes, the team and drivers have all gelled well. There are a lot of firsts still to be met, and we have a growing confidence in everything we are doing this year. We will build a team to be proud of, but we are under no illusions. The competition is mighty and if we continue to work in a good step by step way, like we did at The Prologue, then we can be confident of having some strong races and then hopefully the results will come.”
Sam Smith
