Late race fall hampers result in Le Mans 💔
Hi everyone,
A bit of a head-scratcher this weekend at the French GP, we showed signs of pace and improvement but unfortunately, the result just wasn't to be.
The test in Spain was good for us as we did plenty of work there, testing different parts and setups to continue to increase our comfort, and I think that showed as we rolled onto the track at Le Mans with some good speed.
It’s always a good Friday when you get a direct pass into Q2, which is what we were able to do in France. Especially on that type of circuit, where the technicality of it can catch you out at any moment and really put a dent in your time. There were bits and bobs to tidy up, but overall the feeling was good.
Sprint Race rolled around, and really from there on we just didn’t have a lot of grip in the rear end. The tyres took around six laps to come up to the temperature, which meant that there were a few slides out there…P8 was the overall result, which I felt was decent but there was more on the table.
We regrouped as a team to run some eyeballs over the data, although the real drama that we’re facing is being able to replicate what we do in the mornings in the afternoons. We ran 31s pretty consistently in the morning, then come race time we just struggled to match that.
Feature Race, the bike was getting better as the race went on, but then a super weird moment into turn 11 there, I was going 1km/pH faster than normal, braked like normal, and just lost the front. Again, a real head-scratcher, but we’re doing everything that we can and leaving no stone unturned at the moment - I’m an open book this year and giving everything a crack.
Things will turn, I have no doubt about that, it’s just a matter of when at this point. But one thing is for sure, we’ll be keeping up the fight.
Cheers,
Jack.