A TROUBLE FREE TEST AT LE MANS

"Coming into the one and only official Le Mans test day, the team had a very structured plan of things to try. This consisted of testing some new aerodynamic pieces, tyres, a little bit of brake work and general car set up. It's been a full year since we were here last and Le Mans is unique. You can't test anywhere else to simulate it, and this is a pretty special 14 kilometres of track.

"When I first got on track this morning I was really pleased. The car felt nice to drive, with nothing too alarming happening which is a real difference to the test day last year when we had a few handling issues. The tyres Michelin have developed for us work very well, and by the time we came into the lunch period, after four hours of testing, we were very happy with the way things had gone.

"As there'd been a few red flags and stoppages throughout the morning we didn't get everything ticked off on our planned programme, so we had to condense the afternoon's plans a bit. As the second four hour period went on, the track got faster and faster and, every time I got in the car through the day, the car was getting better. We always seemed to be making the right decisions about set up, and getting quicker, which was a nice feeling because sometimes you can go down the wrong avenue and you lose loads of time coming back again. Today it all went in the right direction.

"I drove for about 25-30 laps which is quite a lot. Jan and Olivier were also both very happy and like car the set up we've found. We all feel similarly about things and like the car to react in the same way. It's great because you can drive the car, make a suggestion and think you've made it better, then either of them will go out and go faster again. Then they in turn will make a change and you go faster again. It's a well-oiled wheel and we all complement each other well.

"Despite Aston Martin being a bit quicker than us in the final time sheets it's not worrying us at all. Everyone in the team is very happy. This time last year we all had a tough time but now the mood is very buoyant and we know we've achieved an awful lot today. Everyone knows that success in this race takes more than outright speed, and Corvette Racing has proved time and again it's got all the necessary components and people to make that happen. We'll keep you posted as to what happens next week!"

4^th June 2006

For further information contact nick@walnutmotorsport.com