Van Merksteijn Motorsport fastest in LMP2 at Paul Ricard

Published on 05 March 2008 by Niels Hendrix

After two successful days of testing ten days ago at the circuit of Guadix in Spain, the team Van Merksteijn Motorsport by Equipe Verschuur now took part in the official two days test of the Le Mans Series at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France. Once again, the Porsche RS Spyder ran without any problems and drivers Jos Verstappen, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Peter van Merksteijn were able to rack up a lot of testing mileage. On both days, the team set the fastest lap time in the LMP2 prototype category, although it has to be kept in mind that not all teams entered for participation in the Le Mans Series were present at Paul Ricard. Nevertheless, all team members were very happy with the outcome of the test and are quite positive for the season-opening race, which will be taking place at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona on April 6.

On the opening day, the Porsche RS Spyder run by "Van Merksteijn Motorsport by Equipe Verschuur" was the fastest car in the LMP2 category both in the morning and in the afternoon sessions. However, the teams emphasis was not on setting fast lap times, as getting more experience with the new car and trying out different set-up configurations was the main goal of this test. In the evening, the team simulated a complete race distance of 1000 kilometres including pit stops for tyre and driver changes and this test went without any problems as well.
On the second day, testing activities resumed in the daylight, the three drivers getting once more the opportunity to rack up mileage. Eventually, the Van Merksteijn Motorsport team concluded the test with the fastest lap time in the LMP2 category of 1.43.820 minutes at the 5.791 kilometres long circuit.

Jos Verstappen: "It is all running like clockwork! We didn't have any problems with the car at all, it just keeps on running and running. Lap times are really satisfying as well and on the long distance, the Porsche keeps on running fine. Driving in the dark was an entirely new experience for me. It takes a few laps to get used to it, but after that, it went fine and I felt totally comfortable. I did two stints in a row and I could have done one more just like that. This car is just so great to drive, you don't get tired at all. Great!"

Jeroen Bleekemolen: "Everything went very well, especially on the second day, on which we came within about one second from the faster LMP1 cars, although lap times don t mean a lot in a test like this. On Sunday evening, we drove an entire race distance in the dark and that went perfectly as well. Driving in the dark is particularly difficult here, because you really can't see anything, which is very different from Le Mans, where the track is well lit. We all have learned a lot more about the car and we have been able to work on many details."

Peter van Merksteijn: "This test was fantastic again! I have been able to do a lot of driving and my feeling for the car is getting better and better every time. By thoroughly analyzing the data, I am able to improve myself fairly quickly, so that the difference between Jeroen and Jos and me becomes less. I am getting more and more confident and I am already looking forward to the first race!"

Gerard Grouve, team principal: "After Guadix, this test was also very positive, it all went fine. The car is 100 percent reliable and once again we got a lot of valuable support from Porsche. These two days were very important, especially the race simulation. After all, you don't get many opportunities to test in the dark and we made maximum use of it. Everything went like we had planned it and we have acquired a lot of valuable data."

Frans Verschuur, team manager: "We have been able to test a lot of things: different tyre compounds, set-up configurations, an endurance test, so we have completed our entire programme and we are now really confident going to Barcelona for the first race. The Porsche is fantastic, it is running like clockwork and just keeps on going, a great machine! All three drivers have been able to rack up a lot of mileage."

Niels Hendrix