The 2009 1000 km of Spa was the second round of the 2009 Le Mans Series season. It occurred at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, on May 10, 2009. Several teams tested at Spa before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including eventual winners Team Peugeot and Team Essex Porsche, as well as the Jetalliance Racing Aston Martin. This is the 28th European Le Mans Series race since 2004.
The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP No. 7, driven by Nicolas Minassian, Simon Pagenaud, and Christian Klien, won the event less than thirty seconds ahead of their pursuer, the Pescarolo 01 No. 16, driven by Jean-Christophe Bouillon and Christophe Tinseau. In the LMP2 class, Xavier Pompidou in the Speedy Racing Team Sebah's Lola B08/80 No. 33 did not manage to catch up to Team Essex's Porsche RS Spyder Evo at the end of the race. The latter, driven by Casper Elgaard, Kristian Poulsen, and Emmanuel Collard, won by seven-tenths of a second.
In GT1, only three crews take the start. The French team Luc Alphand Adventures, the defending champion, prevailed again with its Chevrolet Corvette C6.R driven by Luc Alphand, Patrice Goueslard, and Yann Clairay. Lastly, in GT2, Team Felbermayr Proton's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (997), driven by Marc Lieb, Richard Lietz, and Horst Felbermayr Sr. was initially disqualified then reclassified as the winner, ahead of Team Modena's Ferrari F430 GTC driven by Antonio García, Leo Mansell, and Jaime Melo.
Race Background
Championship position Aston Martin Racing, winner of the 1000 km of Catalunya with No. 007, led the LMP1 championship with 10 points, two more than the Pescarolo No. 16. In the LMP2 category, Racing Box's Lola No. 30 was in the lead ahead of Quifel ASM Team's Zytek. In GT1, IPB Spartak Racing (Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT) led the way ahead of Luc Alphand Adventures (Chevrolet Corvette C6.R). Finally, the GT2 category was led by Team Felbermayr Proton's Porsche 997 GT3 RSR No. 77, ahead of JMW Motorsport's Ferrari F430 GTC.
Oreca 01 and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2's first race On May 6, Oreca presented its new design, the 01. Similar to the previous year, the emblem is inspired by the works of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. The Oreca 01 would also have a new aerodynamic kit. For Hughes de Chaunac, the team manager, the Spa event was another opportunity to train before the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "Spa is a crucial step. It's a semi-final before Le Mans. This test will show us if we're well positioned before this year's race. We'll know where we are compared to the competition. We want to make a successful debut with the Oreca 01. We're going to set ourselves straight." French driver Nicolas Lapierre did not hide his ambitions: "A good result would give us a boost before the 24 Hours. It's important not to make mistakes and to have a perfect weekend. This new car has a bigger, more unmitigated performance potential and a wider turning range. We have taken a big step forward and have to prove it with an excellent performance. We want to be on the podium. With Oliver, we are committed to living down the disappointment in Barcelona. All the elements are there to shine!"
The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2, developed and operated by Reiter Engineering, took part in its first race at the 1,000 km of Spa. At the end of March, the team tested the car at Salzburging, driven by Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov, both dealing with snowy weather. The German team then went to the Paul-Ricard Circuit as part of the FIA GT Championship Test Days. Christophe Bouchut and Albert von Thurn und Taxis drove the car this time. Hans Reiter, team manager, believed the vehicle should have been reliable enough for the Spa race: "It's not unrealistic to think that the car will last 1,000 kilometers in the race if we continue practicing. That's why we will step up the testing before starting the Gallardo in the 1,000 kilometers of Spa."
Peugeot's limited entry in the Le Mans Series At the beginning of February, Peugeot announced its sports program, which included, in addition to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, only the 1,000 kilometers of Spa and the 12 Hours of Sebring; however, without definitively closing the door to another entry into the Le Mans Series. The program's evolution would depend on the 24 Hours of Le Mans result.
While three builds were to be entered in the Spa race, only two took part. According to Oliver Quesnel, the entry of a third car would require additional human effort, hampering their preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "It is not a question of a delay in the preparation of our work but of an adjustment in our organization. Our priority remains with Le Mans. I don't want the team to exhaust itself by preparing three cars for the Spa race, especially as our program's endurance simulation tests continue. Therefore, we chose six drivers, selected according to their respective mileage behind the wheel of the 908 HDi FAP."
During a press conference, Peugeot Sport and Oliver Quesnel assured that they would be present at Portimão and hoped for a commitment to the Petit Le Mans at the end of the year: "We'll certainly be in Portimão with two cars, and we hope to be able to get into the Petit Le Mans as well." The French manufacturer's 2009 program was previously limited to just three rounds...
Development of the cars Peugeot Sport made no aerodynamic changes to its 908 HDi FAP. The two French prototypes drove in the same configuration as at the 12 Hours of Sebring, except for the addition of a thirty-kilogram ballast imposed by the new regulations...
The Spyker Squadron team took advantage of the Spa race to change its C8 Laviolette GT2-R. A new spoiler and air box were added to improve the engine torque. Czech driver Jaroslav Janiš, absent from the 1,000 km of Catalunya, was also absent from the 1,000 km of Spa due to jaw inflammation. His doctors advised him not to participate in the race. Drivers Tom Coronel and Peter Dumbreck had to do without him while driving the Spyker.
For Pescarolo Sport, car No. 16 had already received its new aerodynamic kit during the inaugural Catalan race. At Spa, the second car had also received one. In the LMP2 category, OAK Racing, which entered two Pescarolo 01s, had also modified the aerodynamics of one of its cars (No. 35). Such a modification is estimated at €200,000. In addition to this development, Mazda North America oversaw the team from then on.
As for the manufacturing company Michelin, they brought tires with a new type of rubber (slick and rain) for the entire LMP1 group. In LMP2, competitors were also entitled to new slick tires with medium compound. For Matthieu Bonardel, competition manager at Michelin, the objective was to offer a tire that could heat up more quickly while having a longer service life than that of their 2008 model: "We didn't want to use harder rubber, yet we wanted to keep our 2008 performance level. So, we had to review the tire's structure in depth because keeping it at more than 100 °C any longer damages its structure. That's why we've reinforced the materials of which it's composed. Regarding regulations, the constraint of the aero load had not necessarily changed because the reduction in the size of the rear wing has been added to the additional ballast of 30 kg."
Teams and drivers involved, final preparations Team Modena's Ferrari F430 GTC had to be repaired at the Michelotto plant in Italy after a violent nighttime accident during a testing session on the Algarve Circuit. Despite riding off the track, driver Leo Mansell was unharmed. The team manager, Graham Schultz, spoke about the tests and the car, which had not yet been fully addressed. “Our tests with the Ferrari on Portugal’s new Algarve Circuit were very productive. We’re still in the learning stage with the Ferrari, and we’ve been able to make some improvements. We had the opportunity to test at night, but Leo went off the track in the dark, and the car was badly damaged at the rear.” The car arrived at the circuit's paddock on Thursday night, allowing free practice to begin on schedule. In the LMP2 category, Speedy Racing Team Sebah suffered a similar misfortune during pre-season testing at the Bugatti circuit at the end of April. The Lola B08/80 No. 33 ran off the track at the entrance to the Dunlop Bridge. Although the monocoque was damaged, the team and Lola managed to get the car ready in time for the Spa round.
A few days before the start of the event, the entry list showed several changes. Narain Karthikeyan was appointed to drive ByKolles Racing’s Audi R10 TDI No. 14, which he had then just discovered. He was partnered with Andy Meyrick and Charles Zwolsman. Michael Krumm, who was initially entered, did not drive for the Austrian team. On board No. 14, the crew of Christijan Albers and Christian Bakkerud was reinforced by the arrival of Giorgio Mondini. Lucas di Grassi and Nicolas Kiesa, who were present on the first entry list, were also omitted. In the LMP2 category, Máximo Cortés drove for the second time in a row with Pierre Combot for the Q8 Oils Hache Team. The British Team LNT, present at Silverstone in 2008, returned for the Spa round.
Already low on entries after the first entry list was published, the GT1 category was affected by two withdrawals. Both Saleen S7-R from Larbre Compétition and ARC Bratislava withdrew. The latter was to be piloted by two Belgian drivers. The unregistered Jetalliance Racing was present at Spa with its Aston Martin DBR9 to train and prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.Le Mans Series 2009, p. 98. The GT1 category also saw IPB Spartak Racing lose its main partner. Russian driver Roman Rusinov was sidelined, replaced by Filip Salaquarda and Erik Janiš.Le Mans Series 2009, p. 118.Le Mans Series 2009, p. 119. On the other hand, the GT2 category saw the arrival of an additional competitor, the Prospeed Competition’s Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, driven by Paul Daniels and Markus Palttala. For Team Modena, Jaime Melo assisted Antonio García and Leo Mansell. At Hankook Team Farnacher, Pierre Kaffer and Allan Simonsen rode together. As for JMB Racing, Manuel Rodrigues and John Hartshorne were to drive the Ferrari together, but Bulgaria’s Plamen Kralev joined them.
Free practice
First session, Friday, 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Times set by the top three finishers in each category of the first free practice session (pole position winners in bold) Sources:Le Mans Series 2009, p. 121. PositionCategoryNo.TeamTimeLaps1LMP19Team Peugeot Total2:06.740 (on 4th lap)272LMP111Oreca2:06.740 (on 3rd lap)193LMP110Oreca2:06.846 (on 4th lap)109LMP225RML2:11.920 (on 16th lap)1613LMP232Team Barazi Epsilon2:13.644 (on 4th lap)2314LMP240Quifel ASM Team2:13.912 (on 22nd lap)2219GT155IPB Spartak Racing2:19.722 (on 5th lap)2125GT172Luc Alphand Adventures2:22.658 (on 3rd lap)1943GT166Jetalliance Racing2:34.144 (on 6th lap)2127GT291FBR2:24.488 (on 5th lap)1929GT289Hankook Team Farnbacher2:25.584 (on 4th lap)2430GT292JMW Motorsport2:26.530 (on 5th lap)21