Le Mans Test Day: in or out?

You don’t ‘enter’ Le Mans. You earn the right to take part by winning titles, or you receive an invitation from the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). A provisional ‘guest list’ is published in February, when a shortlist of reserves is also produced, should somebody withdraw. This year’s first reserve Riley Motorsports (N°53 Viper/Michelin, LM GTE Am) has finally gained a place on the grid, while the N°49 KCMG (LM P2) – second reserve – still hopes to be part of the party on June 13-14…

So far, only one of the 2015 race’s 56 originally-listed teams has chosen to decline its invitation, and that provided the USA-based Riley Motorsport with an opportunity it seized without hesitation…

“We always knew we had a chance,” says team boss Bill Riley. “When we learned we were first reserve, I looked at the statistics. In recent years, as many as 10 cars and a minimum of two have turned down their invitations. That usually happens in April, when the time comes to pay! And that’s exactly when I got the call from the ACO.

“Luckily, we plan for success. When I told the car’s owner Ben Keating – who is one of the drivers, and also the world’s biggest Viper dealer – about the statistics, he said ‘We’re going!’…

“So we did a shakedown test on April 10 and put the car on a ship to be here in time for the Test Day. It was in the middle of the Atlantic when the phone-call came…

“When you’re a late arrival, one of the toughest things is not knowing which garage you have been assigned, and how much space you have to store your equipment. But that’s a minor problem compared with not coming at all…”

Should another car drop out, its place will be snapped up by KCMG’s N°49 Oreca-Nissan prototype which is also at the Test Day, in case it too gets the call.

“Normally, there are four or five drop-outs. This year, there has only been one so far,” notes the car’s Team Manager Michel Frey. “Even so, KCMG wanted to be at the Test Day, just in case, because we have two drivers who have never participated in the Le Mans 24 Hours before.

“Christian Klien has big experience, of course, but Tomonobu [Fujii] and Satoshi [Hoshino] need to do their mandatory ‘rookie’ laps. They’ve actually raced round the 13.629km circuit before, but in support races, which don’t count...

“Not knowing whether we will race or not is tough, especially logistically, but we mustn’t stop believing we will get a place. We will have a better idea on Sunday evening, or early next week…”

In 2014, reserve Krohn Racing received its invitation with only three weeks’ notice, following the last-minute defection of Strakka Racing. The Texas outfit had just enough time to get its car, equipment and staff to Le Mans ready for race week. Its Ferrari came 10^th in LM GTE Am.