OAK Racing aiming to finish on a Shang-high note
The OAK Racing team, which runs in the distinctive Gulf Oil International racing colours, has the distinction of entries in both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes for the 6 Hours of Shanghai, the final round of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The LMP1 No.15 OAK Pescarolo-Honda of Bertrand Baguette, Dominik Kraihamer and Takuma Sato returned to competition for the recent 6 Hours of Fuji after a three-race absence. The car proved to be fast but a little fragile in Japan, and the need for a new starter motor dropped it down the final finishing order. The French team is hoping to bridge the gap between its LMP1 car and the other Privateer teams in the category.
Its No.24 Morgan-Nissan LMP2 entry has finished on the FIA WEC podium three times, at the 12 Hours of Sebring, 6 Hours of São Paulo and Fuji, and comes into the Chinese race immediately after clinching second overall in the ELMS standings at Petit Le Mans in the USA last weekend. Capping such a strong end to the year with victory in China is now the priority for team owner and silver grade driver Jacques Nicolet together with his team-mates Matthieu Lahaye and Olivier Pla.
Sébastien Philippe, Team Principal: “Shanghai is our last race of the season and, after the mad rush of the last three weeks, we are really hoping to finish on a high note. We made much progress and learnt a great deal about the OAK-HPD LM P1 in Fuji so should be able to make good use of the data gathered in our fight against the private teams. On the other side of the garage we have proven the pace of our Morgan 2012 LM P2 on several occasions this year with podiums, pole positions and fastest race laps. Unfortunately we have not yet fully capitalised on those opportunities. The team really deserves a victory and that’s something we will be doing our best to achieve this weekend.”
Olivier Pla, No.24 Morgan-Nissan 2012 LMP2: “Like the majority of teams we have no experience of the Shanghai circuit. It’s quite a traditional layout featuring sections of tight corners and others that are very fast. We have always been there or thereabouts in terms of performance, and the recent pole position achieved at Petit Le Mans is further proof of it, so in that regard things shouldn’t change. We just need a little bit more reliability. This is the final race so it’s very important that we finish the season strongly.”
Bertrand Baguette, No.15 OAK-Pescarolo HPD LMP1: “Shanghai is a new circuit waiting to be discovered and one that I’ve had to learn virtually. The first corner in particular is unique and features a big stopping distance and long braking zone, which requires good stability and brake balance. But there is also a very fast section where we will require both downforce and top-end speed, so finding a good compromise and set-up will be vital. Ideally we would like to demonstrate that the car and its new package is efficient and able to get closer to the other private LM P1 teams.”
Fiona Miller (quotes from OAK Racing team press release)
Photo: OYAMA-CHO (SHINOZUKA PREFECTURE, JAPAN), FUJI INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY, 6 HOURS OF FUJI, SUNDAY, 14TH OCTOBER 2012.
