![]() |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
MG SPORT & RACING LE MANS 2001 – FIRST QUALIFYING PRACTICE SESSION Story and picture by MG Rover - 14 June 2001.
LMP 675 Class Frank Dernie, chief engineer, Lola Cars International: "We’ve nowhere near got the best out of the car yet, as we haven’t had clean laps. But, on the other hand we really need to be preparing for a race." "Car No. 33 - During the first session a problem with an alternator failure caused the battery to go flat and resulted in a misfire. In the second session it ran and all three drivers qualified in the dark. Car No. 34 – It ran well in the first session and in the second session had a fuel pressure problem and stopped on the circuit." MG Lola EX257, Car No. 33 Mark Blundell: "We qualified in the pitch black and took the car up there. I think it’s a great job, the guys have worked very hard today. We have definitely surprised a lot of people with the pace." Julian Bailey: "Having not been here for so long, I wasn’t too confident that I knew where I was going. However, I qualified easily - not a bad day really." Kevin McGarrity: "I am really happy to have achieved my first flying lap and doing so in the dark made it even more exciting. I know it wasn’t the ideal situation but at least I’ve had some laps in the car, so going into the race I feel a bit better. MG Lola EX257, Car No. 34 Anthony Reid: "It’s brilliant to have the provisional pole in an MG but it’s only Wednesday. I went out this evening to let rip on a new set of tyres - the car felt fantastic, really good." Warren Hughes: "We’ve had a glimpse of what the car is capable of and there’s a lot more to come. To get the provisional pole in the 675 category shows the level that we are at, but we want to get among the 900’s. Jonny Kane: "In general the car is really good and seems pretty fast. I think it looks good for tomorrow. " |