2009 1000 km of Spa

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

The #007 Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 which finished in third place

The 2009 1000 km of Spa was the second round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. It occurred at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on May 10, 2009. Several teams tested at Spa before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including eventual winners Team Peugeot and Team Essex Porsche, as well as the Jetalliance Racing Aston Martin. This is the 28th European Le Mans Series race since 2004.

The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP No. 7, driven by Nicolas Minassian, Simon Pagenaud, and Christian Klien, won the event less than thirty seconds ahead of their pursuer, the Pescarolo 01 No. 16, driven by Jean-Christophe Bouillon and Christophe Tinseau. In the LMP2 class, Xavier Pompidou in the Speedy Racing Team Sebah's Lola B08/80 No. 33 did not manage to catch up to Team Essex's Porsche RS Spyder Evo at the end of the race. The latter, driven by Casper Elgaard, Kristian Poulsen, and Emmanuel Collard, won by seven-tenths of a second.

In GT1, only three crews take the start. The French team Luc Alphand Adventures, the defending champion, prevailed again with its Chevrolet Corvette C6.R driven by Luc Alphand, Patrice Goueslard, and Yann Clairay. Lastly, in GT2, Team Felbermayr Proton's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (997), driven by Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz, and Horst Felbermayr, Sr. was initially disqualified then reclassified as the winner, ahead of Team Modena's Ferrari F430 GTC driven by Antonio García, Leo Mansell, and Jaime Melo.

Race Background

Championship position

Aston Martin Racing, winner of the 1000 km of Catalunya with No. 007, led the LMP1 championship with 10 points, two more than the Pescarolo No. 16. In the LMP2 category, Racing Box's Lola No. 30 was in the lead ahead of Quifel ASM Team's Zytek. In GT1, IPB Spartak Racing (Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT) led the way ahead of Luc Alphand Adventures (Chevrolet Corvette C6.R). Finally, the GT2 category was led by Team Felbermayr Proton's Porsche 997 GT3 RSR No. 77, ahead of JMW Motorsport's Ferrari F430 GTC.

Oreca 01 and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2's first race

On May 6, Oreca presented its new design, the 01. Similar to the previous year, the emblem is inspired by the works of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. The Oreca 01 would also have a new aerodynamic kit. For Hughes de Chaunac, the team manager, the Spa event was another opportunity to train before the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "Spa is a crucial step. It's a semi-final before Le Mans. This test will show us if we're well positioned before this year's race. We'll know where we are compared to the competition. We want to make a successful debut with the Oreca 01. We're going to set ourselves straight." French driver Nicolas Lapierre did not hide his ambitions: "A good result would give us a boost before the 24 Hours. It's important not to make mistakes and to have a perfect weekend. This new car has a bigger, more unmitigated performance potential and a wider turning range. We have taken a big step forward and have to prove it with an excellent performance. We want to be on the podium. With Oliver, we are committed to living down the disappointment in Barcelona. All the elements are there to shine!"

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2, developed and operated by Reiter Engineering, took part in its first race at the 1,000 km of Spa. At the end of March, the team tested the car at Salzburging, driven by Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov, both dealing with snowy weather. The German team then went to the Paul-Ricard Circuit as part of the FIA GT Championship Test Days. Christophe Bouchut and Albert von Thurn und Taxis drove the car this time. Hans Reiter, team manager, believed the vehicle should have been reliable enough for the Spa race: "It's not unrealistic to think that the car will last 1,000 kilometers in the race if we continue practicing. That's why we will step up the testing before starting the Gallardo in the 1,000 kilometers of Spa."

Peugeot's limited entry in the Le Mans Series

At the beginning of February, Peugeot announced its sports program, which included, in addition to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, only the 1,000 kilometers of Spa and the 12 Hours of Sebring; however, without definitively closing the door to another entry into the Le Mans Series. The program's evolution would depend on the 24 Hours of Le Mans result.

While three builds were to be entered in the Spa race, only two took part. According to Oliver Quesnel, the entry of a third car would require additional human effort, hampering their preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "It is not a question of a delay in the preparation of our work but of an adjustment in our organization. Our priority remains with Le Mans. I don't want the team to exhaust itself by preparing three cars for the Spa race, especially as our program's endurance simulation tests continue. Therefore, we chose six drivers, selected according to their respective mileage behind the wheel of the 908 HDi FAP."

During a press conference, Peugeot Sport and Oliver Quesnel assured that they would be present at Portimão and hoped for a commitment to the Petit Le Mans at the end of the year: "We'll certainly be in Portimão with two cars, and we hope to be able to get into the Petit Le Mans as well." The French manufacturer's 2009 program was previously limited to just three rounds.

Development of the cars

Peugeot Sport made no aerodynamic changes to its 908 HDi FAP. The two French prototypes drove in the same configuration as at the 12 Hours of Sebring, except for the addition of a thirty-kilogram ballast imposed by the new regulations.

The Spyker Squadron team took advantage of the Spa race to change its C8 Laviolette GT2-R. A new spoiler and air box were added to improve the engine torque. Czech driver Jaroslav Janiš, absent from the 1,000 km of Catalunya, was also absent from the 1,000 km of Spa due to jaw inflammation. His doctors advised him not to participate in the race. Drivers Tom Coronel and Peter Dumbreck had to do without him while driving the Spyker.

For Pescarolo Sport, car No. 16 had already received its new aerodynamic kit during the inaugural Catalan race. At Spa, the second car had also received one. In the LMP2 category, OAK Racing, which entered two Pescarolo 01s, had also modified the aerodynamics of one of its cars (No. 35). Such a modification is estimated at approximately €200,000. In addition to this development, Mazda North America oversaw the team from then on.

As for the manufacturing company Michelin, they brought tires with a new type of rubber (slick and rain) for the entire LMP1 group. In LMP2, competitors were also entitled to new slick tires with medium compound. For Matthieu Bonardel, competition manager at Michelin, the objective was to offer a tire that could heat up more quickly while having a longer service life than that of their 2008 model: "We didn't want to use harder rubber, yet we wanted to keep our 2008 performance level. So, we had to review the tire's structure in depth because keeping it at more than 100 °C any longer damages its structure. That's why we've reinforced the materials of which it's composed. Regarding regulations, the constraint of the aero load had not necessarily changed because the reduction in the size of the rear wing has been added to the additional ballast of 30 kg."

Teams and drivers involved, final preparations

Team Modena’s Ferrari F430 GTC had to be repaired at the Michelotto plant in Italy after a violent nighttime accident during a testing session on the Algarve Circuit. Despite riding off the track, driver Leo Mansell was unharmed. The team manager, Graham Schultz, spoke about the tests and the car, which had not yet been fully addressed. “Our tests with the Ferrari on Portugal’s new Algarve Circuit were very productive. We’re still in the learning stage with the Ferrari, and we’ve been able to make some improvements. We had the opportunity to test at night, but Leo went off the track in the dark, and the car was badly damaged at the rear.” The car arrived at the circuit’s paddock on Thursday night, allowing free practice to begin on schedule. In the LMP2 category, Speedy Racing Team Sebah suffered a similar misfortune during pre-season testing at the Bugatti circuit at the end of April. The Lola B08/80 No. 33 ran off the track at the entrance to the Dunlop Bridge. Although the monocoque was damaged, the team and Lola managed to get the car ready in time for the Spa round.

A few days before the start of the event, the entry list showed several changes. Narain Karthikeyan was appointed to drive ByKolles Racing’s Audi R10 TDI No. 14, which he had then just discovered. He was partnered with Andy Meyrick and Charles Zwolsman. Michael Krumm, who was initially entered, did not drive for the Austrian team. On board No. 14, the crew of Christijan Albers and Christian Bakkerud was reinforced by the arrival of Giorgio Mondini. Lucas di Grassi and Nicolas Kiesa, who were present on the first entry list, were also omitted. In the LMP2 category, Máximo Cortés drove for the second time in a row with Pierre Combot for the Q8 Oils Hache Team. The British Team LNT, present at Silverstone in 2008, returned for the Spa round.

Already low on entries after the first entry list was published, the GT1 category was affected by two withdrawals. Both Saleen S7-R from Larbre Compétition and ARC Bratislava withdrew. The latter was to be piloted by two Belgian drivers. The unregistered Jetalliance Racing was present at Spa with its Aston Martin DBR9 to train and prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The GT1 category also saw IPB Spartak Racing lose its main partner. Russian driver Roman Rusinov was sidelined, replaced by Filip Salaquarda and Erik Janiš. On the other hand, the GT2 category saw the arrival of an additional competitor, the Prospeed Competition’s Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, driven by Paul Daniels and Markus Palttala. For Team Modena, Jaime Melo assisted Antonio García and Leo Mansell. At Hankook Team Farnacher, Pierre Kaffer and Allan Simonsen rode together. As for JMB Racing, Manuel Rodrigues and John Hartshorne were to drive the Ferrari together, but Bulgaria’s Plamen Kralev joined them.

Report

Qualifying

The qualifying sessions for both the GT and Prototype categories were marked by several red flag periods which halted the sessions. These were caused by several accidents and car failures on circuit, which left five cars unable to complete a flying lap time. Peugeot was able to lock out the first row by margin of over a second from the leading Aston Martin, while the returning Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder secured pole position in LMP2. Jetalliance Racing gave Aston Martin a pole in GT1 and championship leaders Team Felbermayr-Proton led GT2.

Qualifying result

Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.

Pos	Class	Team	Lap Time
1	LMP1	No. 7 Team Peugeot Total	2:01.056
2	LMP1	No. 9 Team Peugeot Total	2:01.082
3	LMP1	No. 009 Aston Martin Racing	2:02.488
4	LMP1	No. 10 Team Oreca Matmut AIM	2:02.570
5	LMP1	No. 16 Pescarolo Sport	2:02.674
6	LMP1	No. 13 Speedy Racing Team Sebah	2:03.022
7	LMP1	No. 22 Team LNT	2:03.598
8	LMP1	No. 17 Pescarolo Sport	2:04.390
9	LMP1	No. 14 Kolles	2:04.478
10	LMP1	No. 12 Signature Plus	2:04.614
11	LMP1	No. 15 Kolles	2:04.630
12	LMP2	No. 31 Team Essex	2:07.918
13	LMP2	No. 33 Speedy Racing Team Sebah	2:08.446
14	LMP2	No. 30 Racing Box	2:08.600
15	LMP2	No. 40 Quifel ASM Team	2:08.850
16	LMP2	No. 41 GAC Racing Team	2:09.326
17	LMP2	No. 32 Team Barazi-Epsilon	2:09.662
18	LMP2	No. 35 OAK Racing Team	2:11.244
19	LMP2	No. 37 WR Salini	2:11.874
20	LMP1	No. 3 Scuderia Lavaggi	2:12.506
21	LMP2	No. 39 KrSM	2:12.876
22	LMP2	No. 43 Q8 Oils Hache Team	2:14.256
23	LMP2	No. 38 Pegasus Racing	2:17.026
24	GT1	No. 66 Jetalliance Racing	2:17.344
25	LMP2	No. 24 OAK Racing	2:17.834
26	GT1	No. 55 IPB Spartak Racing	2:18.242
27	LMP2	No. 28 Ibañez Racing Service	2:19.258
28	GT1	No. 72 Luc Alphand Aventures	2:19.680
29	LMP1	No. 11 Team Oreca Matmut AIM	2:21.146
30	GT2	No. 77 Team Felbermayr-Proton	2:21.870
31	GT2	No. 76 IMSA Performance Matmut	2:22.012
32	GT2	No. 84 Team Modena	2:22.698
33	LMP2	No. 29 Racing Box	2:22.858
34	LMP2	No. 42 Ranieri Randaccio	2:23.044
35	GT2	No. 92 JMW Motorsport	2:23.148
36	GT2	No. 89 Hankook Team Farnbacher	2:23.232
37	GT2	No. 91 FBR	2:23.656
38	GT2	No. 87 Drayson Racing	2:23.694
39	GT2	No. 90 FBR	2:23.758
40	GT2	No. 85 Snoras Spyker Squadron	2:25.088
41	GT2	No. 94 Prospeed Competition	2:26.260
42	GT2	No. 78 Advanced Engineering	2:26.448
43	GT2	No. 96 Virgo Motorsport	2:26.892
44	GT2	No. 81 Easyrace	2:27.024
45	GT2	No. 88 Team Felbermayr-Proton	2:27.672
46	GT2	No. 99 JMB Racing	2:27.926
47	LMP2	No. 26 Bruichladdich-Bruneau Team	3:37.296
48	LMP1	No. 23 Strakka Racing	3:55.058
49	LMP1	No. 007 Aston Martin Racing	No Time
-	LMP2	No. 25 RML	No Time
-	GT2	No. 79 Reiter Engineering	No Time

Race

Race results

Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Tyre	Laps
					Engine
1	LMP1	7	Team Peugeot Total	Nicolas Minassian Simon Pagenaud Christian Klien	Peugeot 908 HDi FAP	M	143
					Peugeot HDi 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel)
2	LMP1	16	Pescarolo Sport	Jean-Christophe Boullion Christophe Tinseau	Pescarolo 01	M	143
					Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
3	LMP1	007	Aston Martin Racing	Jan Charouz Tomáš Enge Stefan Mücke	Lola-Aston Martin B09/60	M	142
					Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
4	LMP1	11	Team Oreca Matmut AIM	Olivier Panis Nicolas Lapierre	Oreca 01	M	142
					AIM YS5.5 5.5 L V10
5	LMP1	009	Aston Martin Racing	Darren Turner Harold Primat Miguel Ramos	Lola-Aston Martin B09/60	M	142
					Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
6	LMP1	14	Kolles	Narain Karthikeyan Andrew Meyrick Charles Zwolsman Jr.	Audi R10 TDI	M	141
					Audi TDI 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel)
7	LMP1	15	Kolles	Christijan Albers Christian Bakkerud Giorgio Mondini	Audi R10 TDI	M	139
					Audi TDI 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel)
8	LMP2	31	Team Essex	Casper Elgaard Kristian Poulsen Emmanuel Collard	Porsche RS Spyder Evo	M	139
					Porsche MR6 3.4 L V8
9	LMP2	33	Speedy Racing Team Sebah Automotive	Benjamin Leuenberger Xavier Pompidou Jonny Kane	Lola B08/80	M	139
					Judd DB 3.4 L V8
10	LMP1	13	Speedy Racing Team Sebah Automotive	Marcel Fässler Andrea Belicchi Nicolas Prost	Lola B08/60	M	139
					Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
11	LMP1	12	Signature Plus	Pierre Ragues Franck Mailleux	Courage-Oreca LC70E	M	138
					Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
12	LMP1	9	Team Peugeot Total	David Brabham Marc Gené Alexander Wurz	Peugeot 908 HDi FAP	M	136
					Peugeot HDi 5.5 L Turbo V12 (Diesel)
13	GT1	72	Luc Alphand Aventures	Luc Alphand Patrice Goueslard Yann Clairay	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R	D	132
					Chevrolet 7.0 L V8
14	LMP2	35	OAK Racing Team Mazda France	Matthieu Lahaye Karim Ajlani	Pescarolo 01	D	132
					Mazda MZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4
15	GT1	55	IPB Spartak Racing	Peter Kox Filip Salaquarda Erik Janiš	Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT	M	131
					Lamborghini 6.0 L V12
16	LMP1	22	Team LNT	Lawrence Tomlinson Robbie Kerr Guy Smith	Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S	M	130
					Zytek ZJ458 4.5 L V8
17	LMP1	23	Strakka Racing	Nick Leventis Peter Hardman Danny Watts	Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S	M	129
					Zytek ZJ458 4.5 L V8
18	GT2	77	Team Felbermayr-Proton	Marc Lieb Richard Lietz Horst Felbermayr, Sr.	Porsche 997 GT3-RSR	M	129
					Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
19	GT2	84	Team Modena	Antonio García Leo Mansell Jaime Melo	Ferrari F430 GT2	M	129
					Ferrari 4.0 L V8
20	GT2	92	JMW Motorsport	Rob Bell Gianmaria Bruni	Ferrari F430 GT2	D	128
					Ferrari 4.0 L V8
21	GT2	90	FBR	Pierre Ehret Dominik Farnbacher	Ferrari F430 GT2	M	128
					Ferrari 4.0 L V8
22	GT2	85	Snoras Spyker Squadron	Tom Coronel Peter Dumbreck	Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R	M	128
					Audi 4.0 L V8
23	GT2	76	IMSA Performance Matmut	Patrick Pilet Raymond Narac	Porsche 997 GT3-RSR	M	127
					Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
24	LMP2	38	Pegasus Racing	Julien Schell Philippe Thirion	Courage-Oreca LC75	A	127
					AER P07 2.0 L Turbo I4
25	GT2	87	Drayson Racing	Paul Drayson Jonny Cocker	Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2	M	126
					Aston Martin 4.5 L V8
26	GT2	96	Virgo Motorsport	Sean McInerney Michael McInerney Michael Vergers	Ferrari F430 GT2	D	125
					Ferrari 4.0 L V8
27	GT2	78	Advanced Engineering	Peter Bamford Matt Griffin	Ferrari F430 GT2	M	124
					Ferrari 4.0 L V8
28	GT2	94	Prospeed Competition	Markus Palttala Paul Daniels	Porsche 997 GT3-RSR	M	124
					Porsche 3.8 L Flat-6
29	LMP2	39	KSM	Hideki Noda Francesco Sini Matthew Marsh	Lola B07/46	D	115
					Mazda MZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4
30	GT1	66	Jetalliance Racing	Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer Thomas Gruber Alex Müller	Aston Martin DBR9	M	113
					Aston Martin 6.0 L V12
31	GT2	88	Team Felbermayr-Proton	Horst Felbermayr Jr. Christian Ried Francisco Cruz Martins	Porsche 997 GT3-RSR	M	112
					Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
32	LMP2	37	WR Salini	Stéphane Salini Philippe Salini Tristan Gommendy	WR LMP2008	D	110
					Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8
33	LMP2	40	Quifel ASM Team	Miguel Amaral Olivier Pla	Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S/2	D	101
					Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8
34 NC	GT2	79	Reiter Engineering	Albert von Thurn und Taxis Christophe Bouchut	Lamborghini Gallardo LP560	M	99
					Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
35 NC	LMP2	43	Q8 Oils Hache Team	Máximo Cortés Nil Montserrat Pierre Combot	Lucchini LMP2/08	D	88
					Judd XV675 3.4 L V8
36 NC	LMP1	3	Scuderia Lavaggi	Giovanni Lavaggi Wolfgang Kaufmann	Lavaggi LS1	D	49
					AER P32C 4.0 L Turbo V8
37 DNF	LMP1	10	Team Oreca Matmut AIM	Stéphane Ortelli Bruno Senna	Oreca 01	M	129
					AIM YS5.5 5.5 L V10
38 DNF	GT2	89	Hankook Farnbacher Racing	Allan Simonsen Pierre Kaffer	Ferrari F430 GT2	H	110
					Ferrari 4.0 L V8
39 DNF	LMP2	41	GAC Racing Team	Karim Ojjeh Claude-Yves Gosselin Philipp Peter	Zytek 07S/2	M	80
					Zytek ZG348 3.4 L V8
40 DNF	GT2	81	Easyrace	Maurice Basso Roberto Plati Gianpaolo Tenchini	Ferrari F430 GT2	P	75
					Ferrari 4.0 L V8
41 DNF	GT2	99	JMB Racing	Manuel Rodrigues John Hartshorne Plamen Kralev	Ferrari F430 GT2	M	57
					Ferrari 4.0 L V8
42 DNF	LMP1	17	Pescarolo Sport	Bruce Jouanny João Barbosa	Pescarolo 01	M	53
					Judd GV5.5 S2 5.5 L V10
43 DNF	GT2	91	FBR	Gabrio Rosa Giacomo Petrobelli Andrea Montermini	Ferrari F430 GT2	M	53
					Ferrari 4.0 L V8
44 DNF	LMP2	25	RML	Thomas Erdos Mike Newton	Lola B08/86	M	47
					Mazda MZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4
45 DNF	LMP2	28	Ibañez Racing Service	José Ibañez William Cavailhès Frédéric Da Rocha	Courage LC75	D	41
					AER P07 2.0 L Turbo I4
46 DNF	LMP2	42	Ranieri Randaccio	Ranieri Randaccio Glauco Solieri	Lucchini LMP2/08	D	35
					Nicholson-McLaren 3.3 L V8
47 DNF	LMP2	30	Racing Box	Matteo Bobbi Andrea Piccini Thomas Biagi	Lola B08/80	M	7
					Judd DB 3.4 L V8
DSQ	LMP2	29	Racing Box	Andrea Ceccato Filippe Francioni Giacomo Piccini	Lola B08/80	M	137
					Judd DB 3.4 L V8
DSQ	LMP2	32	Team Barazi-Epsilon	Juan Barazi Fernando Rees	Zytek 07S/2	M	134
					Zytek 2ZG348 3.4 L V8
DSQ	LMP2	26	Bruichladdich-Bruneau Team	Pierre Bruneau Stuart Moseley Jonathan Coleman	Radical SR9	D	129
					AER P07 2.0 L Turbo I4
DNS	LMP2	24	OAK Racing Team Mazda France	Jacques Nicolet Richard Hein	Pescarolo 01	D	-
					Mazda MZR-R 2.0 L Turbo I4

Bibliography

• Stéphane Engoulvent, "1000 Km de Spa : Peugeot assure et se rassure !", Le Mans Racing, ^no. 6 (Special issue), June 2009, pg. 70-81
• Cécile Bonardel, Michael Cotton, Marc Laffeas, Olivier Loisy and Jean-Marc Teissedre (trans. David Waldron, Cécile Bonardel), Apollo, 2009, 261 p. (ISBN 9782952104449, read online [archive]), “Spa-Francorchamps”, pg. 94-125
• Jean-Marc Teissedre and Stéphane Enout, “1000 Km de Spa : Peugeot fin prêt”, Auto Hebdo, ^no. 1700, May 13, 2009, pg. 34-45

External links

• Le Mans Series - 1000 km of Spa