The ORECA 03 by the numbers… and letters.
In its second season in LM P2, the ORECA 03 consistently ran at the front of the pack. With titles in the European Le Mans Series, victories and podiums in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the prototype designed and built in the Signes, France workshops shined in all four corners of the globe thanks to the teams running it. Here is a look at the 2012 season for the ORECA 03, by the numbers and letters.
By the numbers…
100… as in the percentage of podium finishes. The ORECA 03 took part in eleven races and on each occasion, at least one car finished on the podium ! In FIA World Endurance Championship, the teams competing with the ORECA chassis dominated the podium with 11 out of 24 available podium steps throughout the season. And in the European Le Mans Series, five of the nine possible podium steps…
87,5… as in the percentage of ORECA chassis finishing Le Mans and in the WEC. Represented by four teams, the ORECA 03 took the equivalent of 39 starts in the World Endurance Championship. Thirty-four times it rallied the finished, that’s an 87.2% success rate ! The number is even a little higher for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where seven out of eight cars saw the checkered flag, or 87.5% ! Proof that reliability is on order, including at the most legendary endurance event in the world…
4 (+1)… as in the number of wins in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Thanks to ADR-Delta at Silverstone, Fuji and Shanghai, and Pecom Racing at Bahrain, the ORECA 03 took four victories in FIA-WEC. This is the highest total in LMP2 compared to other manufacturers. Add to this ADR-Delta’s victory at Spa, where team finished second behind a competitor that was competiting outside the championship.
7… as in the number of fastest laps of the race. To take pole position is one thing. But to be the fastest with a full fuel load or with used tires, is another. The ORECA 03 loves race conditions and this was proven time and again with seven fastest laps of the race – four times in FIA-WEC and three times (out of three) in ELMS !
2… as in the number of automatic invitations garnered by teams for the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours. As European Le Mans champions, Thiriet by TDS Racing received an automatic bid for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The same goes for Boutsen Ginion Racing, winners of the LM PC class in Europe.
14… as in the number of completed ORECA 03 from our workshops. After the car’s first shakedown on January 31, 2011, the ORECA 03 has multiplied its participations in races. In total, 14 chassis have been assembled in the Signes workshops and entered in competition.
By the letters…
I… as in International. The ORECA 03 delegation is very international, with six different countries represented : England (ADR-Delta), Argentina (Pecom Racing), Belgium (Boutsen Ginion Racing),
France (Sébastien Loeb Racing, Signatech, Thiriet by TDS Racing), Ireland (Murphy
Prototypes) et Switzerland (Race Performance).
M… as in Motor or Magny-Cours. ORECA is a manufacturer of race cars, but also has a motor/engine department at Magny-Cours. This department prepared the majority of the V8 engines placed in the ORECA 03. Among others, Oreca-Engine was in charge of the powerplants for ADR-Delta and Pecom Racing, the two winning teams in FIA-WEC.
A… as in best Average. If you take the total fastest laps of the races in the FIA World Endurance Championship and take the average, the ORECA 03 takes the first two spots, with ADR-Delta and Pecom Racing. Averaging out the fastest laps, the ORECA 03 is the quickest, which shows the car’s ability to adapt to different types of circuits: from Sebring to Shanghai, and Spa, Sao Paolo, Silverstone, Bahrain and Fuji in between, not forgetting Le Mans, of course. This statistic is also valid for ADR-Delta in the qualifying sessions!
P… as in Pole Position. Already reliable, the ORECA 03 can also show its abilities on one fast lap. The car took pole three times: at Circuit Paul Ricard (overall), Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The ORECA 03 also started on the front row five times, further proof of its outright performance.
R… as in the Race pace. In eight FIA World Endurance Championship races, the ORECA 03 proved its top speed, particularly by its race pace. Six out of eight times, the ORECA 03 had the best average laptime. Murphy Prototypes at Spa, ADR-Delta at Le Mans and Shanghai, G-Drive by Signatech at Sao Paulo and Bahrain, Pecom Racing at Fuji.
T… as in Three Triumphs for Thiriet by TDS Racing. Together, ORECA and Thiriet by TDS Racing took the trio of trophies in the European Le Mans Series. Drivers title – with Pierre Thiriet/Mathias Beche – and Teams title for the French team, while ORECA took honors in the Constructors championship.
News about the ORECA 03 and the ORECA FLM-09 can be found at www.Oreca-Technology.com and on our social media, Facebook.com/Oreca.fr and Twitter.com/Oreca.