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European Le Mans Series

Paul Ricard Wednesday Notebook

Laurent Mercier’s final notebook from the ELMS pre-season test…

Photo: ELMS

Photo: ELMS

***Following the crash of Sergio Campana yesterday, ProSpeed Competition packed up and headed back to its workshop in Belgium, as its Porsche 911 GT3 RSR sustained extensive damage that could not be repaired on site. The Rudi Penders-led team, however, has vowed to be ready for Silverstone.

***While yet to confirm a sports car racing program, Pierre Ragues will take part in several rounds of the French Rally Championship in a Skoda Fabia S2000. The Frenchman was seen this morning turning laps in Larbre Competition’s Morgan-Nissan.

***At 16 years old and some months, Matt McMurry could become the youngest driver to start the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Dyson Development Driver turned his first laps at Paul Ricard this week in Greaves Motorsport’s Zytek Z11SN Nissan with confirmed full-season pilots Chris Dyson and Tom Kimber-Smith. McMurry is expected to join the duo for the Silverstone and Imola ELMS rounds, as well as the Le Mans Test Day.

***While Dyson Racing is currently on hiatus from professional sports car competition in the U.S., Chris Dyson confirmed that an announcement about the team’s future plans is expected shortly.

***It’s rumored that Nissan’s LMP1 program for 2015 could be announced during the opening round of the FIA WEC in Silverstone later this month. Further details on the manufacturer’s Garage 56 effort with the ZEOD RC could also be revealed at that time.

***Several sources have indicated that a new engine for LMP2 could be on the horizon for 2015/16, although not yet having been given the green light to begin development.

***We are still without news of the Lotus T129, which should run in the LMP1-L class in the FIA WEC this year. Rumors indicate that the possible presence of the car could in fact be an evolution of the T128 from the LMP2 class last year. However, if Lotus races in the class, it would have to be a car that complies with the regulations.

***After several years with no news, former LMP1 entrant Giovanni Lavaggi has resurfaced for a program in the EuroV8Series with a Lexus ISF.

Laurent Mercier (@LaurentMercier2) is the Editor-in-Chief of Endurance-Info.com, the leading French-language source for the latest sports car racing news from around the world.

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