OAK Racing focus temporarily on LMP2
After a disappointing start to the season in the LMP1 class, the OAK Racing team decided to focus on LMP2 by entering two Morgan-Nissans for the rest of the season's FIA World Endurance Championship before returning to LMP1 for the Asian events. 24 Hours of Le Mans, The Le Mans based team fielded two LMP2 Morgans, the No.24 car with a Judd engine and the No.35 sister car with a Nissan engine. Now, OAK Racing will will rely 100% on Japanese power.
Recurring concerns of engine reliability have disrupted the smooth running of the team since the beginning of the season, which led them not to put all their eggs in one basket in La Sarthe. Retirement due to engine failure of the OAK Pescarolo-Judd No.15 in LMP1 and the Morgan-Judd No.24 with oil pump problems, sealed the fate of the British engine, at least temporarily. The LMP2 prototype powered by a Nissan finished the race in fourteenth place overall and seventh in its class.
As for the driver crews; No. 24 remains unchanged with Jacques Nicolet, the team owner, and very swift Lahaye and Olivier Pla, but the No.35 car will be reshuffled. Belgian driver Bertrand Baguette and Austrian Dominik Kraihamer go from the LMP1 to LMP2 class. They will be supported by Danish David Heinemeier-Hansson, present since the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the French team having entered three cars in the Belgian Ardennes in early May, prior to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Dane finished just off the podium for his first race in the Morgan.
Jacques Nicolet, Team Owner and driver of No.24 Morgan 2012 LMP2: “We are going to use the time away from the World Championship in LMP1 to re-discover the engine reliability that we have lacked since the start of the year. We are planning to return better equipped and more competitive in the premier class by the end of the season in Asia and thus begin to actively prepare for 2013.”
The OAK Racing team is also present in European Le Mans Series and recently won in the ELMS race at Donington. They will be on British territory again for the fourth round of the World Endurance Championship at Silverstone on the 26th of August 26th.
Dave Davies (quote from team press release)
Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HEURES DU MANS, THURSDAY JUNE 14TH 2012, QUALIFYING.