Orbit Racing - Le Mans test

2003 24 Heures du Mans test
 
Le Mans advantage

Orbit Racing took full advantage of eight hours of track time to prepare the 
No. 87 YES Network Porsche for this year's 24 Heures du Mans.  Leo Hindery 
noted the value of the extended test, held May 4 on the 13.658-km course in 
Le Mans, France.

"It's one of the things Le Mans does that's so much better for the drivers," 
he said.  "Although we compress the open practice into one day, it's eight 
hours.  It lets the crew and the team and the car begin to work against the 
24-hour criteria.  We worked out a lot today and progressed through the day, 
which is what you want to accomplish.  If we had interrupted it after two or 
three hours, we would have lost a lot."

Hindery admitted he is a big fan of Le Mans.  "The people in Le Mans are very 
special," he said.  "They make you feel so welcome, from the restaurants to 
the hotel to the stewards. It's a delight to be back."

new car

Hindery and Peter Baron qualified fifth and finished seventh in the GT class 
at Le Mans last year.  Baron expects an even stronger performance this year, 
with a well-prepared new Porsche 911 GT3 RS.   

"Last year, we took a stock car straight from the factory, painted it and 
brought it over," he said.  "This year, we actually had time to go over the 
car, do all our special tweaks and get a really good setup on it.  The crew 
did a heck of a job and it paid off.  When we come back next time [for the 
June race], we'll have a new motor in the car.  We should be right on pace 
with the leaders and hopefully contend for the pole."

fast rookie

Marc Lieb, driving at Le Mans for the first time, learned the track quickly 
and posted the third-fastest GT time of the test day.

"The track was quite easy to learn, I expected a bit harder," he explained.  
"It's a great track!  It's like three tracks - down to the Mulsanne Straight, 
you look at your time and you have already done one minute 30 [seconds], 
which is a normal lap time, and you still have to go three-quarters of the 
rest of the lap.  it's just amazing.  At Mulsanne, the radio isn't working 
anymore, you're so far away from the pits!"

new partner

The Orbit Racing Porsche carries the colors of a new sponsor - Champion 
Porsche, the world's largest Porsche dealer.  Champion and Orbit are both 
located in south Florida, providing many opportunities for joint programs.  
The sponsorship also gives Champion representation in two classes at Le Mans, 
adding the Orbit GT to its prototype program.