|
|
|
LMP1 – Car #10
Hideki Noda (Japan)
Andrew Prendeville (USA)
Laguna Seca - The Eco Racing Radical SR10 bio
diesel
car of Hideki Noda and Andrew Prendeville was
withdrawn by the team after completing 46 laps
in the
debut event of the production engined prototype
with a
recurrence of a drive train problem.
Starting at the back of the 34 car grid, the
Japanese
star made impressive progress on the car’s race
debut as the whispering green and white car
moved
through the field to run in 24th position after
the first 25
minutes.
The Team’s hard work over the past two days
appeared to be
paying off only for disaster to strike as the
SR10 was hit on the
left rear causing a driveshaft failure. The car
was taken behind
the wall for repairs. After 1 hour 20 minutes
the car was back
in the pit lane as Noda handed over to team mate
Andrew
Prendeville.
The ALMS rookie continued on from his impressive
form
in the Warm Up, staying out of trouble and
setting fastest
laps for the car as the race entered its middle
phase.
At the scheduled fuel stop the team put Noda
back in the
car to give both drivers a good run. Once again
the car
lapped at its pace, moving through the GT2 cars
before
Hideki detected noise from the rear and brought
the car in.
Investigation revealed a recurrence of the drive
shaft issue,
suggesting greater damage had been done than
first
thought.
Hideki Noda “Its been a tough weekend. We really
needed
more track time on Thursday to discover the
problems that
came up on Friday and I think the results would
have been
different. Its disappointing not to be able to
show the car’s
true performance. As a driver I am sorry that I
was unable to
complete the race, especially as the team worked
really hard.
I think that more testing over the winter will
find more speed
and make the team stronger for next year.”
Team Manager, Ian Dawson “To see the car finish
P15 in the
Warm Up was a real boost to the team and a good
feeling
after the hard work and commitment we have put
in. Both
Hideki and Andrew were stars, professional and
fast. We are
trying to do something different and I think a
little special as
we really look to embrace the Green Initiative,
perhaps in
more ways than many others, so it was
disappointing not to
be able to record the first finish of a
production engined
diesel car on the car�����s race debut; but we hope
to be back
stronger next year.”
Notes to editors:
For more information, images or interviews,
please contact:
Andy King in the Media Centre or on cell at +44
7989 018464
- ECO Racing is a company led by veteran
Le Mans engineer Ian Dawson, award winning
businessman Simon Wright and experienced
Finnish driver, Harri Toivonen who have been
inspired by the opportunity to extend the
use of ECO technology beyond fuel and into
many other aspects of the Programme.
- The Team has been working tirelessly
towards building ECO Racing and achieving
its goal of being competitive in the world’s
most demanding racing environments using as
many eco based products and solutions as
possible, both on and off the track. For
example the Team will recycle its race tyres
through "fragging", turning them into bark
chippings and is working towards the use of
Hemp fibre for not critical bodywork panels.
- ECO Racing has two V10 biodiesel powered
Radical LMP1 sportscars. The turbo charged
V10 engine uses production based components,
modified to adapt to the stresses of
endurance competition.
- The Jatropha curcas tree is a drought
resistant inedible oilseed plant used to
produce bio diesel. Jatropha has many
advantages over other bio fuel crops as it
requires less water than most plants, is
hardy and does not need to be grown on good
quality agricultural land.
- The 4 hour Monterey Sports Car
Championship race at Laguna Seca on 18th
October, is the final round of the 2008
American Le Mans Series (ALMS). Earlier this
year, the American Le Mans Series reaffirmed
its position as motorsports' global leader
in alternative fuels by announcing it's
partnership with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy
and SAE International to incorporate "Green
Racing" principles into its 2008 racing
season. The American Le Mans Series will be
the first motorsports series to meet those
criteria.
- Having debuted at Petit Le Mans, in 2009
ALMS introduces the Green Challenge™ as an
integral part of the Series. The Green
Challenge™ has been developed by ALMS in
association with the U.S. Department of
Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and SAE International, formerly known
as the Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE). Using a formula involving more than
30 pieces of data and measurements, the
criteria measures race car performance, fuel
efficiency and environmental impact using a
formula that ranks each car by the amount of
energy used, greenhouse gasses emitted and
petroleum displaced.
- European Le Mans Series and ALMS races
are contested by cars in 4 categories. LMP1
is the top category and caters for high tech
prototype sportscars. ECO Racing’s Radical
Bio Diesel car is reaches speeds in excess
of 190mph.
|
|
