Team Modena Charge After Damper Drama
by
IT Development
Team Modena are running ninth in the LM Gt1 class as the first third of the 2007 Le Mans 24-Hour race draws to a close, the Aston Martin losing 10-minutes in the pits after a failed suspension damper was spotted on a scheduled pit stop. The crew flew into action and fitted a spare - already with the same settings - to have the car back onto the track as quick as possible, but the delay dropped the car down the competitive field and the drivers are now charging hard to claw back time.
Jos Menten brought the car in on its 71st lap when a crew member spotted the altered ride height at the front which indicated the front left hand damper had failed, the Dutchman having completed his first race run in the Aston Martin and at Le Mans.
"I could feel something getting worse, but I am still getting used to the car," said Menten. "At first I was in a lot of traffic all the time, but my last seven laps were clear and I was able to learn and improve lap by lap. I can't wait to get out in the car again, my next stint will be in the dark." Ant
onio Garcia took over the car and was immediately back on the pace - setting the DBR9s quickest race lap to date.
"The car feels normal now," said Antonio, "I was able to push to the limit and then stick to it. Now we have lost time we need to do some consistent times and see what happens."
"We had a spare ready with the correct settings," said Chief Engineer Hans Muelhbauer, "and now the car is good and Antonio was doing quick laps, we have to keep at this pace."
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