Strakka Racing: 100% British

The British team Strakka, who won the the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010, has changed category for the 2012 season, entering an HPD ARX-03a in the LMP1 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. With an all British driver line-up, the team will show the Union Flag on its 'shark fin'.

This year, whilst outright victory is not out of the question, the team’s main aim is to challenge for the top petrol engined position as well as best privateer team. Indeed, after strong performances in the opening rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship (the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps), Strakka Racing is lying 2nd in the 2012 FIA Endurance Trophy for the best private LMP1 team.

Strakka will rely on his usual trio of British drivers. The experienced Jonny Kane will start and will be given the long runs at night for his ninth 24 Hours of Le Mans. He is joined by Danny Watts, always quick, and Nick Leventis, who have each raced 4 times at Le Mans.

The car that won the LMP2 class in 2010 is now in the Honda museum at Motegi, Japan. The ARX-01d prototype boasts a fifth place overall, the best place ever achieved by a car in the LMP2 class.

Danny Watts: “We go to Le Mans this year with a very competitive car, an experienced team and a lot of confidence. Le Mans is such a high-speed circuit, we’ll hit two hundred miles per hour four or five times each lap. To be successful you have to be consistent, so the pace doesn’t drop at night. At four o’clock in the morning and your body is in sleep mode, you rely a lot on adrenalin to keep you going – but if you lack half a second’s worth of concentration and crash into another car, drop a wheel onto the grass or hit a barrier, that’s it – the whole team effort has gone out of the window. The final stint of the race is very difficult. It’s Sunday afternoon, you’ve had very little sleep, your body’s all over the place physically and mentally – that’s the hardest part.”

Dave Davies. (Quote from team press release)

Photo: Alcaniz (ARAGON, SPAIN), CIRCUIT MOTORLAND ARAGON, Sunday, April 22, 2012. Strakka will carry the colours of the British flag at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.