Mike Rockenfeller - Le Mans test

Mike Rockenfeller had a positive start to preparations for les 24 Heures du
Mans, scheduled for June 18 and 19. Rockenfeller, of Monaco, and his fellow
Porsche factory driver Marc Lieb of Ludwigsburg, Germany, were second in the
GT2 class for most of a nine-hour test day on June 5. Their co-driver Leo
Hindery of New York turned his fastest laps ever on the 13.65-kilometre
French circuit.

 

Rockenfeller started the No. 71 Alex Job Racing / BAM! Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
He posted a lap of four minutes 6.589 seconds during the morning session,
good for second in GT2 and almost two seconds ahead of the third-place car.
Lieb followed with an afternoon lap of 4:06.464, second in class until late
in the session, when it was edged back to fourth. Rockenfeller returned for
a flying lap at the end of the day. He was poised to regain second place,
but a rain shower stopped his charge. The trio finished fourth in class.

 

"We did a lot of work on the car," Rockenfeller reported. "In the beginning,
we had quite a few problems with setup and of course the track was 'green'
because it's an open road. But I think we improved a lot. At the end, it
started raining. I did half a lap on new tires when it was dry and I was
already 1.3 seconds ahead of our fastest lap, so I think we could have been
position two.

 

"Overall, we were really happy with everything. We had no major problems and
we ran the whole day. We still aren't where we want to be, but it's a lot
better. It was fun to drive the car and to be back in Le Mans. I'm looking
forward to the race. My goal is to finish this time. If we can finish
without any major problems, we'll have a chance to finish quite well."