The 4 hours of running last evening were engulfed in heavy rainfall, meaning that nobody improved on their Wednesday qualifying times.

We caught up with Bill Binnie today (Friday) on the build up to the race. “We’ve had a faultless week so far. No complaints. The car has run like clockwork, and the team has done a fantastic job with preparation. Both Allen and Chris have also done fantastically well, and we are going into the race in good shape. We have a very good Kumho dry tire and a ‘good’ wet tire, and now we have an excellent wet setup. To be honest, I just want to get on with it now”.

He added “I maintain that this race is not about qualifying at all, though a decent start place does help a little. We have just that, with our 3rd in class qualifying and inside the top 20. It really won’t make too much difference come the start of the race. We will be working to a strategy, as will all the other teams, and our aim is to be there at the finish”.

Mechanic Martin Jarvis added “Today we’re installing the race engine and going through the car’s system to check everything is working correctly. We are all looking forward to the race now”.

This afternoon the drivers will be on-parade for the public masses, through the streets of Le Mans city on vintage French cars. Let’s hope it dries up for that!

The Binnie Lola got off to a solid start. Chris opened the team’s account with some excellent times, and 1 hour into the session the Lola-Zytek topped the LMP2 charts with a lap time of 3.48.173, just about 3 tenths ahead of fellow Brit Warren Hughes (Quifel Team Lola-AER). “There’s quite a lot more to come” commented Chris. “We’re just dialing in the car and checking through the systems, and making sure all 3 of us get some daylight running. The time is sure to go faster in our class but we know we’re there or thereabouts right now”.

Just after 1 hour is completed, the atmosphere is starting to hot up as the evening moves in. Adrian Fernandez puts down a time of 3.47.886 in the Lowes Home Improvement backed Zytek. Allen reels off more laps and continues to improve his personal best time.

At 8.07pm the Red flag comes out to stop the session. Apparently Italian driver Marco Apicella has suffered an accident somewhere on the Mulsanne Straight, damaging the car substantially. It has since been reported that Apicella’s J-Loc Lamborghini caught fire after hitting the barriers at the Mulsanne 1 chicane, thus destroying the car. After a lengthy delay while the marshals rebuilt the tire wall (Apicella was taken to the hospital for a check over) the circuit was re-opened at 8.53pm. Drivers re-taking the start were greeted with a huge downpour of rain on most parts of the 13km track.

The session was extended a further 15 minutes because of the length of the delay but the Binnie team decided to sit out the rest of the session instead of risking the car unnecessarily.

Top LMP2 times - Q1 (2 hours 7-9.15pm CET)

1. Lowes Home Imp - Zytek / Zytek  3.44.158

2. Binnie Mspt - Lola / Zytek  3.48.173  (15th)

3. Quifel ASM - Lola / AER                 3.48.492

4. Barazi Epsilon - Zytek / Zytek      3.48.935

5. Bruicladdich Racing Radical-AER            3.49.520

6. Saulnier Racing Courage-AER            3.49.621

Qualifying 2 – 22.07pm - 00.07am

Second 2 hour session, now in full darkness, starts 7 minutes later than scheduled due to the Lambo crash in the first session. Track conditions-wet but no rain, at the moment. Bill starts the session and puts down some very good lap times. The LMP1 leader (the Audi #1 of Pirro) is setting lap times in the 4 minutes, as is Bill. The track is now reported to be ¾ dry and ¼ wet but there is a further threat of rain.

Just fifteen minutes into the session and another full course Red Flag. Session is stopped for a car off reportedly somewhere on the Mulsanne. It’s now understood to be the #13 Courage LC70 - LMP1 of Jean Marc Gounon (F) that has caused the temporary stoppage. This car had a huge accident on the test day and was completely rebuilt just in time for technical scrutineering. After a 16 minute delay to tow the apparently undamaged Courage to safety, the Green lights are back on and cars rejoin the track to resume testing. Allen picks up where he left off from session 1, putting in some more good times, this time in full darkness and with damp conditions. With the track drying, times start to come down gradually as most teams look to try and wrap up their qualifying runs tonight, with the threat of further inclement weather forecast for tomorrow. But with almost an hour into the session drivers are reporting still wet patches around the circuit, and as a result most cars are staying on Intermediate rubber.

With 30 minutes to go, cars are leaving the pit lane with full dry tires, so clearly the track is deemed dry enough for some faster lap times. “The Quifel Lola leapfrogged us at the end but we didn’t plan on going any quicker in the last session. We’re extremely happy with our P3 in class when all is said and done. Chris did a great job yet again and we have a very solid car for the race” commented Bill.

Top LMP2 times – Q2 (combined)

1. Lowes Home Im - Zytek / Zytek   3.44.158

2. Quifel ASM Racing - Lola / AER    3.45.838

3. Binnie Mospt - Lola / Zytek3.48.173 (18th)

4. Bruicladdich Racing - Radical / AER     3.48.332

5. Barazi Epsilon - Zytek / Zytek            3.48.935

6. RML Ltd - Lola / MG            3.49.217

The Binnie Boys enjoyed a thoroughly rewarding Le Mans test day yesterday (June 3) as the preliminaries start to wind up for the 75th running of the Sarthe Classic.
 
Bill, Allen and Chris all spent trouble-free stints behind the wheel of the Carlisle Capital backed Lola B05/40-Zytek, and rounded out the day 21st overall, and an impressive 5th in LMP2 class. That's 4 places better than last year, and a staggering 12 seconds quicker too!
 
Pleased with his team's work, Bill commented "The off season improvements really are showing up. The most important thing to remember about a test day is that you can not win one!  You can lose one - witness the LMP1 Zytek who had a big crash and fire, and that's no fun. We had a great test day and we ran the most laps of our LMP2 class. In fact we were sixth overall in laps for the test. And that is always a good sign of a well sorted race car. We like where we are. We have significantly more pace than last year ...better than seven seconds per lap".
 
Regarding the new boy on the block, Bill added "Chris Buncombe our rookie did great and showed really pace early on. Well done Chris. Allen Tmpany and I were within a few hundredths and we are all really pleased. On to the race week".

The teams awoke to glorious sunshine across the Sarthe this morning. The 55 cars took to the track, including Binnie Motorsport's Lola, with 'Le Mans Rookie' Chris Buncombe at the wheel. Chris completed his mandatory 10 laps in order to prove his pace and understanding, as is part of the rules for new drivers to the venue, and he was thrilled with the car's pace and with the circuit itself. "Everything is fine. The car handles great here, and I love the Indiannapolis corner. The circuit has so many variables, interesting cambers and curves, it certainly keeps your attention!".
 
Chris reported that the tam are using the V14 and V25 compounds of the Kumho Tire, and he liked the feel of these tires, not previously used in abundance by the team. He also felt that a quicker time than his 3.51.7 is on the cards. "Bill and Allen are starting this afternoon's session and I'll go last. We are all very evenly matched, setting times within a second of eachother which is ideal for an even balance and continuity during the race. That's right where we want to be".
 
The test has so far not gone without incident, with 3 cars already visiting the tyre walls (Robbie Kerr in the Lowes Zytek LMP2, a 'factory' Courage LMP1 and the Noel Del Bello Courage LMP2).
 
For 'live' qualifying updates tune in to www.lemans.org and follow the links to the 24 Hours page, and 'chronos' (timing'.
 
A further report will follow after this afternoon's test.

Almost 5 hours and 1000kms after the Green flag fell,  Bill Binnie, Allen Timpany and Chris Buncombe took a well deserved 3rd place with their Vanco/Carlisle Capital/Kumho Tyres Lola-Zytek B05/40, in what was a tough opening Le Mans Series (LMS) season opener at historic the Monza circuit just outside Milan, Italy.

Having qualified the car in 7th place Buncombe made a quick but cautious start, and comfortably settled into a top 5 position, keeping in close attention with the class leaders. By the time he brought the Lola in to hand over to Bill Binnie, 1 hour 40 minutes had lapsed and there had been one Safety car period.

Just a few laps into his middle-stint Binnie was forced to pit with an over heating problem, which turned out to be nothing more than a failed water hose clip. Once replaced, and a 14 minute loss in the pits, Bill was sent on his way again, only to return very quickly to the box. An air pressure problem was quickly diagnosed and fixed but the team had dropped to 7th in class and seemingly out of contention.

But knowing how these races have a habit of turning around, Binnie knuckled down to what was to become a race-changing stint for the Anglo-American team. Regular, consistent lap times, no mistakes and the failure of others in the class resulted in a hand over of 3rd place to Allen Timpany, who simply had to repeat the same process and maintain a 6 lap cushion from the Saulnier Racing Courage and the rest of the chasing pack. That he did, bringing the car home to a fine 3rd place finish, much to the elation of his team mates and the Binnie Motorsports crew.

Taking 1st in LMP2 thanks to a faultless run was the Lista Horag Racing Lola-Judd of Theys/Van de Poele/Leinhard, from a struggling RML MG-Lola/AER of Erdos/Newton.

Lola constructed chassis took the top 3 positions on the LMP2 Monza podium.

Overall race winners overall were Nic Minassian and Marc Gene in the all-new Peugeot FAP LMP1.

Driver Reactions

Today (Saturday) in Monza there was a 1 hour practice session followed by Qualifying.
 
Chris Buncombe takes up the story "Today we made many improvements to the set up and we went much faster. I was P3 right until the last 30 seconds of the free practice. The car's balance here at Monza is excellent, and the Kumho's are working extremely well, giving all the drivers plenty of confidence". Qualifying did not however go to plan. Chris was held at the exit of the pit lane and his tyres lost any heat in them by the time he was let loose. Then on his quali lap he was baulked heavily by the #35 Saulnier Courage, costing valuable tenths. "I'm not really sure what he (Bruce Jouannay) thought he was doing. I let him past on his fast lap! Anyway, I would have liked to have put the car higher up then 7th in class but in reality we know where we are with the set up and the strategy, and that is very much to finish and pick up points tomorrow. That's what matters most".
 
TV Coverage for the Monza 1000kms will begin LIVE on www.lmes.net at 1pm CET / 8am EST

Weather: Dry, sunny
 
By the end of the first day's running at the historic Italian Grand Prix circuit, Binnie Motorsports had achieved 8th position in class, with some work to do on set up to improve the car's balance before tomorrow's qualifying run.
 
Chris Buncombe "All in all we are quite satisfied despite a few issues in the sessions today. The car was particularly suffering from a lot of under-steer but we'll knuckle down and work on improving that. The car's feel and general balance are good, and I believe we have a very good chance in the race. We're not overly concerned about qualifying but it would be good to improve the time so we know what we are capable of for the race. The second session was cut short thanks to a massive pit lane fire with one of the Corvette's, so we did lose time but it was the same for everyone. Both Bill and Allen did a good job today. We are definately one of the better teams in the paddock. I'm looking forward to getting on with the job on Sunday".
 
Further reports to follow..