07
April
2018
|
14:03 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

Dunlop teams continue race preparations at The Prologue official test

  • Signatech Alpine in the Le Castellet pitlane
    Signatech Alpine in the Le Castellet pitlane
  • TDS Racing changing tyres at Le Castellet
    TDS Racing changing tyres at Le Castellet
  • Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470
    Signatech Alpine Matmut Alpine A470
  • Dunlop engineer in the Paul Ricard pit lane
    Dunlop engineer in the Paul Ricard pit lane
  • #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca
    #37 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca
  • #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca
    #38 Jackie Chan DC Racing Oreca

The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Prologue returned to Le Castellet for 2018’s pre-season official testing on Friday and Saturday. The Dunlop partner teams all chose to focus on endurance testing, completing 948 laps ( 5556 km) collectively.

Dunlop teams last raced at the track just last August with the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), but resurfacing and the removal of the Mistral chicane have already shown significant changes to the circuit characteristics resulting in a significant drop in lap times. The ‘A’ and ‘B’ tyre options were tested during the 15 hours on track.

Paul Ricard Key Facts

  • 12 seconds per lap faster lap times compared to 2017 ELMS
  • Drivers now able to go ‘flat’ through high-speed Signes curve
  • Dunlop A & B 2018 tyre options tested between 16 – 34 degrees centigrade track temperatures
  • Teams focussed on race stints with up to 24 laps per stint
  • Lap times on new specifications very consistent throughout stints
  • G-Force average through Signe up to 3.3G – equivalent to 1100kg per wheel
  • Teams able to post fastest stint times up to last lap of stint

Teams must now wait until 5th May for the first race in the 2018/19 Super Season which takes place at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit. That will be the only opportunity to gain race data before the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Dunlop LMP2 2018 Tyres

  • Full new range - A, B & C slick options plus intermediate and full-wet
  • New profile, construction and compounds
  • Target on, reduced warm-up time, improved consistency, performance, feel and feedback

Mike McGregor, Dunlop Manager Testing & Track Support

 “This has been a good test for us in preparation for the Super Season. The key to racing is gathering as much information as possible at this stage to understand as much as possible before the racing starts. We have learnt that the tyres have performed very well in terms of consistency and pace, with good feedback from the drivers about the feel on track. Now we can analyse the data before Spa and work with our teams to aim for our first WEC win of the season.”