Prologue, 4 Hours of Le Castellet, Grand Prix of Long Beach: April a busy month for ORECA

For ORECA Technology, it’s officially back to school. After competition geared back up in January in the U.S., the ORECA chassis also made their return to the track for the world and European endurance championships. This past Friday at the Circuit Paul Ricard, the action kicked off with two days of the WEC Prologue. Monday and Tuesday were then focused on the European Le Mans Series as it conducted the Prologue for its championship ahead of the race this weekend to be held at the Le Castellet circuit as well.

The Rebellion R-13 LMP1 steps into the spotlight

The Circuit Paul Ricard was buzzing on Friday. At the WEC Prologue that brought together as many as five ORECA 07s, one in particular was highly anticipated: the Rebellion R-13 LMP1 chassis. Though the prototype had completed its shakedown a few days earlier, the project had so far managed to remain under the radar. The Prologue was the perfect opportunity to present the car officially and benefit from some track time in real conditions. During the two days of testing – including a night session on Friday – the six Rebellion Racing drivers took turns at the wheel of the R-13 familiarizing themselves with the car, getting their bearings and doing laps. The goal was clearly to cover the most kilometers possible before the first race of the season.

On the LM P2 side, the ORECA armada was comprised of nearly all “veterans” like TDS Racing, Signatech Alpine Matmut and Jackie Chan DC Racing, joined by DragonSpeed, already experienced with the ORECA 07 in the ELMS last season. Teams committed to the French prototype took advantage of the two days of tests to get back into their rhythm, give new recruits valuable track time and measure up the competition, already looking fierce for the upcoming WEC Super Season.

Impressive grid for the European Le Mans Series

After a day of rest on Sunday, the next day the European Le Mans Series arrived at the Circuit Paul Ricard for a full week’s stay: two days of Prologue followed by the kickoff of the season, the 4 Hours of Le Castellet.

For this new season, the ELMS will boast a field of no less than 45 cars, including eight ORECA 07s for the year and two part-time entries!

While “veterans” like DragonSpeed, G-Drive Racing, Graff and TDS Racing (a part-time entrant this season) are sizing themselves up within a grid as competitive as ever, newcomers to the fleet – Racing Engineering, IDEC Sport Racing, Duqueine Engineering and APR Rebellion Racing – are preparing for the championship at the wheel of their ORECA 07s.

During the two days of testing, the ORECA 07s consistently stood out, despite unpredictable weather that was at once dry then rainy and even included hail! DragonSpeed certainly set itself apart with the #21 ORECA 07 driven by Nicolas Lapierre that clocked the fastest time over the two testing days in 1:41:769.

Now, all focus is on the upcoming 4 Hours of Le Castellet that will begin on Friday with a first free practice session.

The weekend promises to be more than intense for ORECA Technology. In addition to the action in the south of France – where ten ORECA 07s will be fielded as well as 18 LMP3s equipped with ORECA engines – 9,751 kilometers away, another customer support team will be hard at work at the Grand Prix of Long Beach where four ORECA 07s and two DPi ACURA ARX-05 prototypes will be entered. There is no doubt, this season is well underway!