Le Mans week has begun and LeSports by Eurasia Motorsport is primed and ready for its maiden 24 Heures du Mans at the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe in France’s Loire Valley (18-19 June).
LeSports by Eurasia Motorsport’s crew has already completed hundreds of practice pit stops, strategy is being discussed and weather forecasts analysed at Circuit de la Sarthe, while the team’s drivers are being kept busy with an array of off-track obligations, including photoshoots, media interviews and press conferences, as well as autograph sessions and the traditional parade through the centre of Le Mans.
The start of Le Mans week marks the beginning of an important chapter in Eurasia Motorsport’s history and its entry for the 24 Hours is the culmination of over a decade of hard work and success.
The all-Asian team has been striving for a place in the mythical French endurance classic for some time, winning 40-plus championship titles over the course of a decade of competition in Asian single-seaters, sportscars and prototypes before making a name for itself in Europe.
During that time, it has encountered and overcome every sporting and technical challenge, but the Le Mans 24 Hours is universally recognised as an entirely unique test that cannot be underestimated, so the LeSports-supported Eurasia Motorsport squad is leaving no stone unturned.
A season in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) alongside its Asian commitments gave LeSports by Eurasia Motorsport a good grounding and it served as an opportunity for the squad to measure itself against many of the teams who contest the twice-around-the-clock enduro.
The official Le Mans test two weeks ago (Sunday 5 June) affirmed LeSports by Eurasia’s strength and depth and marked it out as one to watch in the race proper, as competitive times from China’s Kevin Pu Jun Jin, Nick de Bruijn of the Netherlands and French racer Tristan Gommendy propelled the team to the top of the LMP2 timesheets.
Speaking from the 24 Hours of Le Mans paddock, LeSports by Eurasia Motorsport Team Principal, Mark Goddard, said: “When the lights go out at the start of the 84th 24 Hours of Le Mans it will be the culmination of a dream that startd back in 2013 when Asian Le Mans began. First we need to get through practice and qualifying over the next two days with the LeSports by Eurasia Motorsport Oreca 05 Nissan, but these are really exciting times!”
Free practice is scheduled to take place from 16.00 CET on Wednesday 15 June, with qualifying practice on Thursday 16 June at 19.00 and 22.00.
There will be a 45-minute morning warm-up at 9.00 before the 84th 24 Heures du Mans begins at its traditional 15.00 start time on Saturday 18 June, and more information on the television coverage in your region can be found on the www.lemans.org website.
